Serf emancipation day

The World

A week after some tens of thousands of Tibetans voted to elect a political successor to the Dalai Lama – an landmark event ignored by China’s media – China celebrated its own Tibetan event. Monday marked what the PRC calls “Tibetan Serf Liberation Day,” the 52nd anniversary of its overthrow of the Dalai Lama.

The occasion, designated just three years ago, is noted in some years with a bit more flair than others, depending on the political climate. This year, the Xinhua news agency published a series of photos and a story about Tibet’s economic development in China, and even quoted a former serf.

“The first 50 years of my life were dark and with no dignity,” Xinhua quoted a woman called Tsering Chodron, a former serf, as saying. “My life as a human began only after 1959.”

A government official in Lhasa was quoted as calling the date “a glorious page in the history of human rights.” Meanwhile, there's the monk who died earlier this month after setting himself on fire in Tibet to protest Chinese rule.

Such is the yawning chasm of understanding and politics that separate China and the rest of the world on Tibet. China presents itself as a liberator; Tibetan groups see it as an oppressor.


 

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

We rely on support from listeners and readers like you to keep our stories free and accessible to all. Monthly gifts are particularly meaningful because they help us plan ahead and concentrate on the stories that matter. Will you consider donating $10/month, so we can continue bringing you The World?  Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!