60 years of progress marked

Wang also called for efforts to consolidate and develop ethnic solidarity, promote high-quality socioeconomic development, and continuously improve people's well-being to advance common prosperity in Xizang.

Drolma Renzin, a 73-year-old Lhasa resident, gave a speech as a representative of the local people, saying that she still remembered how the news of the autonomous region's founding spread swiftly across the plateau.

"Sixty years may be just a fleeting moment in the long river of history, but for the people of Xizang, it has been an epic of endeavor and transformation," she said.

The ceremony concluded with a vibrant mass parade in an auspicious and festive atmosphere with music and dance. Twenty-six formations of floats, including seven representing Xizang's seven prefecture-level cities, and performers marched past in colorful costumes, expressing joy over their new lives and gratitude to the Party and the country. Xi and other leaders waved to the crowds.

When the float from Shigatse passed, performers in traditional attire moved in the bold and vigorous steps of Gyashe, a traditional Tibetan dance, to the beat of drums and music, showcasing the unity and vitality of people living at the foot of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West.

The audience waved their flags to cheer and show support for the prefecture, which had endured a magnitude 6.8 earthquake earlier this year.