A grand parade took place Thursday morning in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, to celebrate the plateau region's 60th founding anniversary.
The parade was part of the series of celebrations in Lhasa on Thursday, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other senior officials.
Following the epoch-making democratic reform in 1959, the Xizang Autonomous Region was founded in September 1965, which signified a historic shift from feudal serfdom to socialism characterized by people's democracy.
The region began to exercise comprehensive regional ethnic autonomy, ensuring that people of all ethnic groups are masters of the country, which helps to unleash their initiative, enthusiasm and creativity in driving development.
Over the past six decades, Xizang has achieved historic milestones in its economic and social development, showcasing the remarkable success of China's system of regional ethnic autonomy and the CPC's approach to governing the region.
This year, Xizang's regional gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to surpass 300 billion yuan (about 42 billion U.S. dollars).
Xizang's average life expectancy has reached 72.5 years, compared with 35.5 years in the 1950s. Notably, the region has eliminated millennia-old absolute poverty and realized a moderately prosperous society in all respects alongside the rest of the nation.
Grand parade held in Lhasa to mark 60th founding anniversary of Xizang Autonomous Region
Grand parade held in Lhasa to mark 60th founding anniversary of Xizang Autonomous Region
More than a month ahead of the Chinese New Year, restaurants across China have reported a booming demand for reunion dinners, with popular places already fully reserved.
The family reunion dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important meal of the year for Chinese people. It has long been an essential part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. This year, the festival falls on Feb 17.
In Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, one restaurant said all tables for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner have been reserved.
"We now have 36 private rooms and 13 tables in the hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. Many families started reserving as early as November 2025," said Han Huiyan, a restaurant manager.
To meet the demand, many restaurants start to offer takeaway banquet package that can be easily prepared at home, allowing families to enjoy a variety of festive dishes without dining out.
In Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, many popular restaurants said that they are approaching full reservation levels. To reduce peak demand, some restaurants now offer off-peak reunion dinners starting later at night.
"We now offer a 'second round' of New Year's Eve dinners, which start at 19:30. We also offer discount for such New Year's Eve dinners, a promotion of 20 percent off set menus," said Sun Lijuan, a restaurant manager.
In Lianyungang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, smaller private rooms of a local restaurant have been nearly sold out, and customized menus and home-delivery services have drawn strong interest.
"This year we have specially launched the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner delivery service. Bookings are very strong and customers really like this option," said Geng Maoran, a restaurant general manager.
Restaurants see surge in bookings for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners
