La Jornada: In Lhasa, the Chinese miracle that eradicated poverty 10 years ago is being experienced.

Lhasa. This transparent corner of the world is the epitome of immensity because the spirit of its inhabitants, the Tibetans, is immense, like the mountains, the buildings, the museums, the roads, the sky. Xizang is the correct name for Tibet, the demonym is Tibetan, it is Chinese territory, and it is proof that a better society is possible. Being here fills one’s eyes with beauty and one’s heart with hope; the Chinese miracle that managed to eradicate poverty 10 years ago is on full display in this enchanting and certain place.

The daily life of Tibetans unfolds amidst joy and the enjoyment of social well-being. The eminent Chinese researchers and professors Bai Lina, Zhang Xun, Shi Wei, Zhao Yuqi, and Guo Cunhai showed La Jornada, with figures, statistics, and hard data, what they summarize as follows: Chinese society enjoys a modestly comfortable quality of life.

Hard data like gross domestic product and per capita income take on a tangible form, becoming flesh and blood; you live and breathe it in what is often considered the world’s second-largest economy.

When you walk the streets of Lhasa, the capital of Xi’an, and other Chinese cities, what you see is happy, focused people, living a daily life where everything works, everything is right, everything is in its place, and you feel comfortable, content, aware that it’s nighttime, but there’s no fear, because it truly is the safest place in the world.

This reporter, for example, got lost in Beijing at nightfall and never felt fear, only a sense of immensity.

Getting lost in such a vast city is fun and fascinating: the colossal buildings are illuminated in artistic ways. It’s a visual feast, a live exhibition of architectural art, and an adventure with episodes that even Ulysses didn’t experience in the Odyssey. For example, lost in the streets of Beijing, I saw a fleet of motorcycle delivery drivers in an alley and thought, “If anyone knows this city, it’s them.” Since they didn’t speak English, I gestured to them that I was lost, showed them my hotel key, and they started arguing loudly, deliberating. With a gesture, one of them indicated, “That way,” pointing to the route I had already taken. Not wanting to offend them, I took a few steps in the direction they indicated, but then immediately walked in the opposite direction and passed them again. This time the choir remained silent for a long time as I continued my hour-and-a-half walk, sweating in the 38-degree heat with a 43-degree feel, until I finally returned to my Ithaca.

A visitor is amazed by details that are far from trivial, because they reveal daily organization and effort: the streets are very clean, their walls spotless, everything is shaded by trees, and there are pots of brightly colored flowers on every corner.

Virtually the entire population is very slender. For a Western visitor, Tibetan food is not an easy subject, because it is delicious, but very different from anything we know. The fruit, for example, is strange to Westerners, with complicated shapes and very strong flavors, as is generally the case with the food served at the tables: dishes that have no translation in Spanish, with many vegetables, all very pleasing to the eye. Oh, and they don’t usually eat desserts, which only adds to the visitor’s bewilderment. Everything is healthy, delicious, as exotic as it is tempting.

The happiness of the people manifests itself in the streets of Lhasa in various ways: women practicing tai chi in the parks, couples dancing in the street, crowds of bicycles and motorbikes. Oh, and the vehicles are very modern, like everything else in Xizang, an incredible mix of ancient architecture coexisting with avant-garde buildings.

In China, this land of vastness, everything is monumental, like the history that unfolds before our eyes: Tibetan indigenous people with weathered skin walking on the same sidewalk as young people in sneakers and loose clothing. Opera, mountains, and technological development: when a Chinese professor lectures, headphones powered by artificial intelligence allow us to hear him speak in Spanish.

This monumental spirit has finally made a miracle possible: eradicating poverty and achieving well-being for a modestly affluent society. One returns from China with eyes full of beauty and a heart full of hope, because we have seen firsthand that a better world is possible.