March 2

On March 2, 2009, the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China published a white paper titled “Fifty Years of Democratic Reform in Tibet”. As the eighth white paper on Tibet issued by the Chinese government, the 21,000-word one consists of five parts, including Foreword, Old Tibet-A Society of Feudal Serfdom under Theocracy, Momentous Democratic Reform in Tibet, Tremendous Historic Changes over the Past Half-century and Conclusion.

On March 2, 2001, Tibet Daily reported that Tibet solved the problems of food and clothing of 410,000 poor people since China launched the Seven-Year Priority Poverty Alleviation Programme (1994-2000) in 1994, with the number of its poor population decreasing from 480,000 to 70,000.

On March 2, 1985, the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China approved the construction plan of the Yamzho Yumco Lake Hydropower Station. With a planned investment of 400 million yuan, the station would have an installed capacity of 120,000 kilowatts and generate 200 million kwh of electricity per year.

On March 2, AD 641, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty left for Lhasa to marry Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo. Their marriage promoted economic, social and cultural exchanges between the ethnic Han and Tibetan peoples.

The Statue of Princess Wencheng in Riyue Mountain in Xining City, Qinghai Provicne. (Photo/en.tibetol.cn)