As the Tibetan New Year approaches, festive and harmonious celebrations are sweeping across southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. The New Year's Eve feasts on people's tables have become more abundant, and various traditional cultural activities continue to enrich the spiritual and cultural lives of locals. Improvements in living conditions and rising consumption levels are quietly "refreshing" the New Year's shopping list for Tibetan people.

Recent observations in Lhasa's markets reveal an evolving New Year procurement landscape: while traditional staples like Chemar Boxes, butter sculptures, and Kasai ( fried pastries) maintain their dominant presence, seafood, imported foods, exquisite pastries, and various beverages have also become "new favorites". At the same time, the rise of "Cultural New Year's Goods" has added rich cultural flavors to the celebrations.

Before the Tibetan New Year, markets in Lhasa are crowded with shoppers preparing for the festival. At Barkhor Market, traditional items like Kasai, yak meat jerky, highland barley seedlings, and Chemar were in ample supply. For Tsering Drolma, an elderly resident, these traditional goods remain indispensable for her family's celebrations. "Every Tibetan New Year, we prepare these items, which embody the ritual sense of the New Year," she said.

The emergence of "Cultural New Year's Goods" has become a highlight of this year. On the morning of the first day of the Tibetan New Year, a long queue formed at the entrance of the Norbulingka Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. People dressed in traditional Tibetan attire, gathered with family and friends, shared Chemar symbolizing good luck and prosperity, and jointly made good wishes .

Not far from Norbulingka, the Xizang Museum also buzzed with cultural activities. Tibetan paper printing, Tibetan calligraphy interactions, and folk music performances attracted crowds of visitors. "In the past, our New Year celebrations primarily revolved around visiting relatives and indulging in festive feasts. Now, with the integration of cultural activities, we experience a more profound traditional ambiance," said Jigme, a parent attending the calligraphy interaction with his child.

The "refreshing" of the New Year's shopping list not only reflects the improvement of people's material lives, but also portrays the happiness of people of all ethnic groups. In recent years, Xizang has seen rapid socio-economic development, steady growth in urban and rural residents' incomes, and an upgrading consumption structure. Data shows that in 2024, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in Xizang reached 55,444 yuan, an increase of 6.8%, while rural residents earned 21,578 yuan, an increase of 8.3%. The sustained income growth provides robust support for consumption upgrading.

Reporter: Huang Yaoman, Zhuang Yunkai

Translator: Tenzin Seldron, Zhi Xinghua

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli