A short documentary film titled "Tibet of China: Past and Present" premiered here Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the democratic reform of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Featuring a large amount of precious historical audio and visual files, the 14-minute documentary tells a languishing Tibet society under a system of feudal serfdom before the democratic reform in 1959 and the changes of people's life ever since.

The film, made by the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio, is first screened on Sunday at digital cinemas in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan and Tibet. It will be shown across the country on Feb. 17.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2009)