Serfdom a distant past despite Dalai's ambition

I was lucky to make my first tour of the Tibet autonomous region last year and witness its scenic landscape with my own eyes. My deepest impression was that snow-clad Tibet is not a mysterious and remote land as the outside world holds. I sensed a simple, serene and happy life among ordinary residents in the autonomous region as well as their strong aspirations for a brighter future.

Tibet has been part of China's territory since ancient times. In the early Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the Han Chinese and Tibetan people began to set up intimate political, economic and cultural contacts.

The increasing number of intermarriages forged among royal families between Han and Tibetan groups laid a solid foundation for the establishment of a unified multi-ethnic nation.