“My mother passed away when I was very little. There was no one to raise me, so I was sent here. I was very young. Just ten years old,” recalls 82-year-old Tsering Yuzhen, her eyes reflecting both the hardship and hope of her past.
In the old society, life for serfs like Tsering was fraught with challenges. Bound by a rigid social system, they were denied basic freedoms, including the right to choose whom they married. Noble families and serf-owners held complete control over their lives, often exploiting them and dictating every aspect of their existence.
“My husband and I worked together in the same estate. I was so young, and he was also a serf, so it was impossible for us to be together. We all had to obey our owners. People weren’t free to marry whoever they wanted to. We couldn’t be together.”
Despite their shared affection, Tsering and her future husband were kept apart by these oppressive practices. It wasn’t until liberation that their lives took a transformative turn.
“We got together after liberation. The old society didn’t allow it. But we could be together after liberation,” she says with a gentle smile.
Their story is a testament to the profound changes that came with newfound freedom. Liberation not only united two hearts but also ushered in an era where individuals like Tsering could begin to make choices about their own lives.
Tsering’s journey from a ten-year-old orphaned serf to a free woman embodies resilience and the enduring human spirit’s quest for love and autonomy. Her narrative offers a poignant glimpse into a past where such liberties were unimaginable and highlights the significance of freedom in shaping personal destinies.
