Dream of Tibet: new leader (2)

Sonam Wangdu，a family of four, is now living in a small courtyard. His grandfather, Tubdain, 79 years old has witnessed the changes over the past 60 years. He said that the comfortable life he is living is what he has never imagined before. Before 1951, he was in extreme poverty without any freedom. When he was young, officials, nobles and senior monks taking only five percent of the total population owned most of the land, pastureland and livestock, while serfs and slaves like Tubdain, accounting for 95 percent of the population. The peaceful liberation of Tibet and the Democratic Reform in 1951 and 1959 respectively bought new hope to Tubdain. His family was distributed a house and land, which made them feel the advent of happy life.

Chongdu, mother of Sonam Wangdu said，the annual income was over one or two thousand yuan, and the annual yield of grain was increased, to which we are all very happy. But before 1951, we didn't have enough food to eat. And she is very happy that they are better off day by day. The 26-year-old Sonam Wangdu opened a store of wine in the township. With the annual income of 2,500-3,000 yuan, Sonam Wangdu said his life has improved compared to it was in old Tibet.

Since the 4th Conference on the Work of Tibet was held in June 2001, more favorable policies have been made for Tibet than the Western Development Strategy with more enterprises emerged in the county thanks to the more rapid development in the market economy.

Now the dream of the whole family is to move into a new house as soon as possible. They are expecting lines of houses from the Comfortable Housing Project were built up in the village so that all the 823 households of farmers and herders could move into them. The two brothers are now talking about how to decorate their new houses.

Losang said, in the recent five and six years, the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region is determined to build up the new socialist countryside, which focuses on everybody has houses to live for the local Tibetans. Over the past years, the total investment totaled 4.6 billion yuan in putting up new houses for 408,300 households of farmers and herders who have moved into safe, bright and comfortable houses. Among all the policies, what the masses like most is the Comfortable Housing Project.