"Those were the days when people were born into one of the nine social classes, and where lives were defined by law according to those classes. We the lowly people had nothing to look forward to," she said.

The slave in this file photo is showing his broken left arm. He used to be a running target when his owner practiced shooting skills. In a game, he lost his left arm.

The central government foiled an attempted armed rebellion led by the 14th Dalai Lama and his upper class supporters on March 10, 1959.

Then premier Zhou Enlai issued a decree of the State Council on Mach 28 of that year, dissolving the region's aristocratic government and ordering the Preparatory Committee for the founding of the TAR to exercise local power.

Legqog noted that "through vivid contrast between the cruelties of feudal serfdom and the people-centered approach of the Party, and especially since the March 14 riot, all Tibetans have recognized the reactionary nature of the Dalai clique and confirmed their confidence and determination to be with the Party."

"After all these happy years for us, it's a shame that the Dalai Lama is still trying to ruin things and reinstall serfdom," Dechen said.

According to Hu Yan, a Tibetologist at the CPC Central Committee's Party School, the establishment of the March 28 holiday aims not only at remembering the historic event but also at educating the region's youngsters about the significance of the day.

"While most former slaves, who are still alive, are in their 70s or 80s, many youngsters in Tibet have no idea what an adverse life their forefathers have lived 50 years ago," Hu said.

Despite tremendous losses after the riot, Tibet's GDP in 2008 was still estimated at 39.2 billion yuan ($5.7 billion), 65 times more than that in 1959.