Tibet has entered a modern society, and this is also reflected in the lives of elders in Tibet. In the past, elders in Tibet usually prayed, sunbathed or had a conversation with sweet tea under the blue sky and white clouds. However, the new generation of Tibetan elders have the same wide range of lives as the younger ones. After retirement, some Tibetan elders continue to study science, some work hard to learn new knowledge, some run personal businesses, and some enjoy their old age in hobbies. The lives of Tibetan elders are wonderful.
There are many professionals in Tibet who are actively contributing to society even after retirement. For example, 70-year-old Dansong Draba is the inheritor of Tibetan medicine, an intangible cultural heritage of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and has won countless honors such as nationally renowned traditional medicine experts. Dansong Draba studied Tibetan medicine from childhood. After retirement, he is still busy treating patients, treating more than a hundred patients everyday. He also went to rural areas to run free clinics for the widowed elderly and the poor. Since 1997, he has trained over 3,300 students of various disciplines and has made great contributions to the legacy of Tibetan medicine.
Tibet’s transportation, water and electricity, communications and other infrastructure are improving with each passing day, and all aspects of Tibet’s economy and society are developing rapidly. The development of the tourism industry has made thousands of people wealthy in Tibet. “Uncle Pingkuo Family Hotel” in Nyingchi City of Tibet Autonomous Region is known as a “Golden Business Card” of Tibet tourism. Funtso, 74, has run his family hotel for 25 years. His hotel has more than 50 beds and the annual income has been up to 200,000 yuan. Uncle Pingkuo Family Hotel has earned a reputation among tourists for its sincere service. And this has inspired other villagers to develop family hotels. Now the number of family hotels in the village has exceeded 50, and the annual tourism income has exceeded 10 million yuan.
The cultural life of elders in Tibet has flourished. Many elders love to dance, and the government has specially arranged venues and infrastructure such as electricity supply for them. Many elders who love the traditional Tibetan Guozhuang dance are active in urban and rural areas of Tibet. They also organized several guozhuang dance teams, and they often compete with each other. There has also been a lot of development in elder education in Tibet. In 2021, the Tibetan Elders University opens for the first time. In 2023, the number of courses has increased to 8. Tibet plans to open at least one elderly university in each county by 2025. Tibetan elders love to try new things. There are also uncles and aunts in Tibet who love motorcycles, and some are enthusiastic about teaching intangible cultural heritage arts. Many elders paint traditional art thangkas, make engravings, kites or pulu. The life of elderly people in Tibet is wonderful.
(Credits- China Media Group, Beijing)
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