Smiling, Happy Tibetans

Vincent Yu / AP

Guarding the Great Hall

The room in the great hall of the People on Beijing's Tiananmen Square was painted with murals of Tibetans frolicking with yaks under a rainbow and harvesting barley in a display of socialist spirit. A sign in misspelled English identified it as the TIEBET ROOM, and gathered within were dozens of Chinese Communist Party delegates, in town for the 18th Party Congress. The event not only saw China make its once-a-decade leadership change, but it was also a chance for glowing reports to be presented on every aspect of the state's business — in this case, the high plateau....

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