Ala Yanban, 67, has the air of a man who is satisfied with life.

He earns more than 10,000 yuan ($1,400) a year from a sand factory and his two daughters also help support him. Last year, he and his wife spent nearly 30,000 yuan on traveling to Lhasa, Beijing, Chongqing and Chengdu.

"We wanted to go to Lhasa and Beijing most," he said.

Such a life would have been unimaginable when he was living under the yoke of the tusi (chieftain) of Zhuokeji town, located 9 km east of Maerkang county, capital of the Aba Tibetan-Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.

"My life is better than when I was under the tusi'" he said.

"I could eat only dried or sour vegetables in winter, while I can get fresh vegetables every season now," he said as he stood in the building where the tusi once lived.

The tusi system lasted from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) until the democratic reforms of 1956. During that period, the central government designated a local leader as tusi of different administrative areas.

The tusi were allowed to pass the title onto their sons. Their five-story building, built in the 30s, belonged to the last person to fill the post, Sonam Tselang.

The structure is near Chami village, where Ala Yanban was born. His father abandoned the family when he was little. To support itself, the family leased about 4 mu of land from a tusi to grow grain.