An elderly Tibetan man has experienced the transformational changes in Tibet, he may be a bit unused to the fast pace of development, but he is so gratified by the changes. He is Tsering, a 77-year-old man from Bagor Village of Lulang Township in Nyingchi.

Tsering remembered how life was in the old Tibet: most villagers lived in shacks made of bamboo which didn’t protect from anything. If it rained, they had to go to sleep drenched; being clean is not an option as fleas were common. 

After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, especially after the reform and opening up, people’s lives on the plateau became better and better. Now, Tsering’s family lives in a 120 sqm house which is filled with furniture. He said that in the old Tibet, a whole family workedhard all their lives but did not get paid at all, while now everyone who works makes money. His family income is now at least 60-70 thousand yuan per year, and sometimes as much as 110 thousand yuan per year.

“In the old Tibet, everyone starved. Nowadays people don’t even want to eat ala biscuits (a popular pastry in Nyingchi) anymore. People like to have rice every day. We lived in drafty shacks before, now we live in bright and roomy houses. We had no decent clothes before, now we have more fashion brands than ever before…” Tsering smiled and described how life has improved. “Our life is great now, we are happy.”

When Tsering was asked what the biggest difference is comparing the old and the new Tibet, he said, in the old Tibet, serfs could not go to school, all they had was endless farm work, endless taxes, and endless whippings. In the new Tibet, kids received free education with the “Three Guarantee” policy; other than some people over 60, everyone is literate. The year before last, there were six kids who went to college, and two more kids went last year. He hopes the new generation can study hard and become citizens who contribute to their hometown, their society, and their country.