Lhasa's progress is far beyond imagination, Chang Sejeong, chief of Korea Central Daily's China Bureau, told People's Daily in Beijing Tuesday.

"I went to Tibet for the first time last June. I was so excited to see such a least-polluted natural environment and such a blue sky. Despite altitude sickness, I think it is worthwhile for me to have this chance to enjoy Tibet's purely natural beauty myself."

"As a plateau city with an altitude of thousands of meters, Lhasa, though less developed than Beijing and Shanghai, has grown more rapidly than I expected. There, the cell phone signal is as good as in any inland city. You can surf the Internet smoothly and enjoy good sanitary conditions."

Chang Sejeong, chief of Korea Central Daily's China Bureau (Source: People's Daily)

"We were invited to herdsmen's families in the suburbs of Lhasa. They all lived in newly-built houses with modern facilities, such as tap water and motorcycles. I also drank nutritious buttered tea. How delicious it was! Obviously,the herdsmen were satisfied with their present life. The hard-working Tibetans always keep an optimistic attitude towards life. They are as hospitable and plain as the people in my hometown."

"During my stay there, I was lucky enough to see the torch relay of Beijing Olympics held in Lhasa. The Tibetans, dressed in ethnic costumes, danced their traditional "Gordro" on the square in front of the Potala Palace crowded with thousands of people. Most of them were villagers from afar. "

"On the spot, I met a few female students of Tibet University. To my surprise, they enjoyed watching Korean plays as well and knew what 'Korean Wave' was. That really made me, a stranger, feel at home. With a great vigor and youthful spirits, these students had a good vision of the future. "

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2009)