Tibetan grocery store owner tells of his happy life

　　BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Kelzang Tseten, 60, a grocery store owner in the Raosai Community in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, is a witness to the great changes that have taken place in Tibet after the founding of New China.

　　Kelzang Tseten said, "Our life has changed substantially since my wife and I opened a grocery store in 1994."

　　With the improvement of infrastructure in the old downtown area, the grocery store‘s business has been more flourishing, with the net income sufficient to support Kelzang and his seven dependents.

　　Kelzang‘s wife recalled, "Decades ago, there was no tap water in Tibet and we drank and used the well water. In winter, our hands were often frostbitten by the cold water."

　　Things like this did not change till 1989 when they had access to tap water.

　　Kelzang said, "Thirty years ago, we used oil lamps and it was impossible to read books in the evening. The children could only read and study in the school‘s toilets, and some adults even went to the corridors of their work units to read books, because those places had dim electric lights.

　　But now things have changed completely. Every household has electric lights and there are various types for us to choose. In the past, it was impossible for me to run the store around the clock. But now, with electricity, some customers come to my store in the evening, which makes my business more and more prosperous."

　　Kelzang said roads have changed most significantly, from dirt roads to cement block roads to the present paved roads. He said, "The paved roads not only keep the traditional ethnic flavor, but also make our community more home-like."