For 15 Tibetan girls January 1, 2001 may be a day that can never be forgotten when they realized their long-cherishing dreams of flying as stewardesses and successfully accomplished their first flight.
On 8:50 am, a plane from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, landed steadily on the Lhasa Gonggar Airport, out of which 15 Tibetan girls attired in brand new uniforms of China Southwest Airlines, were warmly greeted and heaped upon with flowers and ribbons of white hadas at the airport.
On the flight these young Tibetan stewardesses gave a whole-procedure performance including emergency service, showing good training and professional manners in details of language, gesture and expression. “This is an opportunity offered to Tibetan women to show themselves to the world and of great importance in further letting the outside world know more about Tibet,” said a Tibetan official.
The China Southwest Airlines has reportedly begun to recruit Tibetan stewardesses since June last year and has 15 lucky girls selected. Three months’ strict systematic training has made them all qualified stewardesses.
(People’s Daily 01/02/2001)
