|
Journalists visit a Tibetan family in Jangdam village, Samzhubze District, outside Shigatse, in Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 18 October 2020. The picture was taken during a media tour to Tibet organized by the Chinese government that focused on China's poverty alleviation program for the region. The natural beauty of Tibet, the thousand-year-old Himalayan roof of the world, still dazzles the few visitors who are allowed in. But today, in many places, bulldozers, highways, and modern apartment towers have replaced the grazing yaks and the chanting Buddhist monks. According to the Beijing government, extreme poverty – an endemic problem in Tibet, where pastoralism has traditionally been the sole source of income for most people – has been eradicated. In recent years, the central government has made colossal investments in Tibet, both in infrastructure and poverty reduction programs. Since 2016, Beijing has invested 74.85 billion yuan (USD 11.1 billion) in projects to improve access to health, education, clean water, housing, or infrastructure in the region's poorest areas. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/EPA/EFE)
|
