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”這個用詞,是隨著新中國成立以后解放軍進藏才逐步出現并確立其含義的。1950年1月初,中共中央根據當時解放西藏的形勢需要,作出了進軍西藏的決策。自此,駐藏部隊、地方援藏干部與西藏各族人民群眾一道,在解放西藏和建設西藏的偉大歷程中攻堅克難、艱苦奮斗,形成了傳承至今的“老西藏精神”。

這一精神的內涵是“特別能吃苦、特別能戰斗、特別能忍耐、特別能團結、特別能奉獻”。“老西藏精神”是中國共產黨優良傳統與西藏革命建設特殊實踐相結合的產物,是駐藏部隊幾代官兵同西藏各族人民團結奮斗共同鑄就的寶貴精神財富。2015年8月和2020年8月,習近平總書記在中央第六次和第七次西藏工作座談會上,都同時著重談到了“老西藏精神”的重要性。