Westerners need to know more about "the reality of Tibet" and the fact that it was a "slave society over 60 years ago", French Ambassador to China Herve Ladsous said in Beijing on Friday.
The Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Center has released a report outlining Tibet´s economic and social development over the past 50 years. The goal of the report is to provide a comprehensive list of the achievements in contemporary Tibet and serve as a reference for policy makers.
Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Democratic Reform in Tibet >>
Life now:In 2008, Farmers and herdsmen´s average net income per capita reached over 3,000 yuan.200,000 households moved into new homes.
Life in the past:Farmers and herdsmen had no means of production and were in debt nearly all their lives. Over 90% of the people had no houses of their own.
Infrastructure:Kanding in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has become the first Tibetan town in Sichuan province to have a local bus service.
Religion:Freedom of religious belief is one of the basic rights of Chinese citizens, including all Tibetans.
Shingtsa Tenzinchodrak, living Buddha"Whether people believe in religion or not and in which religion they choose to believe are all at their own choices."
Qiangba Punco, NPC deputy "The March 14 riot last year proves that the Dalai Group is the key factor for the instability in Tibet."
Inaki Preciado Idoeta, Tibetologist "What I see and hear in Tibet differs from Dalai Lama´s propaganda"
Argemiro Procopio, Brazilian scholar "Tibet has since been keeping pace with other regions in China in terms of social development and economic progress."
Yexe Lozhub, retired community worker"The younger generations don´t know much about our suffering. I think it is important to tell the young people about the past."
Nyima Cering, Tibetan mountaineering hero"We were sent on an very important mission. It was not the same as other mountain climbing missions because the world´s eyes were focusing on us."