LHASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region marked Serfs' Emancipation Day on Tuesday.
This public holiday marks the date in 1959 when people in Tibet launched a democratic reform that ended the region's feudal serfdom and freed a million serfs, or more than 90 percent of its population at the time.
Tibet has shaken off absolute poverty and kept on pace with the whole country in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Before 1959, the average life expectancy in Tibet was only 35.5 years. The figure rose to 72.19 years in 2021.
The regional GDP reached 213.3 billion yuan (about 31 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, representing a giant leap from the 1959 figure of a mere 174 million yuan.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
