Chuck Chiang, a columnist with Vancouver Sun, one of the mainstream newspapers in Vancouver, Canada, published an article titled "Tourism, government spending boost Tibet’s living standard" depicting a true picture of Tibet based on one visit there in June.

The article, published on July 28, 2014, began in an affirmative tone that “Tibet is changing,’ and the author believes that a visit would be more valuable than talking about something from afar, without any direct experience of the region.

The author felt cautiously optimistic about Tibet’s future after visiting Lhasa, capital city of the Tibet Autonomous and Nyingchi Prefecture to the southeast of Lhasa during his five-day visit.

"I can’t say I saw enough of the religious life in Tibet to speak on the state of the temples and the monks. But it is obvious that authorities have invested huge sums in improving the livelihood of Tibetan residents, especially rural civilians." He wrote.

There he had a talk with an ethnic Tibetan, Jimy Wangtso, who believes that maintaining the old and underdeveloped Tibet was unrealistic.

Chuck Chiang wrote: "Jimy Wangtso is the director-general of Lhasa’s government information office and an ethnic Tibetan. He maintains officials in the Tibet Autonomous Region have to make improving basic qualities of life a top priority.　'You can’t expect people to continue riding ox carts everywhere just because you, as a tourist, want to take photos of it,' he said. "Improvement in people’s living standard is important. … The West has progressed to a point where you don’t have to worry about food and shelter as a basic necessity. For us, human rights means the right to a better quality of life. We have to be able to feed ourselves."

In one village in Nyingchi, Chuck Chiang saw the water heaters almost equipped in every household, he thought it was very necessary to have hot water there, which is yet beyond understanding for the people living in developed countries.

Nyinghi has an average elevation of 3,100 meters, the lowest of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and its summer temperature ranges from 14 to 23 centigrade, much lower than that in other parts of China.

Chuck Chiang wrote: "It was a cloudy morning when we visited the village of Apei, some three hours' drive from the Bayi town of Nyingchi Prefecture. This village of 149 people sits — like most other settlements in Tibet — at the foot of mountain facing a river cutting through a lush green valley full of

trees but also with a stretch of high-capacity power lines reaching into the misty horizon.

What I remember most distinctly was the homes — some new, some old, all built to the colourful standard of a traditional Tibetan style. Regardless of the shape of the house, every one sported a solar water heater on the top.

"I tried to look carefully along our nine-hour drive from Nyingchi to Lhasa at the villages in the distance, away from the highway. And I inevitably saw these water heaters sticking up from the houses."

"There were other devices protruding from the houses, as well — many had satellite dishes for Internet and television signals — but they were not as ubiquitous as the heaters. As it was mid-July and temperatures still barely reached 20C at an altitude of 3,000 metres, I realize very quickly how valuable the hot water is — and how much those living in developed nations take it for granted for having hot tap water."

"These heaters are only a small part of what Beijing said is an unprecedented wave of spending on Tibet’s development. According to official documents, Beijing has spent the equivalent of about $44 million Cdn in living allowances to aid needy rural and urban residents."

"Along the drive to Lhasa, evidence of a multi-lane expressway following the same 400-kilometre route is taking shape. Estimates put driving time at four hours between Nyingchi and Lhasa once the highway is completed — less than half of what current conditions would permit."