Over the past 60 years since Tibet’s peaceful liberation, especially over the past 30 years since the reform and opening up policy was adopted in China, Tibet has taken unprecedented changes in social change, economic growth as well as people's living standard thanks to the Central Government's support, nationwide aid-Tibet efforts and the hard work of all ethnic groups in Tibet.

Among various achievements, economic development is the most obvious yet solid foundation for even greater and wider progress.

Prior to Tibet's peaceful liberation in 1951, Tibet had long been a society of feudal serfdom under theocratic rule with its overwhelming means of production possessed by serf owners led by the Dalai Lama, which seriously fettered the development of productive forces and economic growth. After the liberation, the Central Government has put economic development of Tibet on the top priority of their agenda, making a series of favorable policies to help Tibet’s economic development and construction with nationwide efforts.

In early 1950s, the People's Liberation Army opened the prelude of modern construction in Tibet by building roads, bringing talents and technical personnel to Tibet from various regions in China. Later, Tibet made remarkable accomplishments through democratic reform, change of production relations and the establishment of socialism.

Tibet has make dramatic changes, from no roads across the whole region to a comprehensive network of communications and transportation with highways, railways, airlines  as well as pipelines; from a small hydropower station only for few rulers of the upper society to an energy system with hydropower as its priority, terrestrial heat, wind energy and solar energy as its complementary measures; from communication by mail carriers or courier stations to modern communication network system with optical cable, satellites and network.

In 2010, Tibet's regional GDP (gross domestic product) has reached 50,746 billion yuan, 83.3 times more than that of 1959, and GDP per capita 17,000 yuan, 34 times more than that in 1959. The leapfrog development of economy has made a solid foundation for the continuous improvement of people's living standard in Tibet.