Dawa Gokye walks with his grandchildren in Gyadu Village of Jangra Township in Gyangze County of Xigaze City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 22, 2021. Dawa Gokye, 76, once a serf in a local manor of Tibet, had lived in hopelessness and despair until the democratic reform in 1959. In the eyes of the serf owners, serfs are nothing but "talking tools" at their mercy. Dawa recalled his head was hurt badly by the steward of the manor, as the then 8-year-old didn't boil the water hot while brewing the tea. Together with tens of thousands of other serfs, Dawa embraced a brand new life in 1959 when his family secured about three hectares of land and some livestock, something his ancestors had dreamed of for generations. "In the past, serf owners were on the top and trod on us. Today, the Communist Party of China has liberated us and we have finally stood up!" said Dawa, a Party member who had served the village for three decades. During this year's spring farming, Dawa often strolled in the fields while watching the farming machines bustle in the farmland. "We finally became the masters of the land," he said. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)
