VII. Economic Development and Improvement of Living Standards
The feudal serfdom in old Tibet seriously handicapped the development
of the social productive forces. The economy in Tibet was in a state of
extreme backwardness for a long time. Wooden ploughs were the basic tools
for agricultural production and yaks were employed for threshing. Slash
and burn cultivation and the burning of grass to fertilize land were still
customs retained in a few localities. In 1952, each mu of land (15 mu equal
to 1 hectare) could only produce 80 kg of grain on the average and the
per-capita share of grain came to 125 kg. Livestock breeding hinged on
climatic conditions and frequent natural calamities often caused the deaths
of large numbers of animals. In 1952, the region had only 9.74 million
head of livestock. The handicrafts industry was also extremely backward
and modern industry was nonexistent in old Tibet. Dangerous and difficult
roads made it hard to travel in the region. The transport of goods and
the delivery of mail had to depend on human and animal power. There were
no bridges on the Yarlung Zangbo River that dissects Tibet, except for
a few chain constructions left over from the Ming Dynasty. Since there
were no highways in Tibet, the car given to the Dalai Lama by the British
had to be dismantled and carried to Lhasa by draught animals. Tibet was
also backward in regard to sources of energy. In 1950, on the eve of Tibet's
peaceful liberation, there was only one 125-kw hydropower station in
The Democratic Reform has greatly fired the enthusiasm of farmers and herdsmen for production. In the past four decades, particularly since the reform and opening up of the last ten years and more, earth-shaking changes have taken place in Tibet. With the support of the central government and people throughout the country, the Tibetan people have developed production, alleviated poverty and built up family fortunes.
The development of agriculture and animal husbandry has been given top priority in the Tibetan economy. During the early stage of the Democratic Reform, the central government and the Tibetan local government formulated a series of policies and principles for the development of agriculture and animal husbandry which were compatible with the local conditions. Financial and material support was also provided. As a result, Tibet's production levels of agriculture and animal husbandry increased greatly. Total grain output rose from 180 million kg in 1959 to 315 million kg in 1966, registering an average growth rate of 8.3 percent a year. Cattle soared from 9.556 million head in 1959 to 18.175 million head, a rise of 90.2 percent. The living standards of the people took the first step towards improvement.
Since 1980, the government has imposed no levies on
Modern industry started after the Democratic Reform of Tibet. In 1965,
80 industrial enterprises were established in Tibet. Employing close to
10,000 workers, they covered the building, power, motor vehicle repair,
lumber, tanning, borax and coal industries. The total industrial output
value reached 28.83 million yuan that year. The government has paid close
attention to the development of the national handicrafts. In 1965, it had
widened to encompass 33 trades and its total annual output value rose from
1.24 million yuan before the
Tibet had no regular highways in the past. After the peaceful liberation
of Tibet, the first large-scale construction project was to build highways
from Sichuan and Qinghai to Lhasa on the high mountain ridges with an average
elevation of 3,000 meters. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway is 2,413 km long and
the Qinghai-Tibet Highway 2,122 km long. Since then, the Xinjiang-Tibet,
Yunnan-Tibet and China-Nepal highways have been built one after another.
Currently, there are 15 arterial highways and 315 feeder roads, with a
total length of 21,842 km, throughout Tibet. Except for Medog County which
is located deep in the mountains, highways provide access to all the counties
and 77 percent of the townships in Tibet. A highway network, with Lhasa
at the center, consisting mainly of the Qinghai-Tibet, Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet
and China-Nepal highways, has taken shape. In order to solve Tibet's fuel
supply problem, the state allocated funds to build a refined oil transmission
pipeline from Golmud in Qinghai Province to Lhasa. This 1,080-km-long pipeline
has played an important role in guaranteeing energy supplies for Tibet
in its economic
Modern science and technology did not exist in old Tibet. The period since the Democratic Reform has seen the establishment of agricultural, animal husbandry, communications, power, construction, geological, water conservancy, meteorological, public health, pharmaceutical and educational research institutions in Tibet. They have trained Tibetan scientific and technical personnel. The Academy of Social Sciences of the Tibet Autonomous Region was set up in 1985. Currently, Tibet has 17 special scientific research institutions with 26,900 technical personnel. Over the past 40 years, 347 scientific and technological achievements have been awarded prizes at the autonomous regional level. Of these, 21 scientific research achievements such as "the comprehensive development and utilization of solar energy resources in Tibet" have been honored by state prizes.
The snowy peaks, famous monasteries and relics of historical interest on the Tibetan Plateau have attracted many adventurers and tourists from other countries. In opening up, Tibet's tourism industry has gradually flourished. At present, Tibet has 11 travel agencies and 19 tourist hotels and guesthouses with 3,600 beds for foreign guests. The autonomous region has opened over 60 scenic spots to the public. Between 1980 and 1991, Tibet received 150,900 overseas tourists.
Due to efforts made in the past 40-odd years the living standards of
the Tibetan people have improved markedly. Most farmers and herdsmen have
adequate food and clothing and some have attained relative affluence. In
1991, the average net income of farmers and herdsmen in the region was
455 yuan. Allowing for price increases, the figure was 2.6 times
Due to Tibet's extremely harsh natural conditions and its extremely backward social development in history, the level of economic development and the living standards of the people are still lower than the nation's average. In 1989, the government of Tibet Autonomous Region formulated the Strategic Ideas for the Economic and Social Development of Tibet. It has implemented the policy of opening up to the rest part of China and the outside world as well; exploring the regional, domestic and foreign markets; developing advantageous resources and stepping up development of key areas and key industries. The goal is to narrow as soon as possible the gap in economic development between Tibet and other areas of the nation in order to lay a solid foundation for the common prosperity of Tibetan and other ethnic groups.