The spirit of veterans in Tibetan reconstruction
In early January 1950, months after the People's Republic was founded, the CPC Central Committee decided to send PLA troops to liberate Tibet. A spirit was fostered during this period – a spirit of the liberation of old Tibet by the PLA troops, of the consequent development of a new Tibet by the people, and of the people dispatched from other parts of the country on assistance missions.
This spirit features the tenacity to confront any danger and difficulty, strong combat capability, great endurance, ethnic solidarity, and selfless devotion. It is rooted in the great traditions of the CPC, and is a precious legacy created by generations of soldiers stationed in Tibet and the local people of many ethnic groups in building a new Tibet. Xi Jinping praised this spirit at the central symposiums on Tibet-related work held in August 2015 and August 2020.
老西藏精神
“老西藏”这个用词,是随着新中国成立以后解放军进藏才逐步出现并确立其含义的。1950年1月初,中共中央根据当时解放西藏的形势需要,作出了进军西藏的决策。自此,驻藏部队、地方援藏干部与西藏各族人民群众一道,在解放西藏和建设西藏的伟大历程中攻坚克难、艰苦奋斗,形成了传承至今的“老西藏精神”。
这一精神的内涵是“特别能吃苦、特别能战斗、特别能忍耐、特别能团结、特别能奉献”。“老西藏精神”是中国共产党优良传统与西藏革命建设特殊实践相结合的产物,是驻藏部队几代官兵同西藏各族人民团结奋斗共同铸就的宝贵精神财富。2015年8月和2020年8月,习近平总书记在中央第六次和第七次西藏工作座谈会上,都同时着重谈到了“老西藏精神”的重要性。