In a country as vast as China, the people come first. A city of happiness must have a distinct backdrop of people's livelihood.

Advancing the development of education, continuously promoting reform of the employment system, and going all out to improve residents' housing conditions... Behind each of the words "education," "employment," and "housing" lie corresponding figures that condense into the weighty term "people's livelihood." Amid the growing yearning of people of all ethnic groups for a better life, a succession of benefit policies has been introduced in Tibet one after another, and one sum of livelihood spending after another has been put into place, demonstrating the people-centered development philosophy and governance concept of the Party Committee and government of the autonomous region.

　　Care for the elderly——

From "having security" to "being better improved"

"The welfare home has furnished us with furniture and daily necessities; there is a canteen for meals, someone to wash our clothes, staff dedicated to caring for elderly people with limited mobility, and medical personnel who see us and bring us medicine... To be able to enjoy free centralized care here—I never imagined my later years would be so happy." Langga is 79 this year. The elderly woman originally had two sons, but both met with misfortune. After learning of her situation, the community took her to the Chengguan District Social Welfare Home in Lhasa.

"There are quite a few elderly people like Langga in the welfare home." Zhaxi Raodan, deputy director of the Chengguan District Social Welfare Home, told reporters that thanks to the centralized care service policy, community workers carefully investigate conditions in their jurisdictions and report to civil affairs departments on elderly people who are orphaned, have poor capacity for self-care, or have no income security; after consultation, welfare homes in each jurisdiction arrange to take them in, so that elderly people can spend their later years in peace.

The happiness and well-being of the people is the ultimate goal of promoting high-quality development. How to ensure that the elderly are cared for, have support, can contribute, and enjoy their lives is a real-world challenge. In recent years, the autonomous region has focused on the practical work of elderly care services and issued policy documents including an implementation plan for home- and community-based elderly care services, operating and management measures for community day-care centers for the elderly, and guiding opinions on the construction and management of rural happiness courtyards. It has invested in building 80 centralized care service centers for people with special difficulties, earnestly ensuring that "all who should be included are included, and all who should be cared for are cared for."

By the end of 2023, 6,200 elderly people with difficulties who wished to do so had received centralized care, effectively guaranteeing government-provided elderly care services for special groups. At the same time, Lhasa and Qamdo are leading pilot efforts to explore and deepen reform of publicly run elderly care institutions, effectively promoting quality upgrades in institutional elderly care services.

　　Employment for all——

From "having a job" to "having a good job"

"I'm very happy that I've mastered a skill and no longer can only do simple manual labor. My income has increased noticeably, my family has been lifted out of poverty, and the days ahead are full of hope." Lhamo, who formerly worked as a waitress in a restaurant, attended a free Chinese cuisine chef training course. Through her efforts, she not only obtained a junior vocational qualification certificate as a Chinese cuisine chef but was also named an outstanding trainee by the training school. After the training, Lhamo opened a Tibetan restaurant in her hometown, earning more than 9,000 yuan a month.

Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood. The Party Committee and government of the autonomous region have always attached great importance to employment work, adhering to the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, strengthening the priority orientation, and continuously increasing the intensity and precision of vocational training. Human resources and social security departments at all levels in the autonomous region have included 128 occupations (job types) needed for the development of new business forms and new professions in Tibet—such as Tibetan medicinal herb cultivation and planting, disinfection and epidemic prevention, internet livestreaming, online store operation and promotion, and barista—in the scope of skills training subsidies. At the same time, on the premise of fully respecting farmers' and herdsmen's willingness to receive training and seek employment, and relying on the real-name system for farmers' and herdsmen's transfer employment, they thoroughly survey people's needs, continuously expand the scope of vocational training recipients, and vigorously carry out targeted skills training, effectively meeting people's needs to learn a skill and find stable work.

From 2021 to the present, the region has carried out various subsidized skills training for 357,300 person-times, and nearly 143,000 people have found employment after training. The per capita disposable income of farmers and herdsmen has grown at a rate among the highest in the country.

　　Housing for all——

From "having a place to live" to "living in a good home"

"I've lived in this residential compound for several years. In the past, the roads were full of potholes and the streetlights didn't work. Now the compound has taken on a completely new look, and we live here comfortably." Residents of Gaozheng Garden Compound are full of praise for the renovation of old residential compounds.

Housing connects the people on one end and economic and social development on the other. In 2024, the autonomous region will continue to focus on being livable, workable, care-friendly, and tourism-friendly, gradually expand the scope of housing security, continuously improve the housing security system, and implement 39,500 units (households) of government-subsidized housing projects across the region, while renovating 188 old residential compounds.

At the same time, it will fully launch pilot franchised heating projects in seven county towns. Through one-time government investment, it will provide heating for office premises and temporary housing of government agencies and public institutions at the seats of township governments above 5,000 meters above sea level across the region, as well as for residents' homes in agricultural and pastoral areas, improving the living environment of cadres and the masses in high-altitude areas, enhancing public service capacity, and helping to consolidate borders, invigorate border areas, and enrich the people.

City streets are clean and tidy, road traffic is orderly, garbage sorting is steadily advancing, and renovated old residential compounds are beautiful and peaceful... Strolling through the streets and alleys of Lhasa, civilized scenery can be seen everywhere, and a scene of building the city with civilization and setting out toward happiness quietly unfolds before one's eyes.

One innovative measure after another, full of warmth, actively responds to the people's "livelihood concerns." The implementation of one livelihood initiative after another and one heartwarming livelihood story after another are transformed into vivid images reflected in people's hearts and in their praise. As livelihood initiatives in employment, education, medical care, elderly care, and other areas continue to be implemented and take effect, the Tibetan people have ever more confidence in pursuing a better life, and the happy backdrop of the snowy plateau will surely become even more splendid.