In March 1955 the central government decided to set up the Preparatory Committee for the Xizang (Tibet) autonomous Region. In September 1965 the first session of the autonomous region's First People's Congress was held in Lhasa. The founding of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region was formally declared. With the exception of some upper strata patriots and religious figures, the overwhelming majority of the delegates to the congress were former serfs or slaves.

Extensive Self-government Rights according to the Constitution and the National Regional Autonomy Law, the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region enjoys regional autonomy on a broad scale. These rights are in the following fields:

1. the right to draft self-government ordinances and ordinances specific to the region in accordance with the local people's particular political, economic and cultural conditions,
2. the right to independently plan and administer local economic undertakings and exploit and develop local natural resources
3. the right to independently manage and make use of locally generated financial revenue and central government allocated fiscal subsidies;
4. the right to independently develop minority education and various cultural media, including literature, arts, journalism, publishing, radio, film and television, that in form or particular quality are characteristic of the ethnic group. Since 1965 the People's Congress of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region and its standing committee have drafted more than 150 local regulations, ordinances and resolutions regarding political, economic, cultural and educational questions

The drafting and implementation of these laws and regulations have provided important legal guarantees for the realization of various democratic rights in Xizang (Tibet) and for local social, economic and cultural development. Major Efforts Towards Training Minority Cadres Governments at all levels stress the training of ethnic minority cadres so as to enable the Tibetan people to better exercise their rights in national and local affairs

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Tibetans Leaders
At present, ethnic Tibetans and other minorities account for 70 3 percent of all cadres region wide and 67.2 percent of leaders in leadership positions at the regional level, 65.3 percent at the municipal level and 60.9 percent at the county level.

Attention is also given to the study and use of the Tibetan language. In 1987 the Fifth Session of the Fourth People's Congress of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region promulgated Some Provisions on the Study, Use and Development of Tibetan as a Spoken and Written Language. The People's Government of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region drafted the corresponding rules for their implementation. Tibetan and Chinese languages are to be used for important conferences and documents issued by the various organs throughout the region. Tibetan parties to court proceedings can use Tibetan during the investigation and hearing of the case, and legal documents are also written in Tibetan. Currently, Tibetans hold key posts in procurators and law courts at all levels.

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