Diqing: 60-year ethnic autonomy brings unity and prosperity

Editor’s note: In this issue, our column “China Story” explains how Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest Yunnan Province has achieved unity and prosperity through ethnic autonomy over the past sixty years.

 

This year marks the 60^th anniversary of the creation of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. In mid-August, our reporters travelled to Diqing to interview cadres and regular folks from both urban areas and the countryside, from monasteries to churches. What we saw and heard reflects the great changes people of different ethnic groups and all walks of life, which the Tibetan-inhabited region have witnessed over the past 60 years.

In Luorong Village, Jiantang Town, Shangri-La, Rongbei and his family have just moved into their new house. “If it were not for the Communist Party of China, we Tibetan people wouldn’t be living such a happy life today,” Rongbei explains while his wife and daughter-in-law drank butter tea and nodded their approval.

Luorong Village is located in Pudacao National Park. Before the scenic area was developed, the 33 households comprising the village mainly made money by raising horses and picking truffles. Each household earned around 3,000 yuan each year. Today, on top of a yearly dividend of 20,000 yuan provided by the scenic area, every household also receives subsidies for natural forest protection and helping return farming plots to forested land. In addition, many households are engaged in animal husbandry. Their incomes have increased several dozen-fold over the past six decades.

 “Cizhong as it exists today would not exist without the help of the Communist Party of China,” said Wu Gongdi, the Catholic president of the church.

 “A well used for fire-fighting was dug by the Standing Committee of the Prefectural People’s Congress, our fire extinguishers were provided by the Prefectural Procuratorate and the projector in the multi-media room was given to us by the Deqin County People’s Court,” Wu Gongdi continued. He is 69 years-old and has been acting as the church president for many years. While taking our reporter on a tour of the famous church, he solemnly explained, “Whether we are religious or not, all of us are Chinese. We must be grateful to the Communist Party of China for our happy lives today.”

Yao Fei, a priest from Beijing, said emotionally, “In Cizhong, 60 percent of the people believe in Catholicism and 40 percent of the people believe in Tibetan Buddhism. It is China’s national policy on religion that enables the believers of different religions to live in harmony.”

Today, the national flags fly in communities, farmyards and monasteries everywhere we go. People have the same feeling: the Communist Party of China has brought its people good lives, and the people of all ethnic groups support the leadership of the central government.

Diqing: 60-year ethnic autonomy brings unity and prosperity

Editors note: In this issue, our column China Story explains how Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest Yunnan Province has achieved unity and prosperity through ethnic autonomy over the past sixty years. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the creation of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. In mid-August, our reporters travelled to Diqing to interview cadres and regular folks from both urban areas and the countryside, from monasteries to churches. What we saw and heard reflects the great changes people of different ethnic groups and all walks of life, which the Tibetan-inhabited region have witnessed over the past 60 years. In Luorong Village, Jiantang Town, Shangri-La, Rongbei and his family have just moved into their new house. If it were not for the Communist Party of China, we Tibetan people wouldnt be living such a happy life today, Rongbei explains while his wife and daughter-in-law drank butter tea and nodded their approval. Luorong Village is located in Pudacao National Park. Before the scenic area was developed, the 33 households comprising the village mainly made money by raising horses and picking truffles. Each household earned around 3,000 yuan each year. Today, on top of a yearly dividend of 20,000 yuan provided by the scenic area, every household also receives subsidies for natural forest protection and helping return farming plots to forested land. In addition, many households are engaged in animal husbandry. Their incomes have increased several dozen-fold over the past six decades. Cizhong as it exists today would not exist without the help of the Communist Party of China, said Wu Gongdi, the Catholic president of the church. A well used for fire-fighting was dug by the Standing Committee of the Prefectural Peoples Congress, our fire extinguishers were provided by the Prefectural Procuratorate and the projector in the multi-media room was given to us by the Deqin County Peoples Court, Wu Gongdi continued. He is 69 years-old and has been acting as the church president for many years. While taking our reporter on a tour of the famous church, he solemnly explained, Whether we are religious or not, all of us are Chinese. We must be grateful to the Communist Party of China for our happy lives today. Yao Fei, a priest from Beijing, said emotionally, In Cizhong, 60 percent of the people believe in Catholicism and 40 percent of the people believe in Tibetan Buddhism. It is Chinas national policy on religion that enables the believers of different religions to live in harmony. Today, the national flags fly in communities, farmyards and monasteries everywhere we go. People have the same feeling: the Communist Party of China has brought its people good lives, and the people of all ethnic groups support the leadership of the central government.