A: Old Tibet was a feudal serfdom society combining religious authority and political power. Due to its backward social system, its harsh plateau climate and remote geographical situation, economic development was restricted and very slow. After the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, helping the Tibetan people to develop their economy and improve their living conditions became the common concern of the central government and the Chinese people, and it is an important facet of China's modernization drive. The Chinese central government has paid particular attention to Tibet's economic development. From the early 1950s until 1997, the central government allocated various subsidies, aid and investment to Tibet, with an accumulated value of more than 40 billion yuan. From 1952 to 1993, the central government provided 19.1 billion yuan in financial subsidies to Tibet, accounting for over 87 percent of its overall revenue. Since 1994, the central government's total annual financial and construction cost allocation to Tibet has been about 3 billion yuan, most of which have been used for social construction and general improvement of the quality of people's lives. All this apart, the central government has organized local governments of other provinces and municipalities and relevant departments to assist and support Tibet's construction by providing aid, in terms of finance, materials, technology and human resources. In 1984, the central government took the decision that 9 inland provinces and municipalities, as well as certain departments under the State Council, should participate in the construction of 43 urgent, medium-sized and small engineering projects in Tibet covered 10 businesses and industries, with a total investment of 480 million yuan. In July 1994, the central government arranged another 62 construction projects in Tibet, and investment was increased from 2.38 billion to 4 billion yuan. In recent years, state ministries and departments, plus 15 inland provinces and municipalities, have instituted 608 aid projects mentioned above, at a total investment of 880 million yuan. To meet the needs in production and life of the Tibetan people, the central government has conveyed large quantities of materials to Tibet, despite harsh conditions and long-distance transportation. From 1959 to 1996, 6.74 million tons of materials were transported to Tibet, including 1.1 million tons of commodity materials, 1.3 million tons of grain and 1.48 million of petroleum. All these facts show that the saying "the Chinese central government has gained more from Tibet than it has given" is groundless.