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Enormous Changes in the Lives of the people Prior to the Democratic Reform in Tibet in 1959 there were 20,250 households composed of some 100,000 people in the Changtang Grasslands. Except for a small number of tribal heads, most of these people were slaves and serfs, who were deprived of personal freedom. At that time, there were2.49 million animals in the region, most of which belonging to the herd owners, serf owners and monasteries. The broad masses of the people were burdened by heavy corvee labor, usury and high taxes. These factors, plus the harsh environment, meant great suffering for the local people. ln this hopeless situation they had nowhere to turn to for help except statues of deities. This situation continued until the 1959 Democratic Reform. In Nagqu, there are 34 million hectares of grasslands (with 21.333 million hectares having been exploited,)5,400 hectares of farmland, and 211,000 hectares of forests. Animal husbandry is the leading industry of the region. The major animals raised include yaks, horses, sheep and goats. The State policy introduced in 1984, which stipulates that" herders own the livestock they raise" and "farmers till the land distributed to them for independent management," has fired the enthusiasm of the local people. In the 1970s, stone walls were built to improve the raising of livestock, and the State, local governments and individuals pooled their funds to erect fences on 235, 700 hectares of grassland, and to establish 4, 666.6 hectares of livestock breeding bases for individual households, 2.2 million square meters of heated shelters for animals, and 26 warehouses for materials to be used to combat natural disasters. Veterinary stations have been set up in various townships and villages. By the end of 1995, the region boasted 7.4272 million head of livestock, an increase of 28.5 percent over 1965. There was also an increase in the output and the commodity rate of animal by-products. By the end of 1995, the aggregate output value of animal husbandry had also reaches 354 million yuan, a 5.2-fold increase over that of 1965. With increased production, there has been a rise in the annual income of the herders and farmers. In 1995, their income averaged 952.99 yuan per capita, a sharp contrast to the 89 yuan of 1965. Statistics for 1997 show that Nagqu enjoyed 31, 874.91 tons of meat, 28, 771.37 tons of milk, 3,204.22 tons of wool, and 1.45 million animal hides, with the comprehensive commodity rate hitting 52.20 percent. Crop farming is concentrated in Biru, Sog, Baqen and Jjali in eastern Nagqu, and Nyima in western Nagqu. Major crops include qingke barley, winter wheat, peas, rape and green feed. Grain output reached 3, 968 tons in 1997, and in the same year the annual average income for local herders and farmers rose to 1, 133.97 yuan. With the constant improvement in productivity, there have been remarkable changes in the style of living in northern Tibet.Before the Democratic Reform in 1959, most people in northern Tibet lived in tents. Everyone wore a sheepskin lined robe which also served as a quilt at night. Leading a nomadic life, they struggled very hard to keep their heads above water. If they were hit by snowstorms, drought or other natural disasters, large numbers of sheep and cows died and the herders starved. The local people ate mainly milk and meat, and bartered their animal by-products and salt for food grains from farming areas. Farm tools and tea, which are indispensable to Tibetans, had to be bartered at an unequal exchange rate. Unscrupulous merchants, monasteries and headmen took advantage of this barter trade to exchange a box of matches or a small bag of needles for a sheep, or a bar of tea for a sheep, or a bar of tea for a cow. Herders in this landlocked region led a primitive way of life. Most of them were illiterate, and their only form of transport was beasts of burden. Horse races were held every summer, which also provided the opportunity for a commodity fair. The local people had few leisure time pursuits and told stories to each other to pass the time. They were also devout followers of Buddhism. Today the people in northern Tibet have a much better way of life. They dress well and the men like to wear loose jackets with long sleeves, while women wear body hugging colorful clothes. The men also wear cloth or felt hats, sometimes with tassels, and in some areas they add purplish silk decorations. Women seldom wear hats in summer, but during the rainy season they wear a white felt or white woolen rain coat with a hat .In winter, both men and women wear fox or sheepskin hats, and scarves of the same materials are also popular. On special occasions the women wear a red tassel on a hat composed of iron rings, or a longevity pay great attention to their clothes and they are generally made from high-grade woolen fabrics and lined with sheepskin. Clothes for men have black borders, while those for women have colored borders. Today people love to wear clothes trimmed with otter hide, which sells trimmed with otter hide, which sells for up to 10, 000 yuan apiece .In livestock breeding areas, women wear colored aprons called "Bamdain" in Tibetan, which are longer than those found in the farming areas. Herders make their own boots, which are brightly colored and unique in workmanship. The annual horse race gives the herders and farmers an opportunity to display their handiwork-hats, robes and boots. In addition to clothing unique to Tibet, the herders and farmers also wear Han Chinese clothes or Western suites. Han Chinese clothes, shirts and sweaters, all sold at low prices, are very popular but Tibetan clothing is still in vogue. The people of northern Tibet also like to decorate their clothing with various objects. Men decorate their horses and carry knives and rifles re-made from traditional firearms. They have pigtails decorated with Lhayu jade, which is believed to represent the soul, and red or coral and agate. The wealthier men like to have agate, coral and other forms of decoration, and wear a gold or silver earring in the left ear. Rings, some of them saddle-shaped, are worn on the middle and fourth fingers, an ivory, agate or jadeite ring is worn in the thumb, and a bracelet in the left wrist. Men also carry a bag containing flint , needles, an awl and a small knife; the men in northern Tibet are skilled at needlework. Wealthier men also carry a whip with a white rattan handle, and a gilded silver box containing auspicious objects. Some also carry a horn snuff bottle inlaid with silver and gems. Those who smoke carry pipes with silver or bronze bowls and an agate or jadeite mouthpiece, in addition to a tobacco pouch inlaid with silver, bronze or gems. Women's attire is relatively complex. During holidays they put on their best clothes and wash their hair which is then combed into two sections. The top section is covered with a black cloth, from beneath which protruded five pigtails, Married women wear slices of white conch shell adorned with coral, silver and other forms of decoration in their hair to show love and respect for their husband. The ends of their pigtails are decorated with tiny bells, sliced conch shells, coral, jade and silver coins. The women's earrings are usually made of silver and adorned with various kinds of gems, and their necklaces are made from high-quality cat's eye, red coral, pearls and jade. Bracelets are made of amber and silver. Rings inlaid with gems are worn on the middle and ring fingers. Belts are made of silver, gilded, or inlaid with various types of gems, and usually consist of nine, six or five segments. Women generally also have a needle bag hanging to their left and a tiny knife to right .A woman may also carry a silver chain bearing tiny bells or tiny conch shells. Small bags of salt to fees the cattle and sheep, and Erdo herding whips. As life has improved in northern Tibet so has the diet of the people, who can boast more than 200 different cooking methods. According to the herders, their staple diet is meat, butter and cheese, but they also eat qingke barley, wheat and peas, and drink mainly tea, milk and wine Brown sugar, sugar sugar and honey are very popular. Traditionally, the people of northern Tibet ate mainly qingke barley and wheat flout flour, although in the 1980s they ate more rice than ever before. The major foods in the north of Tibet include groma (petridophyte root), yellow mushrooms, sour milk and milk curds, mutton and beef (pork and canned food are seldom tasted) as well as the meat of wild animals. Butter is the major cooking oil, but rape seed oil is also used. Beverages include mainly buttered tea, tea, milk tea, and, during holidays, qingke barley wine. The local people drink almost no wine, but in cities and towns, or in areas close to the cities and towns, beer and soft drinks are fashionable. The local people usually eat three times a day, or whenever they are hungry, or four tomes a day during the summer or busy seasons. They also drink tea in the morning, at noon, in the evening and before going to bed. To accompany their early morning tea they eat zanba (roasted highland barley flour) and fine milk curds. Lunch consists of zanba, sour milk, meat broth or meat. They eat porridge for supper. people in northern Tibet are very hospitable and a family feast is indispensable when they have guests, hold religious rituals, and during weddings or horse races. This is also the case when spring arrives and the first spring thunderbolt is heard. For thousands of years, herders in northern Tibet led a nomadic life. Even the tribal headmen lived in tents. For example, the headman of the 39-Tribal Area owned a tent large enough to hold 10, 000 people. Hence the place name Baqen which means "large tent." The first building did not appear in Nagqu until the early 18th century when the Shodain Monastery, the largest monastery of the Yellow Hat Sect in Nagqu, was constructed. Government officials sent to northern Tibetan local government also lived in tents until summer when they returned to Lhasa for two months after having completed the collection of taxes. The tent in which the chief manager lived was called a Wugo" or "Gugar," and both names have now become nicknames for Nagqu Town. Gradually, alongside improved productivty and progress in various other undertakings, small towns appeared in Nagqu and members of the upper class and the wealthy began building houses. Construction is booming in northern Tibet, and herders are settling down. Since China's introduction of the reform and opening policy, more than 90 percent of herders have built houses, and the government has assisted in the construction of schools, hospitals, co-operatives, government institutions and various service facilities. Local hydraulic, wind and solar energy is being exploited, and telephone services have been extended to the counties, Herders in Nagqu now have access to electricity, making it possible for them to enjoy radio and television, and they can also purchase wrist watches, bicycles, motorcycles, tractors and trucks, all an indication of the improvements in their lives. Nagqu People's Diet Fostering the habit of a scientific diet has been spread from cities and townships to the vast farming and pastoral areas. Even in northern Tibetan areas Nagqu where beef and mutton have served as staple foods for hundreds of years, vegetables and fruits are becoming more and more welcome. At the free market in Nagqu Township, stands of vegetables and fruits are much more than those selling beef and mutton. Farmers in Yongda Township of Doilungdeqen County changed the old way of simply planting qingke, a kind of highland barley and wheat, and now cultivate nutritious South American corn, which not only adds another staple food, but also supplies markets in Lhasa. Tibetans have changed their mix of food fundamentally from no meat to large pieces of meat and then to nutritious food with balanced portion of vegetables and meat. On their dinner table, the Tibetans now not only serve traditional dried beef and mutton and butter tea, but also fresh vegetables and delicious chicken, duck and pork. Sea food transported by air from coastal areas have also become common dishes of many Tibetans. The sense of scientific diet has spread from cities to the vast pasture areas in Tibet. Even herdsmen in north Tibet who have habitually taken beef and mutton as their staple food for tens of hundreds of years now increasingly favor fresh fruit and vegetables. On market fairs in Nagqu, the number of stalls selling fruit and vegetable exceeds that of beef and mutton stalls. In winter, Tibetan farmers used to consume potatoes and turnips they had stored in autumn. Now, they grow various kinds of vegetables in greenhouses. Even working on the fields, they like to bring fried and stewed dishes for lunch. Although Tibetan farmers raised chicken, they seldom ate them. Some people even set surplus cocks free in mountains. To date, eggs, chicken and pork have not only added to the farmers' dishes, but also become a main source of household income. |
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