BRUSSELS, June 22 -- Tibetan girls enjoy the same rights as their male peers in education, jobs and other aspects of the society, members of a Tibetan cultural exchange delegation from China told participants of the meeting on Thursday in the Belgian city of Huy.
"In fact, in most Tibetan families, parents usually favor daughters, and often see them as inheritors of the family," said Gama Danba, deputy secretary-general of the Tibetan Association for International Cultural Exchange, who is among the the group of senior experts on Tibetan history and culture.
"Take my family for example, my parents have four children, and it's one of my younger sisters who will take charge of the family," he explained.
Speaking of the progress on education in Tibet, Danba told participants that 95 percent of Tibetans did not have access to any sort of education before 1959, the year when the region was peacefully liberated from the theocratic feudal serfdom.
"But now all Tibetan children, both boys and girls, get equal opportunities to attend schools where they can learn in Tibetan, Mandarin and English languages," he said.
The delegation was on a visit to Belgium to promote Tibetan cultural exchange and share the development of Tibet over the past decades.
The meeting began with a lecture on Tibetan history by anthropologist and member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Hao Shiyuan, which provided an overview of the region's development from the social, economic and cultural aspects.
Citing the latest figures, Hao made comparison of Tibet before and after 1959, the year when the region was peacefully liberated from the theocratic feudal serfdom.
"Many Westerners have misconceptions about Tibet. That's why we're here to present the reality," Hao said.
He underlined that Tibet's GDP grew by 11.5 percent in 2016, and people's income grew by 10 to 13 percent.
The lecture was followed by a Q&A session in which many participants were keen to ask questions about Tibet's education, gender equality and the Buddhist religion.
Books, DVDs and traditional Tibetan incense were provided at the meeting to help locals get a glimpse of the region's unique culture.
"It was completely different from what I thought of Tibet before," local resident Claude Honore said after the meeting. "I have never visited China but now I'm really intrigued to go there and see for myself."
Two aldermen of Huy, Eric Dosogne and Andre Deleuze, welcomed the delegation, saying that the exchange was a great opportunity for the Belgians to learn about Tibet.
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Counting elephants, Australian Elvis 空中数大象,澳大利亚“猫王节”
Darkness over Indonesia and the 'fifth Beatle' dies 印度尼西亚日全食,“第五位披头士”去世
Solar superpower, female commander and hospital demolished 太阳能超级大国,女海军司令官和著名医院化为废墟
Angelina Jolie to divorce, Karaoke star at 80 安吉丽娜·朱莉提出离婚申请,八十岁老人出唱片
India's sewer workers and British school standards 印度下水道工人施工安全,英国在校生学习成绩下降
Appreciate 和 recognise 之间的区别
Zika threat and back from space 寨卡病毒威胁美国,国际空间站宇航员返回地球
Artefacts in Sydney and dog gets medal 悉尼出土文物,英雄狗获奖章
Alligator takes boy and Tate Modern extension 鳄鱼拖走小男孩,泰特现代美术馆扩建完工
Chinwag 闲谈-英语点津
Diabetes warning and Queen at 90 糖尿病激增引忧, 英国女王90岁生日
Art and football 海底发现文物,莱斯特城足球俱乐部曼谷庆功
EU after Brexit, human ancestor mystery 英脱欧公投后的欧盟,人类祖先之谜新发现
Cheap and cheerful 物美价廉
Afghanistan, cancer and athletics boss 英美支持阿富汗政府军,癌症发病原因, 国际田联官员停职
UN female, New flag and Apollo 11 倡议提名女秘书长,新西兰换国旗和阿波罗11号再创历史
US-Cuba flights and male cosmetic surgery 美国-古巴复航和男性整容手术
Cyclists make Olympic history, 400-year-old shark 英国自行车运动员创英奥运历史,400岁格陵兰鲨鱼
Ten a penny 多得遍地都是
Simple, innocent, naive, pure 四个近义词的区别
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Cyborg beetle and the teenage brain 半机械甲虫,青少年脑部发育
Mars bars and baby gorilla 火星巧克力棒和大猩猩产幼子
Drought in Ethiopia and MS treatment 埃塞俄比亚干旱,多发性硬化治疗手段新进展
Glass-bottomed bridge, cancer risk for HRT and 120-year-old man 世界最长玻璃桥开放,荷尔蒙替代疗法增患癌风险,印度教120岁僧人
Delhi's pollution and South Africa's solar power 新德里环境污染,南非发展太阳能
A bitter pill to swallow 不得不吞的苦药
Phelps makes history and marine species 菲尔普斯创造历史,海洋新物种
Cosmonaut anniversary and wallaby internet star 宇航员周年纪念日,小袋鼠轰动互联网