On Serfs Emancipation Day, celebration, recollection, and wishes from across China

In the Ngaqen village, fully attired Tibetans gathered in the village club to watch the televised grand celebration held on the square in front of the Potala Palace about 30 kilometers away in the seat of Lhasa.

Tsamjo, 66, who lived in a two-story building, said her life was better than "the landlord in the past".

She had worked as a serf for seven years before the democratic reform. "At that time, our plot of land was smaller than a palm, and our room was as big as the nose of a cow," she said.

After the ceremony, villagers performed traditional Tibetan dances and held a contest of tug-of-war.

In the Tashigang village of Dagze county, more than 1,000 people enjoyed their own party.

"We have prepared for about a month for the party on our own holiday," 19-year-old Degyi said while doing the makeup.

As a young girl, she admitted that she had little knowledge about the past. "But I feel sad whenever listening to my grandparents telling the stories," she said.