Seventy years after its peaceful liberation, Tibet takes on a new look (2)

Sonam Tobgye and his family pose for a photo at home in Nalung Village of Wumatang Township in Damxung County of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 15, 2021. Before the democratic reform in Tibet in 1959, Sonam Tobgye was a serf and lived under cruel feudal serfdom and in abject penury. "We had to work day and night just to pay exorbitant taxes levied by serf owners and local government," recalled Sonam, 82. Sonam embraced a brand new life in 1959 when his family secured grassland and some livestock, something his ancestors had never dreamed of for generations. "We don't have to worry about food, clothing and medical services and are living much better lives," he said. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)