People visit the Potala Palace square in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, February 11, 2024. /Xinhua
The mountains deep and high,
Preserve a spirit still alive.
I step on tracks that hold the timeless story
Of people soaked in trials and tribulations.
Yet, high above the mountain tops, the sun shines down
Upon the stage of history.
There is Princess Wen Cheng, appearing in the Opera House –
What joy it brings to ancient eyes
To witness such beauty glowing.
I praise all those who, through such sacred sites, have brought
Now impressed forever, upon my visions caught.
The above poem is a brief reflection of how heavily my trip to Xizang Autonomous Region impressed me in so many ways. The amazing infrastructure we saw upon our arrival at Lhasa, in terms of electrical power grids, cables leading up the mountain sides, with modern roads and lighting, was awesome. Amid the trip from the airport to our hotel, we saw the Potala Palace high in the background marking how the old and the new combined in harmony.
There is no limit to how long I could continue to describe the wonders of my visit to Xizang. The geography, the history and culture all left a lasting impact upon my heart and soul. Yet the story is far from over. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Xizang Autonomous Region; it documents a story of a people led out of serfdom and even enslaved to an aristocratic elite that maintained power both politically and religiously by keeping the people in backwardness and ignorance.
Today, there are no attempts by the Chinese central government to prevent Tibetans from practicing Buddhism, Islam, or any other religion they wish. Quite the opposite, as long as this religious freedom does not turn into political separatism. The importance of maintaining the cultural heritage of the Tibetan people in the forms of language and worship is protected and encouraged.
So why do Western media circles, continue to promote a propaganda barrage that accuses the Chinese government, of denying the people of Tibet their human rights along with their culture and religion. The story has a long and complex history, yet the essential fact that shapes all this disinformation is geopolitics.
Since the end of World War II, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), together with the British MI6 have played a continuous active role in attempting to destabilize the PRC especially in Xizang, through internal revolts, that were all paid for and run by CIA and MI6 operations. But this grim story did not begin there.
The old British Empire, during the time of the Opium Wars, besides forcing the people of China to consume opium, mostly cultivated in their colony in India, also led an occupation of Xizang to so-called civilize the place. By “civilizing the people,” what the leaders of the British Empire had always in reality meant was to subjugate and enslave a population by force of arms and by maintaining them in backwardness and ignorance. So, this is the real issue in Xizang, and it has, in some sense, always been the issue of development vs. subjugation.
The true modern picture of life in Xizang has yet to be clearly reported and understood by the largest portion of the Western and European public. By increasing people to people contact and having the opportunity to visit Xizang, there is no better way to see the reality for oneself. The PRC is now being seen by more people and businesses in the West as a model of successful development not only for China internally, but for the entire international community.
Bridges over the Lhasa River are pictured in Lhasa, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, July 30, 2025. /Xinhua
During the last six decades, the living conditions of the people of Xizang have been extremely improved. This growing trajectory involves a unique balance between the continued importance of modernization and technological development combined with environmental preservation of one of the most exceptional and most beautiful environments on the planet. The people of Xizang, the great majority of whom are Tibetans by descent, recognize and embrace the opportunity that education is providing for them.
In conclusion, the continuing saga of Xizang is one of great hopes and development. At the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that the next coming 10 years of the BRI would evolve into an even more important future perspective for global development.
In that context, the role of Xizang, together with Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in the far western corners of China represent perhaps the greatest potentials for continued growth and development of the BRI. This includes outwards cooperation with India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Mongolia. Finally, there is the Yarlung Zhangbo hydropower project, which combines modern technology with environmental protection and lays a pathway for vastly improving and expanding the historical progress for the BRI.
Rather than a point of contention, Xizang should stand as an example of how shared development can pave the way for greater understanding and mutual benefit.
Reference Link:- https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-08-20/The-story-of-Xizang-A-profound-history-in-human-development-1FZu48mdTXy/p.html