Qizhala, chairman of the regional government of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, gave a televised speech Saturday as the region marked the Serfs' Emancipation Day.

Sixty-one years ago, more than 1 million people, or 90 percent of the region's population at that time, were liberated from the feudal serfdom.

"The huge changes that have taken place in Tibet over the past decades have shown the institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the warmth of the motherland as a big family, and the future and destiny of Tibet are closely bonded with the motherland," he said.

The region's GDP rocketed to over 160 billion yuan (around 22.7 billion U.S. dollars) last year, about 206 times that in 1951. In 2019, the per capita disposable income of urban residents was 37,410 yuan, and that of rural people reached 12,951 yuan.

By far, Tibet has basically eradicated absolute poverty, with all counties taken off the poverty list. The average life expectancy of the people in Tibet has risen to 70.6 from 35.5 before 1959.

"Currently, the country is battling the coronavirus. We will continue to carry out control and prevention measures, speed up work and production resumption, ensure employment and keep a good momentum of the economic and social development," he said, adding that the region will continue to enhance high-quality development, improve people's livelihood and build a beautiful Tibet this year.