Commentary: Xizang experiencing its best period of development

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Despite Western smears, rumors and lies based on ideological bias, China's Xizang Autonomous Region has entered its best period of development, and its human rights situation has never been better.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the region has achieved remarkable progress in economic growth, people's livelihoods, environmental protection and the development of Tibetan culture. Such a feat would not have been possible without the strong and effective leadership of the CPC.

The landmark democratic reform in Xizang 65 years ago ended the cruel serfdom system, resulting in the emancipation of a million Tibetan serfs. Former serfs bid farewell to the days when they were starved, traded, abused and tortured; they were allocated farmland and cattle and became masters of themselves and their region. Now, Xizang is on a journey of continuous development, progress and prosperity.

Today, the region has seen solid and steady economic growth. Its GDP expanded by 9.5 percent year on year to nearly 239.3 billion yuan (about 33.7 billion U.S. dollars) last year, while this figure was only 129 million yuan in 1951. Modern cities have sprung up, expressways have extended in all directions and industrial parks are full of vigor and vitality.

In this region, absolute poverty is something of the past. By the end of 2019, Xizang had lifted 628,000 registered poor residents and 74 county-level areas out of poverty, representing victory in the battle against extreme poverty that had plagued the region for thousands of years.

Public health services in Xizang have been elevated to a higher level. The region provides a comprehensive public healthcare system covering regular basic medical services, maternity and childcare, disease prevention and control, and Tibetan medicine and therapies. The average life expectancy increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 72.19 years in 2021.

Xizang is the first provincial-level region in China to provide 15 years of publicly funded education from kindergarten to senior high school, standing in stark contrast to the situation 70 years ago when access to education was limited to the nobility. Courses in both Tibetan and Mandarin are taught in primary and secondary schools.

Historical and cultural heritage enjoys effective protection in Xizang. Tibetan classics and intangible cultural heritage are under both proper protection and utilization. Three Xizang cultural items -- Gesar, Tibetan Opera, and the Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa -- appear on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In this plateau region, environmental conservation is prioritized. With one-third of the region's land serving as nature reserves, it remains one of the best regions in the world in terms of ecological environment quality, experiencing good air quality 99.5 percent of the year on average. It is no surprise that the region is considered a heaven for photographers and tourists.

People's political rights are also effectively exercised. Of the 24 deputies of the Xizang delegation to the 14th National People's Congress, 16 are from the Tibetan and other ethnic minorities, including those with small populations such as the Monba people and the Lhoba people. Almost all of them being descendants of former serfs, they have now become practitioners of Chinese democracy on the plateau.

Abundant facts and figures have conclusively proved that Xizang has experienced a period of unprecedented development and momentous change, with people enjoying more and more tangible benefits.

The progress in the region serves as an epitome of China's brilliant achievements in development, and is a miracle of human development created on "the roof of the world."