First Release Ceremony of "Records of Tibet·Records of Urban and Rural Construction" was held on August 15, 2011 in Lhasa. Gong Puguang, vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region said in the ceremony that 4 great changes had taken place in Tibet's urban and rural construction, with the urbanization rate up to 25 percent in the past 60 years since the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

Urban and rural construction, also known as a window of economic development and social progress, directly reflects the development course of a country or a region.

Tremendous changes have taken place in Tibet's rural and urban areas. The urban system in Tibet has been formed, with Lhasa City as its center, the seat of administrative office in each prefecture as its pivot, and counties, frontier trade ports, some key towns as its network node.

Gong Puguang said that urbanization rate in Tibet had reached 25 percent by the end of 2010 from less than 3 percent during the initial post-liberation period. The urban infrastructure had continuously been perfected, road frames formed, urban water and gas supply further popularized, comprehensive capability for preventing disasters steadily improved.

Living standard of urban and rural residents has been steadily improved. Before liberation, over 90 percent of people in Tibet were homeless, but now 98.7 percent of farmers and herdsmen have their own houses, with per capita living space in urban areas and rural areas reaching 34.72 sq m and 22.83 sq m respectively. According to Gong Puguang, the urban housing security has basically been established in the whole region, with a rational housing supply system, effectively guaranteed right of habitation for urban and rural residents, and steadily improved residential quality.

With the wide application of new materials and new craftsmanship, the building industry developed rapidly and became the mainstay industry of regional economy and a powerhouse to raise the income of the farmers and herdsmen, and to steadily improve quality of projects.

Notable progress has been made in protecting the famous historical and cultural cities and towns. Famous scenery areas are developing steadily, and culture relics are well preserved and inherited, which provide a strong momentum for housing construction in urban and rural areas.

Gong Puguang said, " What we have achieved is an important representative and substantial boby of 60 years' tremendous changes taken place in Tibet as well as a main component of the moving and heroic history of Tibet's socialist construction."