Qungdag found the outside world entirely different when he walked
out of the Prison of
Tibet Autonomous Region after serving his 8-year term there.
The former simple street was flanked by skyscrapers, billboards and
shop windows with a dazzling array of goods.
"I
was greeted by a new environment, in which there was fierce
competition, but no discrimination," said Qungdag, who is famous in
his community for getting rich through honest work.
Qungdag, 40, is a native of Dapchi County in Lhasa City. He was
sentenced to an eight-year sentence in 1987 for illegal activities
and was discharged in 1995 after serving his term in prison.
"Soon after I was released, I felt at a loss. I had no job and
stayed idle for a while," he recalled.
Later, he found that the local government encourages individuals
into private enterprise. The commercial, public security and
taxation departments provide favorable conditions for those who
start a legal business.
Persuaded by his relatives, Qungdag opened a teahouse in Lhasa,
capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Business soon boomed.
"I
built up experience in business management when I served as a
member of the prison catering management committee. And it worked
in running the teahouse," he said.
The prison catering management committee is an organization
composed of prisoners. The job helped make Qungdag familiar with
price fluctuation laws in buying grains and vegetables and taught
him accounting and food budgeting.
Finding that shopping was inconvenient in Dapchi County, Qungdag
opened his first shop in his hometown, selling tea, butter,
alcohol, and cigarettes etc. When mechanized farm tools became
popular, he started selling farm machinery.
The government of Deqen County, where another of Qungdag's shops is
located, asked him to set up a jointly-owned shop and invited him
to be general manager.
So
far Qungdag has opened three shops which have combined assets of
240,000 (US$28,915) yuan. Their daily sales range in value from
6,000 (US$720) to 7,000 (US$840) yuan.
The rise in sales depends on improvements in the living standards
of local residents. At first, he had only a few customers and they
used to buy cheap goods, he said. Now, customers look out for the
brand and quality of products.
"I
benefited a lot from the skills and managerial experience I learned
in prison. More importantly, I realized it was stupid to commit the
offences for which I was jailed," he said.
(Xinhua News
Agency May 29, 2002)