This series of documentaries comprehensively covers the 50 years of democratic reform in Tibet.

The land of Tibet in the old days was not a fairytale land, it was a land plagued by slavery and hardship. The population was made up of 5% of serf owners and 95% of serfs.

In 1959, with the 10 year deadline of serf emancipation set 8 years ago approaching, the Tibetan ruling class of 5% slave owners resisted the emancipation movement with an armed rebellion with direct western help. The armed rebellion was crushed almost instantly because all the serfs wanted to be freed and did not give any support to the slave owner staged rebellion. The serf owners that did not want to give up their serfs fled to India and became exiles.

The central government dissolved the local administration of serf owners and replaced it with the Tibetan Autonomous Regional Government. From that day onwards, the people of Tibet never looked back, and worked hard with the help from the Han brothers and sisters to turn Tibet from a Shangri la that existed only in dream into a Shangri la in reality.

TIBET - A REALITY CHECK
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1718/17180040.htm
Volume 17 - Issue 18, Sep. 02 - 15, 2000
India's National Magazine
from the publishers of THE HINDU

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http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=174C9BC82D0CBAB3