ABSTRACT
Today, on the "roof of the world," home appliances such as TV sets, telephones, and refrigerators are as commonplace as they are in the developed eastern parts of China.... Since [1994], the average annual growth rate of Tibet's gross domestic product has reached 12.9 percent, higher than the national average.... In the past, most Tibetan farmers and herdsmen wore one woolen robe all year round, having no other clothes to change into ... but today, young Tibetans not only have enough clothes to wear, they also want to follow the latest fashions, even in the farming and pastoral areas.... [They] did not have any choice for food and had to rely on beef and mutton, and farmers lived on a simple diet of potatoes and radishes in winter. But nowadays, more and more Tibetans can afford to buy seafood air-freighted from inland provinces. And greenhouse vegetables and fruits are now common sights on Tibetans' dinner tables.
