Sonam, hand in hand with two of his great granddaughters, goes for a walk at Xaga Village, Ema Township, Namling County, Xigaze City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 18, 2021.(Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)
Sonam, 86, a resident of Xaga Village, started to do hard labor when he was 13 at a local manor, where, apart from babysitting the manor owner's children, he had to graze animals during the day and keep them fed over the night. He himself, however, did not have adequate food and clothing, and was forced to sleep with the animals at the sheepfold. "I had been verbally and physically abused so often that I simply went numb," Sonam recalled. Sonam was allocated with farmland, housing and livestock after the democratic reform in 1959. "I'm already a great grandfather now, enjoying a happy life with all my offspring," Sonam said. His first son, 62, is a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and a business leader at his village. They managed to refurbish their residence in 2013. Sonam said his life today was beyond "the wildest imagination" in his early years.
Sonam (2nd L, rear) poses for a group photo with family members at Xaga Village, Ema Township, Namling County, Xigaze City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 18, 2021.(Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)
Sonam feeds his cattle at Xaga Village, Ema Township, Namling County, Xigaze City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 18, 2021.(Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)
