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The Art of the Party: Thousand-year Old Land has Turned Over
Special Series/CGTN
02:10

One of China's most famous 20th century artists, Dong Xiwen, painted "Thousand-year Old Land has Turned Over" in 1963.

It shows Tibetan serfs becoming owners of their own land and working for their own interests.

After the founding of New China in 1949, the Chinese central government adopted a policy of peaceful liberation in Tibet.

On October 19, 1950, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) advanced into Tibet and won the Battle of Qamdo. It opened the door to peaceful negotiations and created the conditions for the liberation of Tibet.

In April 1951, the Tibetan local government sent a delegation, headed by Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, to negotiate with the central government in Beijing.

The peaceful liberation of Tibet was reached after the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (also known as the 17-Article Agreement) was signed on May 23, 1951.

According to the agreement, Tibet is a part of China; the local armed forces of Tibet became incorporated into the PLA; and the freedom of religious belief in Tibet is guaranteed.

In October 1951, the PLA came to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. The peaceful liberation of Tibet was an important event in the modern history of China, as well as a milestone in Tibetan history.

The peaceful liberation of Tibet proved that the policies of the Communist Party of China on ethnic minorities reflected the common aspiration and fundamental interests of the whole Chinese people including the Tibetan people.

The peaceful liberation of Tibet laid a solid foundation for the unity and prosperity of the newly founded People's Republic of China.

Over the past 70 years, the Communist Party of China has united and led people of all ethnic groups in Tibet to make unprecedented historical achievements.

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