This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Xizang Autonomous Region. On March 28, the day commemorating the emancipation of one million serfs in Xizang, the Chinese government released a white paper titled The Development and Progress of Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era. Through detailed data, it fully and objectively demonstrates the tremendous changes in Xizang, which have spanned "thousands of years in just a few decades." Between the lines, the chapter on "a happy life for the people as the ultimate human right" in Xizang becomes vividly clear.

Human rights are not merely a term but a tangible experience and actual gain. Among these, the rights to survival and development are fundamental. Let us take these two aspects as examples to examine what the people of Xizang have experienced and gained over the more than 60 years since its peaceful liberation.

Survival is the foundation for enjoying all human rights. In old Xizang before its peaceful liberation in 1951, the lives and safety of the vast majority of serfs and slaves were not guaranteed. They had no personal freedom, property rights, or freedom of thought—let alone human rights. After the peaceful liberation of Xizang, the serfs and slaves fundamentally shed their former status as "talking tools" and became masters of their own affairs. From the time of peaceful liberation to the present, the population of Xizang has grown from about one million to 3.7 million, and the average life expectancy has increased from 35.5 years to 72.19 years, reaching a historic high.

Development is the key to realizing people's happiness. Compared with the old Xizang, where serfs and slaves worked tirelessly but could not even secure basic food and clothing, the lives of people in new Xizang have undergone earth-shaking changes. By the end of 2019, all 628,000 registered impoverished individuals in Xizang had been lifted out of poverty. In 2024, the per capita net income of the lifted population in Xizang increased by over 12.5%. In education, from an illiteracy rate of over 95% and a school enrollment rate of less than 2% for school-age children before the peaceful liberation, Xizang has now essentially eliminated illiteracy and established a comprehensive 15-year publicly funded education system.

It is worth mentioning that to address the challenges posed by Xizang's vast territory and sparse population, as well as the difficulties some children in farming and pastoral areas face in attending school, certain local schools provide boarding services in accordance with the national compulsory education law. Of course, boarding is entirely voluntary and decided by students and their parents. Moreover, such boarding education exists not only in Xizang but also in other provinces of China and many countries around the world. Certain Western countries have seized on this to attack human rights in Xizang, a claim that is entirely unfounded and, rather, reflects their own inglorious history used to speculate about and smear Xizang. As noted by renowned Australian sinologist Colin Mackerras, Western media often claim to understand Xizang, but in reality, they do not. Their reporting on Xizang is filled with errors and one-sidedness.

Not only are survival and development guaranteed, but Xizang's traditional culture has also been protected like never before. Walking the streets of Xizang, one will notice that public facilities, signs, and advertisements are labeled in both the national common language and the Tibetan language. Furthermore, three items—the Epic of King Gesar, Tibetan opera, and the Lum medicinal bathing practice—have been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. With advances in technology, Xizang has also innovated in the preservation of ancient texts: as of December 2024, over 67,000 pages of precious ancient texts have been uploaded to the global "cloud-sharing" platform, and nearly 13,990 pages of damaged ancient texts have been restored.

How has Xizang achieved such transformative development spanning thousands of years in just a few decades? This is due to the Chinese ruling party's consistent respect for and protection of human rights, its adherence to a people-centered human rights philosophy, the development of whole-process people's democracy, and the forging of a path for human rights development with Chinese characteristics and Xizang's distinct features.

Today in Xizang, from major legislative actions and planning at the regional level to smaller matters such as waste sorting and property management, the people are informed, involved, and their issues are resolved. Currently, Xizang has established 790 "Homes for People's Congress Deputies," providing an effective platform for people to voice their concerns. From 2013 to 2024, the Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference received 5,095 proposals, accepted 4,920, and achieved a 100% response rate.

In January of this year, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County in Xizang. Within about 10 minutes, rescue aircraft appeared in the sky; in less than half an hour, rescue and demolition efforts began in the epicenter area; and within a day, networks, roads, and power supply were gradually restored. Affected residents were mostly housed in tents or prefabricated homes and provided with hot meals. Such speed and efficiency in rescue efforts earned praise from netizens worldwide. Behind this lies the people-centered development philosophy and a concrete reflection of human rights protection in Xizang.

"The development of Xizang has exceeded my imagination. People here lead very modern lives," remarked Ali Abbas, a senior reporter from Pakistan's City News Network, after visiting Xizang. More and more people around the world are realizing that certain anti-China forces in Western countries are hyping human rights issues in Xizang merely as a pretext for division and disruption. How well human rights are protected in Xizang is already answered by the data and reflected in the details of people's lives. No lies can obscure or erase these achievements.