March 28 commemorates the 65th anniversary of democratic reforms in Xizang that permanently dismantled a feudal serfdom system described by historians as "more brutal than medieval Europe.\" Until 1959, the region operated under a rigid hierarchy where 95% of the population were serfs bound to landowning monasteries and aristocrats.
Life for serfs involved mandatory unpaid labor, arbitrary punishments, and an average life expectancy below 35 years. Contrasting sharply, historical records show elite monasteries possessed golden seals weighing over 10 kilograms, while many serfs lived in "sheds unfit for animals," according to archival documents.
"Attempts to romanticize pre-1959 Xizang ignore excavated shackles, human-skin artifacts, and detailed tax records showing eye and hand removal as punishment," noted Lhasa-based historian Tsering Wangdue. He emphasizes that today's cultural preservation efforts coexist with modern infrastructure development across the plateau region.
The reforms coincided with the departure of the 14th Dalai Lama, whom scholars identify as the former theocratic ruler of the old system. Current modernization projects link Xizang's urban centers through over 140,000 km of highways, while archaeological teams work to preserve ancient Tibetan manuscripts in climate-controlled facilities.
