With a new 29-inch television, Dawa is the 47th family to own a TV in Xigaxia village in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

"Now my family has all of the four major domestic appliances that every family in our village dreams to possess^"Five years ago, villagers in Xigaxia still didn't know what home electric appliances were," said Nyima Duobian, head of the village council.

"But now, the four major home electric appliances have entered into the daily life of villagers in our remote small village," said Nyima Duobian.

"All the 52 families in our village boast refrigerators and washing machines, and even the number of telephones, which people once considered a luxury has reached 22," Nyima Duobian said.

Xigaxia village is not the only village in Tibet where life is improving. In many border counties such as Tsona, Linzhi and Milin, home electric appliances have become a part of the everyday life of the local people.

According to Cering Jiumi, a local official with the Tsona county where the Moinba nationality live, since 2000, China has invested 4.432 million yuan (about 533,976 US dollars) in rebuilding roads, maintaining hydraulic power stations, installing tap water and erecting satellite TV ground receivers in four townships of Tsona.

"As a result of these moves, villagers who are now much better informed began to explore new ways to make money by raising pigs and cows, and planting vegetables in sheds where they will grow even in winter," said Cering Jiumi.

As Cering Jiumi noted, last year, the average annual per capita net income of villagers in those four counties increased from 1, 600 yuan (about 192.8 US dollars) to 2,300 yuan (about 277.1 US dollars).

Since 2000, the Chinese government has invested 31.3 million yuan (about 3.77 million US dollars) in establishing infrastructures such as education, health and science in 21 counties of Tibet.

"This has greatly enhanced the living standards of the 370,000 people in the areas along the 4,000 km-boundary line," said Cering Zhoima, in charge of the ethnic affairs of the local ethnic and religious affairs committee.

"Electronic appliances entering into everyday life of the local people of the bordering region of Tibet is just an initial effect of those efforts. Greater changes are expected in the future," said Cering Zhoima.