the qinghai provincial people ' s government and a leading tibetan scholar, delivered a radio talk, calling on the local government of tibet to " quickly dispatch plenipotentiary representatives to beijing for peace talks. " on july 10 a delegation of ten, including the 5th gedar tulku of beri monastery in garze, xikang, also went to tibet. however, these mediation activities suffered obstruction from imperialist aggressors and pro - imperialist separatists in tibet. they were driven away or detained, some delegations were split up, and gedar tulku was even poisoned to death in qamdo. meanwhile, the local government of tibet, incited by imperialist aggressors and dominated by the pro - imperialist separatists in the upper strata of tibet, expanded the tibetan army and deployed seven regiments in areas around qamdo along the western bank of the jinsha river, in an attempt to halt the pla ' s advance into tibet. qamdo was the only way into tibet from the southwest. on august 23, 1950 mao zedong pointed out that the capture of qamdo " will help us to change the political situation in tibet and advance into tibet next year, " and " may spur the tibetan delegation to come to beijing for negotiations for a peaceful settlement. " on october 6 the pla troops started to cross the jinsha river to carry out the task of liberating qamdo. on october 19 qamdo was liberated. on this basis, the first people ' s congress of qamdo was held, at which the qamdo people ' s liberation committee was elected and a working committee was founded, composing of representatives from both the ecclesiastical and secular, in qamdo to strive for the peaceful liberation of tibet. the qamdo battle opened the door to peace negotiations and created the necessary conditions for the peaceful liberation of tibet. 4. the 17 - article agreement was signed, and tibet was liberated peacefully. the central people ' s government and chairman mao zedong had never given up their efforts for the peaceful liberation of tibet. even during the qamdo battle, mao zedong urged that the tibetan " delegation should come to beijing as soon as possible. " the qamdo battle led to a division within the local government of tibet, when patriotic and advanced forces got the upper hand, while the pro - imperialist separatist regent taktra ngawang sungrab was forced to resign. on november 17 the


. after friendly talks, the central people ' s government and the local government of tibet signed the agreement of the central people ' s government and the local government of tibet on measures for the peaceful liberation of tibet in beijing on may 23, 1951. regarding the peace talks and the signing of the 17 - article agreement, we need to stress some basic historical facts as follows : first, the peace talks were held on the premise that the local government of tibet admitted that tibet is an inseparable part of china. when the 14th dalai lama and the local government of tibet dispatched the delegation, every representative got a sealed plenipotentiary certificate, which stated the name and identity of the holder on the envelope, and inside the statement that tibet is a part of china and some other sentences. the essential problem to be solved during the talks was to enhance ethnic solidarity and safeguard national unity. as ngapoi recalled, on this problem, " the basic standpoints of the representatives of the two sides were the same. " second, the central people ' s government ' s " ten policies " for the peaceful liberation of tibet were the basis for the talks. the main contents were : british and us imperialist aggressive forces shall be driven out of tibet ; regional ethnic autonomy shall be exercised in tibet ; the present political system in tibet shall remain unchanged ; freedom of religious belief shall be guaranteed ; economy, culture and education in tibet shall be developed ; matters of reform in tibet shall be settled by the tibetan people and tibetan leaders through consultation ; and the pla troops shall enter tibet. at first, the tibetan representatives stressed that they could not accept the pla ' s entry into tibet. at that time, the central people ' s government representatives did not force them to accept this term ; instead, they suggested a two - day adjournment, during which they arranged tibetan representatives to visit some places, while patiently persuaded them, saying that now that the local government of tibet admitted tibet as an inseparable part of china, it had no reason to obstruct the pla from entering tibet. in the meantime, the central government took into full consideration the problem raised by the tibetan representatives that it would be difficult for economically backward and resource - poor tibet to supply the pla, and promised that the pla troops would " be supplied by the central government after entering tibet, all their expenses will be borne by the central government. " after negotiations, the two sides finally agreed that the local government of tibet would make positive efforts to assist the pla


pla troops would " be supplied by the central government after entering tibet, all their expenses will be borne by the central government. " after negotiations, the two sides finally agreed that the local government of tibet would make positive efforts to assist the pla ' s entry into tibet for national defence. third, the conflict between the dalai lama and panchen erdeni was an important problem that had to be resolved in the talks. due to instigation by imperialist aggressors, the 9th panchen lama did not get along with the 13th dalai lama in the early 1920s, and thus was forced to leave tibet for inland china. he died in yushu, qinghai province, in december 1937 on his way back to tibet. on august 10, 1949, the 10th panchen lama was enthroned at the kumbum monastery in qinghai, with the approval of the national government. at first, the tibetan delegation did not acknowledge the legal status of the 10th panchen lama. the central government delegation showed to the tibetan delegation all the official documents by which the kuomintang ' s national government had approved and confirmed the 10th panchen lama as the reincarnated soul boy of the 9th panchen lama, and the photos of the enthronement ceremony at the kumbum monastery, which representatives of the dalai lama attended. faced with this irrefutable evidence, the tibetan delegation finally acknowledged the legal status of the 10th panchen lama. the may day holiday arrived during the peace talks, and the central people ' s government invited all the representatives of the local government of tibet and the 10th panchen lama to attend the celebration on the tian ' anmen rostrum, during which ngapoi ngawang jigme and the 10th panchen lama had a friendly meeting and were received by mao zedong. fourth, the agreement was reached on the basis of mutual respect and friendly negotiations. most terms of the agreement were about how to handle internal relations and affairs of tibet. for these issues, the plenipotentiary representatives of the central people ' s government took initials to offer some proposals in line with the ethnic policy of the central government and the reality in tibet. the tibetan representatives also raised their suggestions. the central people ' s government studied and adopted some, while patiently explaining the reasons for not accepting others. representative tubdain daindar talked about his experience of the talks : " as an ecclesiastic official from the yitsang ( secretariat ), i offered many suggestions


and adopted some, while patiently explaining the reasons for not accepting others. representative tubdain daindar talked about his experience of the talks : " as an ecclesiastic official from the yitsang ( secretariat ), i offered many suggestions about religious beliefs, monastery income and some other related issues, most of which were adopted by the central government. " a han - language version and a tibetan - language one of the agreement were prepared from the very beginning of the talks. and every revision made in both versions was only with consent from the tibetan delegation. after the talks, both versions were signed and issued together. as plenipotentiary representatives from the local government of tibet, they discussed and established the following principles before formal talks : " plenipotentiary representatives shall quickly decide on terms that they can decide on, and report to the kashag in yadong those that they cannot settle ; " and when there was not enough time, " the plenipotentiary representatives can decide first and then report to the dalai lama. " the channel for the tibetan delegation to ask for instructions from the dalai lama and the kashag was always unimpeded, and the representatives discussed among themselves for which items they would request instructions. soon after the talks started, the issue of the pla ' s entry into tibet arose. the tibetan representatives telegraphed the dalai lama and the kashag in yadong via cryptograph brought by kemai soinam wangdui and tubdain daindar, saying that there would not be a big problem regarding most of the items, but if the local government of tibet did not permit the pla to enter tibet, the talks could fail. during the talks, they contacted the kashag in yadong twice regarding its relationship with the panchen lama. during the 20 - odd - day talks, although representatives from the two sides disagreed on some items, the talks went on in a friendly and sincere atmosphere and with full consultation. at the signing ceremony, the representatives of the two sides signed and sealed both versions of the agreement. to ensure that the agreement was earnestly implemented, the central people ' s government and the local government of tibet signed two appendices to the agreement, and one was the regulations on matters concerning the entry and stationing of the people ' s liberation army in tibet. regarding the pla ' s entry into and stationing in tibet, the plenipotentiary representatives of the local government of tibet questioned the number and deployment


on matters concerning the entry and stationing of the people ' s liberation army in tibet. regarding the pla ' s entry into and stationing in tibet, the plenipotentiary representatives of the local government of tibet questioned the number and deployment of and supplies for the troops. since these details were military secrets, they could not be written in the agreement, which was to be announced. thus it was necessary to put them in appendix i. appendix ii was the declaration on the local government of tibet being responsible for carrying out the agreement on measures for the peaceful liberation of tibet. if the dalai lama acknowledged the agreement and returned to lhasa, then the peaceful liberation of tibet would be a natural result. but if he did not return to lhasa for some time for whatever reason, the tibetan delegation hoped that the central people ' s government would allow the dalai lama to choose his own place of residence during the first year of the implementation of the agreement, and to retain his status and power unchanged if he returned to his original post during this year. the central people ' s government consented. but if this clause was written into the agreement, it would provoke controversy. so the two sides agreed on preventive stipulations for future possibilities and wrote them into this appendix. these two appendices were detailed rules for the implementation of the agreement and complements to the agreement on matters that had not been covered in the agreement. fifth, the agreement gained support from the dalai lama and both ecclesiastical and secular people in tibet. after ngapoi ngawang jigme returned to lhasa from beijing, the local government of tibet held between september 26 and 29, 1951 an " officials ' meeting " attended by more than 300 people, including all ecclesiastical and secular officials, khenpo ( abbot ) representatives of the three most prominent monasteries, and tibetan army officers above the regimental - commander rank. at the conference, a report to the dalai lama was approved. it stated, " the 17 - article agreement that has been signed is of incomparable benefit to the grand cause of the dalai lama and to buddhism as a whole, and to the politics, economy and other aspects of life in tibet. naturally it should be carried out. " the dalai lama sent a telegram to chairman mao zedong on october 24 to express his support for the agreement. the telegram read, " this year the local government of tibet sent five delegates with full authority, headed by kalon ngapoi, to beijing in late april 1951 to conduct peace


mao zedong on october 24 to express his support for the agreement. the telegram read, " this year the local government of tibet sent five delegates with full authority, headed by kalon ngapoi, to beijing in late april 1951 to conduct peace talks with delegates with full authority appointed by the central people ' s government. on the basis of friendship, the delegates of the two sides signed on may 23, 1951 the agreement on measures for the peaceful liberation of tibet. the local government of tibet as well as the ecclesiastical and secular people unanimously support this agreement, and, under the leadership of chairman mao and the central people ' s government, will actively assist the pla troops entering tibet to consolidate national defense, ousting imperialist influences from tibet and safeguarding the unification of the territory and the sovereignty of the motherland. i hereby send this cable to inform you of this. " on october 26, chairman mao zedong telegraphed the dalai lama in reply, expressing thanks for his efforts in carrying out the agreement. the signing of the 17 - article agreement symbolized the peaceful liberation of tibet, thus opening a new page in the history of social progress in tibet. the peaceful liberation enabled tibet to shake off imperialist aggression and imperialist political and economic fetters, safeguarded the national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of china, enhanced the solidarity among all ethnic groups of china and within tibet, and created the basic preconditions for tibet to advance and develop together with other parts of the country. ii. sixty - years ' development since peaceful liberation peaceful liberation was an important turning point in the historical development of tibet. over the 60 years since then tibet has gone through several phases of development, such as the democratic reform, establishment of the autonomous region, building of socialism, and reform and opening up, scoring spectacular achievements. 1. implementing the 17 - article agreement, maintaining national unity and ethnic solidarity, and launching tibet ' s drive towards modernization - sending troops to tibet and consolidating border defense. as stipulated in the 17 - article agreement and its appendix i, the pla troops with the 18th army as the major force marched into tibet from september 1951 to june 1952, and were stationed in strongholds such as gyamda, gyangtse, shigatse, lhuntse dzong, dromo, zayul and gerze, bringing to an end the history of tibet ' s 4, 000 - km border being undefended. - handling tibet ' s foreign - related affairs on a


lhuntse dzong, dromo, zayul and gerze, bringing to an end the history of tibet ' s 4, 000 - km border being undefended. - handling tibet ' s foreign - related affairs on a centralized basis. on september 6, 1952 the foreign affairs office of the central government representative stationed in tibet was set up, responsible for all the foreign - related affairs of tibet under the leadership of the ministry of foreign affairs of the central people ' s government. on april 29, 1954 the people ' s republic of china and the republic of india signed in beijing the agreement on trade and intercourse between the tibet region of china and india, abolishing the privileges india had inherited from the british invaders. in 1955 china established official diplomatic ties with nepal, and signed the agreement on maintaining friendly relations between the people ' s republic of china and the kingdom of nepal and on trade and intercourse between the tibet region of china and nepalin 1956, which cancelled nepal ' s privileges in tibet, advancing and consolidating the sino - nepalese relationship to a new level. to this day, all the foreign - related affairs of tibet are dealt with by the central people ' s government on a centralized basis. - attaining self - sufficiency and satisfying both military and civilian needs. the central government issued such instructions as " sending troops to tibet but not depending on local people for grain supply " and " tightening the budget and attaining self - sufficiency, " and put forward a series of financial policies such as " guaranteeing food supplies for the army and taking into consideration of civilian needs " and " unified procurement and economical practice. " soon after the pla entered tibet, it funded itself by selling local wool to the central government at prices higher than those of india. this move foiled the scheme of illegal hoarding and profiteering plotted by reactionaries of the tibetan upper class with an aim to sow discord between tibetans and han people and greatly benefited many of the upper class, enabling them to acknowledge the central government ' s goal of safeguarding the interests of the tibetan people. they thus gradually reduced their dependence on and connection with the imperialist forces and drew closer to the central government. - carrying out united front work, and promoting national unity and progress. encouraged by the central government, the 10th panchen lama and his entourage returned to lhasa from qinghai province to have a friendly meeting with the 14th dalai lama in april 1952. the cpc working committee of tibet then made great efforts to help


. encouraged by the central government, the 10th panchen lama and his entourage returned to lhasa from qinghai province to have a friendly meeting with the 14th dalai lama in april 1952. the cpc working committee of tibet then made great efforts to help settle both the current practical problems and those left over from history between the dalai and panchen lamas, who in 1953 were elected as honorary presidents of the buddhist association of china, with living buddha kundeling as vice president. in september 1956 the tibetan branch of the buddhist association of china was set up. in september 1954 the 14th dalai and 10th panchen lamas went together to beijing to attend the first session of the first national people ' s congress of the people ' s republic of china, which demonstrated that the tibetan people enjoyed equal rights with other ethnic groups in participating in the administration of china ' s state affairs. concurrently, a total of 1, 000 people in 13 groups were organized from 1952 to 1957 to visit the hinterland, including upper - class monks and lay officials to lamas and common people including women and youngsters, which strengthened connections between tibet and the hinterland and promoted national unity. - actively undertaking the modernization program to promote tibet ' s economic, social and cultural development. after the peaceful liberation, the pla and people from other parts of china working in tibet persisted in carrying out the 17 - article agreement and the policies of the central authorities, built the xikang - tibet and qinghai - tibet highways, damxung airport, water conservancy projects, modern factories, banks, trading companies, post offices, farms and schools. they adopted a series of measures to help the farmers and herdsmen expand production, started social relief and disaster relief programs, and provided free medical service for the prevention and treatment of epidemic and other diseases. all this promoted the region ' s economic, social and cultural development, created a new social atmosphere of modern civilization and progress, produced a far - reaching influence among people of all walks of life in tibet, ended the long - term isolation and stagnation of tibetan society, paved the way for tibet ' s march toward a modern society, opened up wide prospects for tibet ' s further development and provided necessary conditions for the common progress of tibet and the nation as a whole. 2. implementing the democratic reform, abolishing feudal serfdom, and emancipating millions of serfs and the social productive forces, achieving the most profound social reform in the history of tibet prior to the democratic reform, tibet practiced


2. implementing the democratic reform, abolishing feudal serfdom, and emancipating millions of serfs and the social productive forces, achieving the most profound social reform in the history of tibet prior to the democratic reform, tibet practiced a system of feudal serfdom under theocracy, which was darker and more backward than in europe in the middle ages. the three major estate - holders - officials, nobles and upper - ranking monks in monasteries - accounted for less than five percent of tibet ' s total population but owned all the farmland, pastures, forests, mountains and rivers, and the majority of the livestock. the serfs and slaves, accounting for more than 95 percent of the population, had no means of production or freedom of their own. they were not only subjected to the three - fold exploitation of corvee labor, taxes and high - interest loans, but also suffered cruel political oppression and punishment rarely seen in world history. their lives were no more than struggles for existence. thus, reforming the social system of tibet was an inevitable requirement of social development and the fundamental aspiration of the tibetan people. in consideration of the special conditions of tibet, the 17 - article agreement stipulated that " the central authorities will not alter the existing political system in tibet ; " " in matters related to various reforms in tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. the local government of tibet shall carry out reforms of its own accord, and when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of tibet. " after tibet was liberated peacefully, the central people ' s government adopted a very prudent and tolerant attitude toward the reform of its social system, hoping to persuade the people of the local ruling class of the need for reform and waiting patiently for them to take initiative to start the social reform. but the serf owners were totally opposed to any reform which would mean giving up their privileges, and sabotaged the 17 - article agreement and plotted a series of activities to split tibet from china, which ended in a full - scale insurrection in 1959. in order to safeguard the unity of the nation and the fundamental interests of the tibetan people, the central people ' s government, together with the tibetan people, took decisive measures to suppress the rebellion, dissolved the local government and carried out the democratic reform in tibet, which fundamentally uprooted the feudal serfdom. through this reform, the theocratic system was annulled to separate religion from government ; the feudal


measures to suppress the rebellion, dissolved the local government and carried out the democratic reform in tibet, which fundamentally uprooted the feudal serfdom. through this reform, the theocratic system was annulled to separate religion from government ; the feudal serf owners ' right to own means of production was abolished and private ownership by farmers and herdsmen was established ; the serfs and slaves ' personal bondage to the officials, nobles and upper - ranking monks was cancelled, and they won their freedom of the person. the democratic reform constituted an epoch - making change in the social progress of tibet and its development of human rights. it emancipated a million of serfs and slaves politically, economically and in other aspects of social life, effectively promoted the development of social productive forces in tibet and opened up the road towards modernization. the former serfs and slaves got over 186, 000 hectares of land in the democratic reform and, in 1960, when the democratic reform was basically completed, the total grain yield of tibet was 12. 6 percent higher than in 1959 and 17. 7 percent higher than in 1958 prior to the reform. in addition, the total number of livestock was 9. 9 percent higher than in 1959. 3. implementing regional ethnic autonomy, making tibet embark on the road of socialism. the democratic reform in tibet coincided with its construction of democratic politics. after the rebellion broke out in march 1959 the state council issued an order to dissolve the kashag and decided to make the preparatory committee for the tibet autonomous region exercise the local government ' s duties and power. later, the qamdo people ' s liberation committee and the panchen kampus assembly were abolished, and a centralized people ' s democratic government was set up, thus ending the co - existence of several political powers of different nature. in 1961 a general election was held across tibet. for the first time, the former serfs and slaves were able to enjoy democratic rights as their own masters, as they elected power organs and governments at all levels. many emancipated serfs and slaves took up leading posts at various levels in the region. in september 1965 the first session of the first people ' s congress of tibet was convened in lhasa, at which the founding of the tibet autonomous region and the regional people ' s government were officially proclaimed. then, through the socialist transformation of agriculture and animal husbandry, tibet embarked on the road of socialism. the founding of the tibet autonomous region and adoption of the socialist system provided an institutional guarantee for the realization of


people ' s government were officially proclaimed. then, through the socialist transformation of agriculture and animal husbandry, tibet embarked on the road of socialism. the founding of the tibet autonomous region and adoption of the socialist system provided an institutional guarantee for the realization of ethnic equality, unity, mutual help and common prosperity. it also provided a guarantee for all ethnic groups in tibet to enjoy equal rights to participate in the administration of state affairs and that of ethnic affairs. in this way, an institutional guarantee was put in place for tibet to develop along with other parts of china, with special support and assistance by the state and according to its local conditions. 4. implementing reform and opening up, promoting tibetan economy to change from a closed one into an open one and from a planned one to a market one. the 1980s witnessed a great upsurge of the reform, opening - up and modernization drive in tibet, as in all the other parts of china. in 1980 and 1984, respectively, the central authorities held the first and second tibet work forums, setting the guiding principles for work in the region - focusing on economic development, changing from a closed economy to an open one and from a planned economy to a market one. the central government also formulated a series of special policies for economic development in tibet, such as " long - term right to use and independently operate land by individual households " and " long - term right to have, raise and manage livestock by individual households, " to promote the reform of the region ' s economic system and its opening - up program. since 1984, 43 projects have been launched in tibet with state funds and aid from nine provinces and municipalities. the implementation of the policy of reform and opening up and the state aid have invigorated the tibetan economy, raised the overall level of industries and the level of commercialization of economic activities in tibet, and helped tibet take another step forward in its economic and social development. 5. exploring and formulating the basic policies for the work in tibet in the new period as required by the new situation, constantly speeding up the development of tibet and maintaining its stability. ever since the dalai lama and his clique fled abroad, they have stuck to their claims and efforts for " tibet independence " and secessionist activities. with the support of the cia of us, they proclaimed the setting up of an " independent tibet " in india, and established bases for armed forces in india and nepal, launching armed attacks on china ' s borders intermittently. in 1964, at the 151st conference of the state council, the


they proclaimed the setting up of an " independent tibet " in india, and established bases for armed forces in india and nepal, launching armed attacks on china ' s borders intermittently. in 1964, at the 151st conference of the state council, the decision on the removal of the dalai lama from his official positions was adopted, which stated, " after the dalai lama staged the treasonous armed rebellion in 1959, he fled abroad and organized a ' government - in - exile, ' issued a bogus constitution, supported indian reactionaries who invaded our country, and engaged in the organization and training of remnants of tibet ' s armed forces who had fled abroad with the object of attacking our borders. all this proves that he has alienated himself from the country and the people, and been reduced to a traitor working for imperialists and reactionaries abroad. " after the policies of reform and opening up were implemented in tibet, the dalai lama clique pressed on with their infiltration and sabotage activities, and plotted the lhasa riots in the late 1980s, which were quickly quelled by resolute actions adopted by the central government. in 1989 the chinese government put forward ten propositions to guide the development of tibet, which served to unify the people ' s thinking and promote stability, thus constituting a turning point for the work in tibet in the new period. in 1994 the central government held the third tibet work forum, and set the guiding principles for work in the region in the new era as follows : focusing efforts on economic development, firmly grasping the two major tasks of developing the economy and stabilizing the situation, securing a high - speed development of the economy, overall social progress and lasting political stability in tibet, and ensuring the continuous improvement of the tibetan people ' s living standards. at the forum, the central authorities also adopted the important decisions to devote special attention to tibet and ask all other parts of china to aid tibet, and formulated a series of special favorable policies and measures for speeding up the development of the autonomous region. the forum led to the birth of a mechanism for all - round aid for the modernization of tibet, in which the state would take the lead to directly invest in construction projects in the region, the central government would provide financial subsidies, and the other parts of the country would provide paired - up aid. in 2001 the central authorities held the fourth tibet work forum, at which it was decided that more effective measures would be adopted and efforts would be further strengthened to support tibet and push forward in an all - around way the region


provide paired - up aid. in 2001 the central authorities held the fourth tibet work forum, at which it was decided that more effective measures would be adopted and efforts would be further strengthened to support tibet and push forward in an all - around way the region ' s development and stability. since 1994 the central government has organized 60 state organs, 18 provinces and municipalities and 17 state - owned enterprises to provide aid to tibet in the fields of human resources, finance and materials, technology and management in a paired - up way to cover all the cities at the prefectural level and 73 counties ( including cities and districts at the county level ) in tibet. the completion of 62 aid projects identified in 1994 and 117 aid projects identified in 2001, respectively, in tibet gave a strong impetus to its economic and social development. in the meantime, the central government overcame interference and sabotage from the dalai lama clique, identified the reincarnated the soul boy of the 10th panchen lama, approving gyaltsen zangpo ' s position as the 11th panchen lama, and resolutely struggled against the dalai lama ' s secessionist group, all of which helped to maintain stability in tibet. 6. upholding the scientific outlook on development, vigorously accelerating tibet ' s development to realize leapfrog development, and achieving lasting peace based on stability. after the 16th national congress of the cpc, in light of the new historical conditions, the central authorities explicitly stated that its priorities for tibet ' s economic and social development would be to ensure and improve the production and living conditions of farmers and herdsmen, and to increase their incomes as required by the scientific outlook on development. by doing this, it helped to promote the region ' s economy and society to develop in a better and faster way, and make all ethnic groups in tibet enjoy the fruit of the reform and development. in 2006 the central government formulated 40 preferential policies aiming to accelerate tibet ' s development and maintain its stability, and identified 180 ( the actually completed number is 188 ) construction projects for its 11th five - year plan ( 2006 - 2010 ), which helped tibet to score remarkable achievements in development and stability. tibet ' s economy developed at a high rate, infrastructure construction in transportation and energy improved markedly, a large number of major projects including the qinghai - tibet railway were completed and have produced satisfactory economic benefits, social undertakings showed all - around progress, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups in tibet were greatly improved and tibet ' s self - development capacity was further enhanced. in the meantime


- tibet railway were completed and have produced satisfactory economic benefits, social undertakings showed all - around progress, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups in tibet were greatly improved and tibet ' s self - development capacity was further enhanced. in the meantime, the government put down the march 14th lhasa incident according to law, resolutely prevented and cracked down on splittist activities instigated by the dalai lama clique, further conducted education in patriotism and law in the monasteries, scored a great victory in the anti - secession struggle and strengthened ethnic unity constantly. in january 2010 the central authorities held the fifth tibet work forum, at which it further enriched and perfected the guiding principles for the work in tibet, and drew up comprehensive plans for every aspect of its development and stability, which were : focusing efforts on economic development, safeguarding ethnic unity, taking improvement of people ' s livelihood as both the starting point and final aim of all work, holding fast to development and stability, ensuring a leapfrog development of economy and society, national security and prolonged peace in tibet, and working for the constant improvement of the standard of people ' s material and cultural life, and a sound ecological environment. at a new starting point in its history, tibet is showing great momentum for prosperity again. iii. historic achievements that capture world attention in the 60 years since its peaceful liberation in 1951, tibet, under the leadership of the central people ' s government and with the support of people of all ethnic groups in china, and with the hard work of all ethnic groups in the autonomous region, has fulfilled two historic leaps from a society of feudal serfdom to one of socialism, and from a state of isolation, poverty and backwardness to one of opening, prosperity and civilization, scoring historic achievements in various undertakings that caught world attention. 1. tibet has scored brilliant political achievements and made historic changes in its social system. since its peaceful liberation tibet has abolished feudal serfdom, implemented regional ethnic autonomy and established socialism featuring people ' s democracy. the former serfs and slaves have since become masters of their own country and society. they enjoy both the right to equally participate in the administration of state affairs and the right to handle local and ethnic affairs on their own. in the elections of people ' s congresses at the autonomous regional, prefectural ( municipal ), county and township ( town ) levels in 2007, 96. 4 percent of the eligible residents participated in the electoral process. of the more than 34, 000 deputies directly or indirectly elected to the


congresses at the autonomous regional, prefectural ( municipal ), county and township ( town ) levels in 2007, 96. 4 percent of the eligible residents participated in the electoral process. of the more than 34, 000 deputies directly or indirectly elected to the people ' s congresses at the aforementioned four levels, more than 94 percent were members of the tibetan or other ethnic minorities. of the deputies to the current national people ' s congress, 20 are from tibet, including 12 tibetans, one monba and one lhoba. people from all walks of life in tibet also attend the people ' s political consultative conferences at various levels to participate in the deliberation and administration of state affairs, and to exercise their democratic rights. among the deputies to the national committee of the chinese people ' s political consultative conference, quite a number of them are tibetans and a few are from the tibetan religious circle. since the founding of the tibet people ' s political consultative conference in 1959, an overwhelming part of the members have been tibetans or members of other ethic minorities. regional ethnic autonomy has constantly been institutionalized. statistics show that since 1965 the standing committee of the people ' s congress of the tibet autonomous region has enacted 279 local regulations, resolutions and decisions with legal effect, which cover political power buildup, economic development, culture and education, spoken and written languages, justice, medical care and public health, relics protection, protection of wild animals and plants, protection of natural resources, and environmental protection. now tibet has established a legal regime of local autonomy, with autonomy - related regulations and separate regulations as the mainstay, protecting the special rights and interests of the people in tibet in the areas of politics, economy and social life, and promoting the development of various local undertakings. these regulations have distinctive local features. they include the regulations on legislation of the tibet autonomous region, implementing rules for election of deputies to the people ' s congresses at various levels in the tibet autonomous region, resolutions on the study, use and development of the tibetan language in the tibet autonomous region, resolutions on maintaining national unification, enhancing ethnic solidarity and opposing secessionist activities, regulations of the tibet autonomous region on the protection and management of cultural relics, and regulations of the tibet autonomous region on environmental protection. cadres of the tibetan and other ethnic minorities constitute the main body of cadres in tibet and the backbone of the construction and development of the region. since the founding of the tibet autonomous region in 1965, all chairpersons of the standing committee of the people ' s congress and all


other ethnic minorities constitute the main body of cadres in tibet and the backbone of the construction and development of the region. since the founding of the tibet autonomous region in 1965, all chairpersons of the standing committee of the people ' s congress and all governors of the people ' s government of the tibet autonomous region have been tibetan citizens. cadres of the tibetan and other ethnic minorities account for 70. 3 percent of the total at the autonomous regional level and 81. 6 percent at the county and township levels. at present, tibet has 54, 000 specialized technical personnel, among whom 76. 8 percent are from ethnic minorities. 2. the local people ' s living standards have been greatly improved along with leapfrog economic development. before the peaceful liberation, the economy in tibet was in a state of stagnation, and the masses lived in dire poverty. since the peaceful liberation however, the economy has leaped forward with each passing day. to boost local economic and social growth, the central government has adopted a series of preferential policies for tibet in such areas as banking, finance and taxation, investment, infrastructure construction, industrial development, farming and animal husbandry, environmental protection, education, public health, science and technology, culture and physical education, and has rendered tibet strong support in terms of finance, materials and manpower. the central government has never taken a cent from tibet, but constantly increased the allotment in the central budget for tibet. in the period from 1952 to 2010, the central government sent a total of 300 billion yuan to tibet as financial subsidies, with an annual growth rate of 22. 4 percent. over the past 60 years the central government has allocated more than 160 billion yuan in direct investment to tibet and approved at different periods 43, 62, 117 and 188 major projects respectively concerning tibet ' s long - term development and its people ' s livelihood. highways, railways, airports, telecommunications facilities, energy and other key infrastructural projects have been completed one after the other, thus greatly improving tibet ' s infrastructure and its people ' s living and production conditions. statistics show that from 1994 to 2010 state departments, provincial and municipal governments, and state - owned enterprises involved in the paired - up support program launched 4, 393 aid projects in six batches, with a total of 13. 3 billion yuan in aid funds and 4, 742 cadres from across the country dispatched to work in tibet. thanks to the care of the central authorities and the support of the whole nation, tibet has witnessed a historic leap in


total of 13. 3 billion yuan in aid funds and 4, 742 cadres from across the country dispatched to work in tibet. thanks to the care of the central authorities and the support of the whole nation, tibet has witnessed a historic leap in its economic and social development. from 1959 to 2010 fixed assets investment in the region totaled 275. 1 billion yuan, registering an average annual growth of over 15 percent. the figure was 264. 3 billion yuan from 1994 to 2010, and the annual growth rate in that period was more than 20 percent. the local gdp soared from 129 million yuan in 1951 to 50. 746 billion yuan in 2010, a 111. 8 - fold increase or an average annual growth of 8. 3 percent at comparable prices. since 1994 the local gdp has grown at an annual rate of 12 percent, registering double - digit growth for 18 years in a run. during the 11th five - year plan ( 2006 - 2010 ) tibet ' s gdp exceeded 30, 40 and 50 billion yuan successively. in 2010 the per - capita gdp was 17, 319 yuan, and the local budgetary receipts reached 3. 665 billion yuan, showing an average annual growth of over 20 percent for eight consecutive years. there was no modern industry in old tibet. but the region now has a modern industrial system covering over 20 sectors with distinctive local features, including energy, light industry, textiles, machinery, mining, building materials, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, folk handicrafts and tibetan medicine. the total industrial output value increased from 1. 4 million yuan in 1956 to 7. 561 billion yuan in 2010, registering an annual growth rate of 14. 1 percent. competitive industries with local features keep expanding. the gyama copper - polymetallic deposit in tibet has been put into operation and gone public in hong kong. some specialty products, such as lhasa barley beer, " 5100 tibet glacier spring water " and ganlu traditional tibetan medicine have entered the market in other parts of the country as well as the international market. tourism in tibet has also maintained a sustained and rapid growth. some 6. 8514 million people visited tibet in 2010, and the tourism revenue reached 7. 14 billion yuan. tibet is set to be one of the most popular destinations for visitors from all over the world. tibet ' s energy, transportation and other basic industries are also flourishing. on the eve of tibet ' s peaceful liberation, there was only one 125 - kw hydropower station in the region, which supplied electricity only to a handful


all over the world. tibet ' s energy, transportation and other basic industries are also flourishing. on the eve of tibet ' s peaceful liberation, there was only one 125 - kw hydropower station in the region, which supplied electricity only to a handful of senior officials and aristocrats. now, an extensive energy system has been formed, with hydropower as the mainstay, backed up by geothermal, wind and solar energy sources. in 2010 the installed power - generating capacity in tibet reached 974, 000 kw, and more than 82 percent of the population had access to electricity. the qinghai - tibet dc power transmission line is under construction, which will link the tibetan grid to those of the rest of the country. in the old days there was not a single highway in tibet. today, a comprehensive transportation network has taken shape, with highway, rail, air and pipeline transportation as the backbone. all townships and more than 80 percent of the administrative villages in tibet have gained access to highways, which now total 58, 200 km. china ' s last " isolated " county is soon to be connected to the country ' s highway network with the completion and operation of the galung la tunnel on the medog highway. the operation of the qinghai - tibet railway ended tibet ' s history of being without railways. the navigation lighting project at the lhasa gongkar airport, and the nyingchi menling airport, ngari gunsa airport, xigaze peace airport have been completed and put into use, allowing night flights into and out of tibet and greatly increasing the number of air routes. an airport layout has taken shape in tibet, with the lhasa gongkar airport as the main hub, and the chamdo bangda, nyingchi menling, ngari gunsa and xigaze peace airports as the branches, catering to 22 domestic and international air services. in old tibet, letters were carried by people or beasts of burden and relayed via posthouses. nowadays, tibet has entered the information age, having established a modern telecommunications network with cables, satellites and the internet as the backbone. it has also realized broadband coverage in all townships and telephone communication in all villages. in the old days tibet ' s agriculture and animal husbandry were completely at the mercy of the weather. nowadays, modern facilities have been widely introduced. the added value of primary industry ( agriculture ) in tibet increased from 128 million yuan in 1959 to 6. 813 billion yuan in 2010, registering an average annual growth of 4. 8


of the weather. nowadays, modern facilities have been widely introduced. the added value of primary industry ( agriculture ) in tibet increased from 128 million yuan in 1959 to 6. 813 billion yuan in 2010, registering an average annual growth of 4. 8 percent. grain output rose from 182, 900 tonnes in 1959 to 920, 000 tonnes in 2010. meanwhile the grain output per mu ( 15 mu equal one ha. ) rose from 91 kg in 1959 to 357. 4 kg in 2008, with the number of livestock rising from 9. 56 million head in 1959 to 23. 21 million head at the end of 2010. before the peaceful liberation, more than 90 percent of the people in tibet had no private housing, nor had they enough food and clothing. but over the past 60 years the tibetan people ' s living conditions have constantly improved. in 1951 the per - capita housing of urban dwellers was less than three sq m, but the figure reached 34. 72 at the end of 2010. since 2006, with the construction of a new socialist countryside and comfortable housing project underway, 274, 800 households, comprising 1. 4021 million farmers and herdsmen, have moved into modern houses, and the per - capita housing space has increased to 24 sq m in rural areas. the aim of providing farmers and herdsmen living in poor conditions with comfortable houses has been realized. tibet has also improved its facilities in the areas of water, electricity, highways, telecommunications, gas, radio and television, postal services and the environment in farming and pastoral areas, giving rise to historic changes in these areas. the coverage rate of postal services in townships, that of highways in townships, and that of highways in administrative villages have reached 85. 7 percent, 99. 7 percent and 81. 2 percent, respectively. the region has provided safe drinking water for 1. 532 million farmers and herdsmen, and iodized salt for 91. 2 percent of the residents in farming and pastoral areas. in 2010 the per - capita net income of farmers and herdsmen was 4, 138. 7 yuan, registering a double - digit growth for eight consecutive years. the per - capita disposable income of urban dwellers stood at 14, 980 yuan. meanwhile, the consumption pattern of tibetan residents is becoming more diversified with improvement in their livelihood, and such consumer goods as refrigerators, color tvs, computers, washing machines, motorcycles and mobile phones have got access to ordinary homes. a survey shows that for every 100 rural households there are 73. 45 color tvs, 52


their livelihood, and such consumer goods as refrigerators, color tvs, computers, washing machines, motorcycles and mobile phones have got access to ordinary homes. a survey shows that for every 100 rural households there are 73. 45 color tvs, 52. 64 mobile phones and 3. 98 private cars, and for every 100 urban households in lhasa, there are 63 pcs, 182 mobile phones and 32 private cars. radio, television, the internet and other modern means of information keep growing with progress in other parts of china and the rest of the world. they have become an integral part of people ' s daily life in tibet as well. 3. tibetan society has progressed in an all - round way, with all social undertakings flourishing. in old tibet there was not a single school in the modern sense. education was monopolized by monasteries, and there were only a limited number of schools run by monks and officials. almost all students in such schools were children of the nobility. the masses of serfs and slaves had been robbed off the right of receiving education. the enrollment rate for school - age children was less than 2 percent, while the illiteracy rate was as high as 95 percent among the young and the middle - aged, to say nothing of ignorance of modern science and technology. from 1951 to 2010 the central government invested 40. 73 billion yuan to give a boost to tibet ' s education. now, tibet has basically established an educational system with special local flavor and minority ethnic characteristics, which includes pre - school, primary and middle schools, secondary vocational and technical schools, institutions of higher learning, and adult and special education institutions. in 2010 tibet had six institutions of higher learning, 122 junior and senior high schools, and 872 primary schools. the total enrollment was over 500, 000. more than 20, 000 tibetan students are studying in tibetan classes in schools of the hinterland. in 12 hinterland provinces and municipalities of china, 42 secondary vocational schools have classes for tibetan students. now the enrollment rate for primary school - age children of the tibetan ethnic group has reached 99. 2 percent ; that for junior high school, 98. 2 percent ; that for senior high school, 60. 1 percent ; and that for institutions of higher learning, 23. 4 percent. the illiteracy rate among the young and the middle - aged has fallen to 1. 2 percent. the average educational period of people above 15 years old in tibet has reached 7. 3 years. the children enjoy " three guarantees " for compulsory education, i


has increased from 35. 5 to 67 years. according to the sixth national census, the total population of tibet increased from one million before the peaceful liberation to more than three million, of whom 2. 7164 million or 90. 48 percent were tibetans. tibet has established a social security system mainly covering basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance for urban workers, industrial accident insurance and maternity insurance, which cover all urban and rural residents. from november 2009, with the initiation of the new rural pension social insurance, to the end of 2010, 73 counties ( cities and districts ) were made pilot areas to try out the policy, granting accumulatively 76. 3155 million yuan of basic pension insurance payments to residents over 60 years old in farming and pastoral areas. pensions received by enterprise retirees reached 2, 439 yuan per month per person, higher than the national average. the inpatient reimbursement rate for urban residents covered by the medical insurance policy reached 75. 1 percent. the highest reimbursement of medical expenses in 2010 was 130, 000 yuan, 8. 7 times the per - capita disposable income of 14, 980 yuan of urban dwellers in tibet. the number of tibetan people underwriting policies of social insurance stood at 1. 6623 million, and 1. 732 billion yuan of various social insurances have been collected. meanwhile, there were 527, 100 employees in the urban areas, and the registered urban unemployment rate was 3. 81 %. 4. ethnic culture in tibet is enjoying unprecedented prosperity, and freedom of religious belief is respected and protected. the central and regional governments always attach great importance to carrying on, protecting and developing the excellent traditional culture of the tibetan ethnic group. the study, use and development of the tibetan language are protected by law, and the tibetan script has become the first ethnic - minority script in china that has international text coding standards for information exchange. the state has altogether apportioned 1. 45 billion yuan to maintain and repair the potala palace, the norbulingka and sakya monastery, and other cultural relics and historical sites. tibet ' s 76 distinctive cultural items such as folk handicrafts, folk art and tibetan opera have been listed among items of state - level intangible cultural heritage, and 53 people have been recognized as representatives of the state - level intangible cultural heritage. the potala palace, jokhang monastery and norbulingka have been listed as unesco world cultural heritage sites. tibetan opera and the


cultural heritage, and 53 people have been recognized as representatives of the state - level intangible cultural heritage. the potala palace, jokhang monastery and norbulingka have been listed as unesco world cultural heritage sites. tibetan opera and the famous legend of king gesar have been put upon the world intangible cultural heritage list. tibetan medicine, with unique local features, has entered the world market, and tibetology research is flourishing as never before. tibet ' s radio, tv, press and publications are also growing rapidly. in 2010 the region had four radio stations, five tv stations, 27 medium - wave transmitting and relay stations, 68 radio and tv transmitting and relay stations at the county level, and 9, 371 radio and tv receiving and transmitting stations at the township level. tibet has built china ' s first ethnic - minority - language radio and tv program dubbing center - tibetan radio and tv program dubbing center. more than 380, 000 households can receive 55 digital radio and tv programs though the direct broadcasting satellite. the radio and tv coverage rate has reached 90. 28 percent and 91. 4 percent, respectively. tibet publishes 58 kinds of newspapers and periodicals, and has accumulatively published 12, 000 titles of books in chinese and tibetan, totaling 250 million printed copies. tibet now has 10 professional art performing troupes, 500 - odd amateur art performing and tibetan opera teams, and 19 folk art performing groups at the county level. a large number of traditional festivals have been inherited and revived, such as the annual shoton festival in lhasa, qomolangma cultural and tourist festival in xigaze and summer horse races in nagqu. tibet endeavors to extend radio and tv coverage to every village and household, share cultural information and resources and establish cultural centers at the county and township levels to enrich the cultural life of farmers and herdsmen. it also endeavors to realize the complete coverage of comprehensive cultural centers and county - level sharing of cultural information and resources. a number of literary and artistic works and programs have been created which have a strong local flavor and display the features of our times, and there have been great improvement in both their quantity and quality. freedom of religious belief of all ethnic groups is respected and protected in tibet. all religions, all religious sects are equal in tibet. the living buddha reincarnation system, unique to tibetan buddhism, is fully respected. people are free to learn and debate buddhist doctrines, get ordained as monks and practice buddhist rites. academic degrees in buddhism are also promoted


sects are equal in tibet. the living buddha reincarnation system, unique to tibetan buddhism, is fully respected. people are free to learn and debate buddhist doctrines, get ordained as monks and practice buddhist rites. academic degrees in buddhism are also promoted. the central government has listed some famous sites for religious activities as cultural relics units subject to state or autonomous regional protection, including the potala palace, jokhang monastery, and tashilhunpo, drepung, sera and sakya monasteries. tibet now has more than 1, 700 venues for religious activities, and about 46, 000 monks and nuns. monks and laymen organize and take part in the sakadawa festival and other religious and traditional activities every year. more than one million worshipers make pilgrimage to lhasa each year. 5. ecological conservation has been progressing rapidly, and environmental protection is being strengthened in an all - round way. tibet serves as an important ecology safety barrier in china. in old tibet macro - ecological conservation or comprehensive environmental protection was out of the question. but since the peaceful liberation, and especially since the adoption of the reform and opening - up policies, the central and regional governments have attached great importance to ecological conservation and environmental protection, and plowed in large amounts of funds, manpower and materials in these endeavors. in 2002 the central government decided to launch 160 key projects in this regard. during the 10th five - year plan ( 2001 - 2005 ), the state granted 3. 243 billion yuan for ecological and environmental protection in tibet, and during the 11th five - year plan ( 2006 - 2010 ) the figure tripled to 10. 162 billion yuan. the people ' s congress and people ' s government of the tibet autonomous region have published more than 30 local regulations, regulatory documents and administrative rules covering ecological conservation and environmental protection. a relatively comprehensive system of environmental protection has taken shape. meanwhile, tibet actively carries out projects to protect its natural forests, and convert farmland into forest and pastures into grassland. it also makes efforts to control desertification and soil erosion, manage small watersheds and prevent geological disasters. tibet led the whole country to initiate the ecological compensation mechanism for the protection of grassland. it has launched a project to replace firewood with clean energy, and 150, 000 households have begun to use methane gas. tibet is home to 21 ecological function conservation areas, seven national forest parks, three geological parks, one state - class scenic area and 47 nature reserves at various levels, accounting for 34. 5 percent of the total land area of the


use methane gas. tibet is home to 21 ecological function conservation areas, seven national forest parks, three geological parks, one state - class scenic area and 47 nature reserves at various levels, accounting for 34. 5 percent of the total land area of the region, topping any other part in china. the forest coverage rate has risen from less than 1 percent before the peaceful liberation to 11. 91 percent at present, and more than six million hectares of wetland have been protected. according to the latest report on the state of the environment of china, generally speaking, there is no pollution of the atmosphere or water in tibet. the region has basically maintained its original natural state, being one of the areas with the best environmental quality in the world. tibet has embarked on a path of sustainable development, with economic growth and ecological protection advancing side by side. on march 2, 2009 the central government approved the plan for ecology safety barrier protection and construction in tibet ( 2008 - 2030 ), with the projected investment amounting to 15. 5 billion yuan. sixty years are just a fleeting moment in the history of mankind. however, within six decades tibet has achieved development that would normally call for a millennium. under the leadership of the cpc and the chinese government, the people of tibet have created a miracle. the 60 years following tibet ' s peaceful liberation have proved that tibet, as an inseparable part of china, shares its destiny with the motherland, and its development is also impossible without that of china. in modern times, when china was reduced to semi - colonial and semi - feudal society beset with poverty and weakness under corrupt and incompetent regimes, tibet was also invaded and bullied by western powers. after the founding of the people ' s republic of china in 1949, tibet was peacefully liberated. under the leadership of and with special care from the central people ' s government, and through democratic reform, the founding of the autonomous region, socialist construction and the reform and opening - up, tibet abolished serfdom and theocracy, become a modern, democratic socialist society, achieved rapid and comprehensive economic and social development, and embarked on the road to modernity. tibet ' s 60 years of development would have been impossible without the care of the central authorities and the support of the entire nation. moreover, tibet ' s rebirth and development would have been impossible without national unification, independence and prosperity. only by adhering to the leadership of the cpc, the path of socialism, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the development mode with chinese characteristics


having mentored young people in sporting associations, including the australian institute of sport ( ais ) when those young athletes are on respite and from his pastoral experiences over a life time, he ' s aware that teenagers do not always listen to their parents. in fact, new research shows that their brains are not ' adult ' until they are about 24! ( www. smh. com. au ) however, for parents today, help might be at hand. perhaps the kids will listen to recent scientific studies that support parents ' common sense. protecting children ' s precious ears mark tronson is concerned that kids are protected from the heartbreak of deafness. his own father damaged his ears as a result of fireworks ( a ' penny bunger ' ) going off close to him when he was only ten ; and his wife has had hearing problems from birth. but today ' s teenagers are more likely to suffer loss of hearing from loud music at live venues or from their earphones, danish researchers reported at a conference recently. ( www. sciencedaily. com ) without ear protection, “ heavy metal ” fans have 15 mins at a concert before they risk permanent hearing damage, report australian scientists at the national acoustics laboratories who have been trialling some new filtered ear plugs which don ' t affect the quality of the music. the teenagers quickly got used to using them, and relished waking up the morning after a gig without ringing in their ears. the earplugs are useful for professional musicians in classical orchestras, too. ( smh. com. au ) sugary drinks may damage teeth and hearts being involved in sports all his life, and now co - ordinating respite centres for athletes and coaches, mark tronson points to several scientific studies indicating that food and drink ' sports ' supplements for kids are not necessary, will not improve performance, and may be downright harmful for growing bodies. it is already known that a daily consumption of sugary soft - drinks is correlated with increased heart disease in adults, but australian scientists now report that the beginnings of diseased arteries can be seen in children who drink sugary drinks every day. ( www. smh. com. au ) mark tronson warns that some ' energy ' drinks contain sugar ; and should only be used in conjunction with supervised training and not as everyday refreshments. another study warns that some sports drinks can irreversibly damage teenagers ' permanent teeth. ( www. sciencedaily. com ) sports supplements unnecessary for kids


and should only be used in conjunction with supervised training and not as everyday refreshments. another study warns that some sports drinks can irreversibly damage teenagers ' permanent teeth. ( www. sciencedaily. com ) sports supplements unnecessary for kids – and could do harm in a recent sydney morning herald article, australian sports dieticians warned that long - term damage can be done to children who take proprietary supplements in an attempt to increase their body mass, muscle tone or stamina. these supplements are sometimes requested by parents who are over - anxious to see their kids succeed. ( www. smh. com. au ) mark tronson marvels at the wonderful human body that the lord has given us, which will adapt and change its energy requirements if trained for a particular sport in a particular way. he is reminded of 1 corinthians 6 : 19 - 20 “ or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you, whom you have from god? you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. so glorify god in your body. ” during training, endurance athletes can ' teach ' their bodies to slowly use the fat stores already put down by correct nutrition in the weeks leading up to the sporting event. ( www. marathonguide. com ) other athletes are more proficient at fast - movement aerobic sports, and they need completely different diets and training regimes so their bodies learn to use short - term energy from glucose in the blood and glycogen in the muscles. sports scientists and nutritionists sports scientists and nutritionists understand more now about how an appropriate diet of healthy foods will be sufficient to help young athletes ' muscles grow strong, and ' learn ' to naturally use the resources so miraculously laid down for stressful situations such as we impose when we train for competitive sports. ( www. ncga. coolrunning. com. au sections 9 and 10 ). mark tronson advises young athletes to seek the advice of reputable dieticians and coaches about correct diet, training and sleep regimes to build optimal muscle and improve performance ; and only take medication recommended by a trusted doctor if necessary for a medical condition. this way, all children can reach their potential and enjoy their chosen sport. supplements cannot help them do any better than this. as a minister of 35 years he is aware, that with the pressures upon his life and ministry, he needs to take time out to recharge and refresh and this is part of his medical advice


it ’ s pretty easy to highlight every other row in excel using a condition. in the matters of highlighting a row based on a value of single cell is another story. not entirely complex but nonetheless requires some knowledge of writing formulas and knowledge of the indirect function. bastien blogged about conditional row color based on a cell value which illustrates the process quite nicely. the steps i am about to cover mimic bastien ’ s procedures with the exception of targeting excel 2007 instead of excel 2003. sample data set step 1 : highlight the rows you will need to highlight the rows that are targeted in which you wish to apply the conditional formatting. step 2 : click on conditional formatting conditional formatting is found under the home tab of the ribbon. step 3 : select manage rules step 4 : click new rule step 5 : select use a formula to determine which cells to format step 6 : enter the following formula which uses the indirect function then click the format button to specify the formatting options step 7 : click the fill tab step 8 : select the background color once you have selected a color click the ok button to proceed step 9 : click ok step 10 : click ok to apply formatting to highlight the rows that have a gender value of f in column c simply repeat steps 4 – 10 and switch the conditional value to f as in ( step 6 )


history of initiative & referendum in arizona | laws • history | | list of measures | the history of initiative & referendum in arizona began when acquired statewide initiative, referendum, and recall rights at the time of statehood in 1912. the first initiative in the state was for women ' s suffrage. it was a landslide victory, passing by a margin of greater than two to one on nov. 5, 1912. then, in 1914, arizona saw of 15 qualified initiatives, which held the record until 2006 when 19 initiatives were passed. four of the 1914 initiatives passed because of the efforts of organized labor. one prohibited blacklisting of union members ; a second established an " old age and mothers ' pension " ; another established a state government contract system, and a fourth limited businesses employment of non - citizens. lastly, the voters in 1914 passed an initiative that barred the governor and legislature from amending or repealing initiatives. in response, the legislature tried to pass a constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult to pass initiatives. because this amendment needed the approval of voters, the arizona federation of labor waged a campaign against the measure. the amendment was narrowly defeated in 1916. - this chart includes all ballot measures to appear on the arizona ballot in the year indicated, not just initiated measures. see also arizona ballot measures. | year | | propositions on ballot | | how many were approved? | | how many were defeated? | arizonans owe many of their reforms to john kromko. kromko, like most arizonans, is not a native ; he was born near erie, pennsylvania, in 1940 and moved to tucson in the mid - 1960s. he was active in protests against the vietnam war, and in the 1970s and 1980s he was elected to the lower house of the state legislature several times. by night, he was a computer - programming instructor ; by day, he was arizona ’ s " mr. initiative. " kromko ’ s first petition was a referendum drive to stop a tucson city council ordinance banning topless dancing, arguing for free speech. in 1976 kromko was among the handful of arizonans who, in cooperation with the people ’ s lobby western bloc campaign, succeeded in putting on the state ballot an initiative to phase out nuclear power. the initiative lost at the polls, but kromko ’ s leadership on the issue got him elected to his first term in the legislature. repealing the sales tax on food once elected, kromko set his sights on abolishing the sales tax on food, a "


, but kromko ’ s leadership on the issue got him elected to his first term in the legislature. repealing the sales tax on food once elected, kromko set his sights on abolishing the sales tax on food, a " regressive " tax that hits the poor hardest. unsuccessful in the legislature, kromko launched a statewide initiative petition and got enough signatures to put food tax repeal on the ballot. the legislature, faced with the initiative, acted to repeal the tax. after the food tax victory, kromko turned to voter registration reform. again the legislature was unresponsive, so he launched an initiative petition. he narrowly missed getting enough signatures in 1980, and he failed to win re - election that year. undaunted, he revived the voter registration campaign and turned to yet another cause : medicaid funding. arizona in 1981 was the only state without medicaid, since the legislature had refused to appropriate money for the state ' s share of this federal program. in 1982, with an initiative petition drive under way and headed for success, the legislature got the message and established a medicaid program. kromko and his allies on this issue, the state ’ s churches, were satisfied and dropped their petition drive. motor voter initiative the voter registration initiative, now under the leadership of les miller, a phoenix attorney, and the state democratic party, gained ballot placement and voter approval. in the ensuing four years, this " motor voter " initiative increased by over 10 percent the proportion of arizona ’ s eligible population who were registered to vote. late legislative career kromko, re - elected to the legislature in 1982, took up his petitions again in 1983 to prevent construction of a freeway in tucson that would have smashed through several residential neighborhoods. the initiative was merely to make freeway plans subject to voter approval, but tucson officials, seeing the campaign as the death knell for their freeway plans, blocked its placement on the ballot through various legal technicalities. kromko and neighborhood activists fighting to save their homes refused to admit defeat. they began a new petition drive in 1984, qualified their measure for the ballot, and won voter approval for it in november 1985. arizona ’ s moneyed interests poured funds into a campaign to unseat kromko in 1986. kromko not only survived but also fought back by supporting a statewide initiative to limit campaign contributions, sponsored by his colleague in the legislature, democratic state representative reid ewing of tucson. voters passed the measure by a two to one margin


bbsrc is not responsible for the content of external websites biology by design – how synthetic biology could revolutionise everything from medicines to energy 13 july 2012 in a series of articles we will be highlighting the work of some of the leading synthetic biology researchers in the uk. here we profile professor dek woolfson of the university of bristol, professor jamie davies of the university of edinburgh and professor richard cogdell of the university of glasgow. flat pack proteins – professor dek woolfson, university of bristol professor dek woolfson is hoping to use synthetic biology to create new structures out of proteins with uses ranging from wound repair to water purification. - proteins play many important roles in nature. - proteins can assemble into complicated structures like tiny pumps and motors. - scientists are hoping to combine proteins in new ways using synthetic biology to create useful new tools for uses as diverse as water filtration and medicine. proteins are like nature ' s robots working tirelessly in the cells of every plant, animal and microbe to do virtually all of the important functions that make life tick. each individual protein can twist and fold into an incredibly complex 3d shape, with holes, cracks and protrudances giving it its function. groups of proteins then combine with one another and other types of molecules to create bigger and more complicated structures still. understanding how proteins assemble and combine is at the heart of professor dek woolfson ' s research at the university of bristol. professor dek woolfson this work is important for our understanding of biology because by figuring out how to make parts these molecular machines from scratch scientists can get a much better understanding of how they work in nature. it could also have a range of possible applications. professor woolfson and his team are working on a toolkit of newly designed proteins that could be used as building blocks to produce biological machines. this is a key pillar of a synthetic biology approach. scientists like professor woolfson hope to create catalogues of modular parts so that biological structures can be built from flat pack rather than being crafted from scratch each time. one such structure that professor woolfson ' s team are working on is a synthetic version of the extracellular matrix, the scaffold that surrounds our cells. a synthetic extracellular matrix could be used in regenerative medicine to help generate tissues like skin, nerves or bone in the test tube that could then be transplanted into patients. professor woolfson is currently working with clinical scientists exploring applications for the technology in wound repair. another project in their lab is attempting to use rational protein design to produce


skin, nerves or bone in the test tube that could then be transplanted into patients. professor woolfson is currently working with clinical scientists exploring applications for the technology in wound repair. another project in their lab is attempting to use rational protein design to produce new technologies for water purification and desalination. the team have discovered a new cylindrical protein structure which they call cc - hex which they think could be engineered into biological membranes to filter water. these devices would be particularly valuable for producing small scale products that could be used easily by people who do not have access to clean water in the developing world. this research is being developed in collaboration with the university of oxford and with an australian water consortium that brings together a team of engineers, biochemists, chemists, materials scientist and microbiologists. prof woolfson explains " when we discovered cc - hex we thought we might use it to make enzymes. it was a visiting colleague from australia who recognised the similarity of the structure to aquaporins ( a natural protein that rescues water in kidneys, the brain and even the roots of plants ). he suggested that we explore that direction too and it is now the basis of our latest bbsrc grant. we are far from achieving a working prototype but are collaborating with australian scientists with this goal in mind. " designer tissues – professor jamie davies, university of edinburgh stem cells offer incredible medical promise because they can turn into virtually any tissue in our bodies ; but what about tissues that do not exist in our bodies or even in nature? - during development, a simple group of cells multiplies and rearranges to form complicated tissues and organs and eventually a whole plant or animal. - currently, scientists are working to coax stem cells to produce human tissues in the lab to repair damaged organs. - using synthetic biology, scientists could put new programming in to cells so that they develop into never - before seen types of tissues with a range of medical uses. professor jamie davies of the university of edinburgh is working to use synthetic biology to control cell and tissue shape, research which he calls ' synthetic morphology '. his work could lead to a future where cells can be programmed to self assemble into new structures and tissues which have never existed before in nature. professor jamie davies this science is in its infancy and there are a number of technical hurdles still to be overcome. however it promises to give us a far greater understanding of how organisms develop which might give scientists insights that could help prevent developmental abnormalities like conjoined twinning. as well as increasing our understanding of


are a number of technical hurdles still to be overcome. however it promises to give us a far greater understanding of how organisms develop which might give scientists insights that could help prevent developmental abnormalities like conjoined twinning. as well as increasing our understanding of development this work could allow the production of useful new tissues that would not be possible with stem cells. you could imagine, for example, that tissues grown in this way could provide an interface to allow a person to control movement in an artificial hand or even to see through an artificial eye. these developments are still some way off. however in the nearer term professor davies hopes to be able to improve medical technologies like dialysis machines by developing tissues that can live happily inside medical machinery. dialysis machines are very good at replicating the mechanical functions of a kidney but they cannot perform the biochemical functions that are important in properly filtering blood. by designing tissues that could grow along the tubes of a dialysis machine researchers could produce a more effective artificial kidney. professor davies explains " the development of even really complex tissues can be broken down into a series of simple events like the multiplication, clumping together or movement of cells. there are about ten of these simple behaviours and we think that by programming cell circuitry to carry them out in different orders we can coax cells into new types of tissues in ways that we can predict. " the immediate value of this work to scientists is that it will give them a much deeper understanding of the process of development. how relatively unorganised populations of cells assemble precisely into something as complex as a person is one of the big outstanding questions in biology. by developing synthetic systems that cause cells to organise and assemble themselves, the researchers can begin to understand how it happens in nature. one of the immediate challenges that professor davies and their team faced when starting this work was that they wanted to work with animal cells. most synthetic biology to date has been in simple organisms that are easy to work with like bacteria or yeast. mammalian cells are much bigger and more complex than those of bacteria which make them considerably harder to work with. however this work is not just limited to human or animal cells. it should be possible to programme bacteria, yeast or plant cells to form new multicellular structures which could have an enormous range of uses in medicine and industry. the artificial ' leaf ' – professor richard cogdell, university of glasgow professor richard cogdell is hoping to use synthetic biology to create an artificial " leaf " capable of converting the sun ' s energy into sustainable liquid fuels. - plants


industry. the artificial ' leaf ' – professor richard cogdell, university of glasgow professor richard cogdell is hoping to use synthetic biology to create an artificial " leaf " capable of converting the sun ' s energy into sustainable liquid fuels. - plants use photosynthetisis to capture energy of the sun to create fuel to power the plant ' s growth. - we use this fuel ourselves in the form of wood, coal, oil and gas. - by using the tools of synthetics biology, scientists hope to create an artificial system that can do photosynthesis, - this could capture the sun ' s energy like a solar panel but would produce liquid fuel rather than electricity. we have always relied on plants to provide us with energy. for millennia, burning wood was humanity ' s main, sometimes only, source of power. later, more energy dense fuels – coal, oil and gas, drove the development of modern society. professor richard cogdell by burning these fuels we are tapping into the stored energy of the sun. in the case of wood this might have been captured months or years before. when we burn fossil fuels we are releasing energy that fell as sunlight on the world of the dinosaurs hundreds of millions of years ago. only plants, algae and some bacteria have the amazing ability to capture and store the sun ' s rays as sugars using photosynthesis. while amazing, photosynthesis is actually quite an inefficient process. a plant is not a machine for producing fuel, rather a machine for producing plants, and as such scientists think that they might be able to tweak photosynthesis to produce fuel more efficiently. the researchers, based at the university of glasgow, hope to deliver the next stage in our long relationship with photosynthesis by taking it out of the leaf and into the lab. professor cogdell, who is leading the research project, explains : " more energy hits the surface of the earth in the form of sunlight in the space of one hour than the entire human race uses in a whole year. this abundant energy is given away for free but making use of it is tricky. we can use solar panels to make electricity but it ' s intermittent and difficult to store. you can ' t fly an aeroplane or send a ship round the world using batteries, you need a fuel. what we are trying to do is to take the energy from the sun and trap it so that it can be used when it is needed most. " the researchers hope to use a chemical reaction similar to photos


world using batteries, you need a fuel. what we are trying to do is to take the energy from the sun and trap it so that it can be used when it is needed most. " the researchers hope to use a chemical reaction similar to photosynthesis but in an artificial system. plants take solar energy, concentrate it and use it to split apart water into hydrogen and oxygen. the oxygen is released and the energy from the hydrogen used to lock carbon into a fuel. the latest research aims to use synthetic biology to replicate the process outside of the cell. professor cogdell added : " we are working to devise a chemical system that could replicate photosynthesis artificially on a grand scale. this artificial leaf would use solar collectors and produce a fuel, as opposed to electricity. " professor cogdell hopes that his team ' s artificial system could also improve on natural photosynthesis to make better use of the sun ' s energy. by stripping back photosynthesis to a level of basic reactions, much higher levels of energy conversion could be possible. ultimately, success in this research could allow the development of a sustainable carbon neutral economy arresting the increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning. in fact, if successful, this research could allow for carbon to be harvested from the atmosphere and returned to the ground, reversing the accumulation of carbon caused by burning fossil fuels. the research is funded through a joint eu funding scheme " eurosolarfuels " which aims to produce fuels from light. the bbsrc funds the uk part of this research. what is synthetic biology? synthetic biology is the science of designing, engineering and building useful new biological systems which have not existed before in nature. using our ever - increasing understanding of genetics and cell biology synthetic biologists are able to design complicated biological parts, systems and devices to act as sensors, tissues or to produce useful chemicals. these technologies could deliver advances in a wide range of fields including medicine, biofuels and renewable materials. a synthetic biology approach offers incredible promise but also poses many ethical, legal and even existential questions for the scientific community, policymakers and for all of us to think about. some of these questions were explored in a public dialogue carried out by bbsrc and the engineering and physical sciences research council in 2010.


a chinese farmer dries corn outside of qingdao, 14 oct. 2009. china has approved its 1st strain of gm rice, which is locally - developed, for commercial production. china has also approved its first gm corn. " africa — from basket case to breadbasket " op - ed, new agriculturalist author : calestous juma, professor of the practice of international development ; director, science, technology, and globalization project ; principal investigator, agricultural innovation in africa calestous juma, professor of the practice of international development and director of the agricultural innovation project at harvard kennedy school, is optimistic about economic prospects in his native continent of africa. in his new book, the new harvest : agricultural innovation in africa, launched in january 2011, he states very clearly that africa is a continent that can feed itself within a generation. for readers of new agriculturist he outlines why, despite the challenges of ever increasing population and climate change, he thinks africa will change its image of being a basket case to becoming a breadbasket. the basis for my optimism is the reality on the ground and knowledge of the rapid rate at which africa is changing. one concrete example is the investment that africa is making in economic transformation. take infrastructure for example : a significant effort is being made by african countries to extend road networks, the lack of which has been the biggest barrier to agricultural production, especially connecting markets to farms. similar investments are being made in energy and irrigation. only seven per cent of african agriculture is irrigated — 3. 6 per cent in sub - saharan africa — compared to about 47 per cent in south asia ; this is changing. the impact of telecommunications has served as an important source of inspiration and evidence of the role of infrastructure in development. mobile phones are helping farmers to know when to plant, where to sell and where to bank. mobile technology is also becoming a substitute for traditional extension services. the next wave of broadband technology will be even more transformative and will affect all sectors of the economy. agriculture will be a key beneficiary of the terrestrial cables that are being laid across the continent. innovation in agriculture now includes the use of genetically - modified crops that have been adopted in south africa, burkina faso and egypt. other countries such as kenya and tanzania are planning to follow suit. but africa will go further in using all methods, including organic farming, as well as alternative crops such as breadfruit that help meet food needs while providing vegetation cover. sustainable agriculture can take root in africa. the second fact that


to follow suit. but africa will go further in using all methods, including organic farming, as well as alternative crops such as breadfruit that help meet food needs while providing vegetation cover. sustainable agriculture can take root in africa. the second fact that reinforces my optimism is the creation of regional markets. in the past each african country has struggled by itself. and, if it did not have sufficient lands and sufficient investment, it would rely on foreign food aid. now countries and regional bodies like comesa ( common market for eastern and southern africa ) are starting to trade among themselves and a large part of this trade is in food. the east african community ( kenya, uganda, tanzania, rwanda and burundi ) has committed itself to a regional approach to agriculture. the third reason for my confidence in africa is the increase in examples of countries that have turned their agriculture around in very few years. rwanda ' s recovery after the genocide focused remarkably on agricultural restoration. malawi is a more well - known example of rapid agricultural recovery. in both cases presidential leadership was critical to rapid recovery. more african presidents are starting to pay attention to the fact that in africa agriculture and the economy are one and the same. as highlighted in the new harvest, africa is also actively learning from the experiences of other agricultural giants such as china, brazil and india. but more importantly, it is also learning from itself. african presidents meet more regularly than in any other region of the world. they learn a great deal from each other and are starting to draw on their own experts openly. in looking ahead, attention will need to focus on building technical capacity in agriculture, especially for women. there is no alternative to decentralizing institutions of higher learning and linking them directly to farming communities. the african rural university for women ( aru ) project in western uganda is an example of what needs to be done. aru started off as a project of a non - governmental organization training young women : it is now seeking to become a full university. when african women farmers raise their productivity and become technology - oriented, their children will also have a better appreciation for the role of innovation to create a new generation of young people that are interested in using innovation to improve their living conditions. universities are just one option to build technical competence. another is adding a vocational component to high schools located in agricultural areas. this will make education more relevant to young people. today, the creativity of young people is not fully tapped : such a youthful continent needs a different type of education. in large parts of africa the majority of


component to high schools located in agricultural areas. this will make education more relevant to young people. today, the creativity of young people is not fully tapped : such a youthful continent needs a different type of education. in large parts of africa the majority of the population are of school age. vocational schools can help to build competence in areas such as food processing. up to 40 per cent of the food produced in africa is wasted through post - harvest loss. improvements are needed in processing, storage and transportation. international aid agencies could play a key role in funding the purchase of equipment needed to turn high schools into vocational centres. some sceptics argue that any gains that are made in agricultural production will be eroded by climate change. to the contrary, much of the interest among african leaders to focus on agriculture is inspired by their concern over climate. they reason that making agriculture more resilient is the best way to adapt to climate change. it is for this reason that president jakawa kikwete of tanzania convened a retreat of east african presidents last december to discuss ' food security and climate change '. it was at this event that the new harvest was launched. it was clear from the discussions at the retreat that african leaders are not interested in predicting the future ; they are determined to define it. for more information about this publication please contact the belfer center communications office at 617 - 495 - 9858. full text of this publication is available at : for academic citation :


the french painter nicolas de stael ( 1914 - 1955 ) was a major painter of the school of paris. his work is characterized by a simplification of forms and the application of paint in thick slabs. nicolas de stael was born on jan. 5, 1914, in st. petersburg, the son of a wealthy baron. nicolas ' s mother encouraged him to draw and paint at a very early age. in 1919 the russian revolution forced the family into exile in poland. within 2 years his parents were dead, and nicolas was sent to brussels to study humanities. in 1932 he entered the royal academy of art there. during the 1930s stael embarked on a series of travels to see as many kinds of art as possible. in the netherlands he was particularly impressed by the works of rembrandt and jan vermeer, and in paris he was very moved by the paintings of paul cezanne, henri matisse, and georges braque. he traveled in spain, italy, morocco, and algeria and then settled in paris in 1938. when world war ii broke out, stael joined the french foreign legion and fought in tunisia for a year. in 1942 stael ' s individual style began to emerge. he gave up direct representation for a highly sensuous, nonfigurative approach, as in his composition 45 ( 1945 ). he became friends with braque and andre lanskoy, whose work he greatly admired and who encouraged and advised him. stael ' s life had been one of extreme poverty, but by 1948, when he became a french citizen, he was beginning to be successful. although he was painting nonfigurative pictures, he did not consider himself an abstract painter. " one does not start from nothing, and a painting is always bad if it has not been preceded by contact with nature. " in 1951 stael made a trip to london, where he became familiar with the work of j. m. w. turner and john constable, an interest that presaged his return to nature in 1952. that year he executed a series of paintings of football players. he began to paint directly from nature and, greatly influenced by gustave courbet, developed a highly personal style of landscape painting. stael applied brilliant flat colors with a minimum of detail to suggest the essence of a vista ; this suggestive simplification of a recognizable scene was one of his contributions to the development of modern painting. it is exemplified in landscape, sky, blue and gray ( 1953 ). a dedicated artist who lived