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Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས) is the capital of the
autonomous province of Tibet. It is famous for the Potala, the
residence of the Dalai Lama. In addition to the Potala, the Jokhang
Monastery and the Norbulingka Palace (the traditional summer
residence of the Dalai Lama) are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Tibetan capital of Lhasa, also spelled Lasa, lies in a
sheltered valley of the Kyi Chu or Lhasa River at an altitude of
3,650 m. The peaks of the surrounding mountains reach heights of up
to 5,300 m. On summer days, the temperature rarely rises to 30 °C ,
in winter the thermometer drops to a cold -15 °C. Nevertheless,
Lhasa can boast more than 300 sunny days per year on average.
The founding of the city dates back to the 7th century and the
33rd Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. His palace stood on the west side
of the city on Maripori, or Red Mountain, on this spot is now the
Potala Palace, the city's landmark. Southwest of Maripori is the
Chakpori or Iron Mountain, west of Marpori is the smaller Barmari or
Rabbit Mountain. At that time, two temples were built in the east of
Lhasa, which today are among the most important Buddhist sanctuaries
in the country: the Jokhang and the Ramoche.
By plane
Lhasa-Gonggar Airport (IATA code: LXA, ICAO code: ZULS)
is located about 60 km south-east of Lhasa in Shannan province. It is
mainly served by domestic Chinese airports, there are also flights to
and from Kathmandu.
By train
The Lhasa Railway connects Lhasa
to Xining via Golmud. From there, trains run to the hub in Lanzhou and
on to Beijing.
By bus
The main bus station in Lhasa is near
the Norbulingka or Tibet Museum by the Lhasa River. As a foreigner needs
a group visa, individuals usually cannot buy tickets.
In the
street
The main road link to Lhasa is the Friendship Highway, it
comes from Zhangmu on the Nepalese border and ends in Lhasa. In fact,
this highway is just one stage of China's G318 trunk road, which begins
4760 km away in Shanghai.
The main sights in the old town can be explored on foot, there are
numerous cycle rickshaws and taxis.
With the bicycle rickshaws
you have to negotiate the price.
Taxis within the city cost Y10
each way. However, the driver will try to fill up his taxi by picking up
other passengers going in the same direction. Everyone still pays Y10 -
this way the drivers can increase their income despite the fixed price.
Both Tibetan and Chinese taxi drivers can be found, and few speak
English. So it helps to have someone you know write down your
destination in Chinese. You can hail a taxi anywhere on the street.
Foreigners can also travel by bus within the city. There are
numerous bus lines covering the main routes of the city. Each trip costs
Y1 - there is no change. Line numbers are shown in Arabic numerals, but
the destination is only in Chinese.
World Heritage
The three most famous sights of the city have been
a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994: the Potala, the Jokhang and the
Norbulingka.
Potala Palace
The Potala, former seat of the
Dalai Lama, secular and spiritual center of power of ancient Tibet, is
located in the city center on Marpori Hill north of Beijing Dong lu. On
the southern side of the street is the huge Potala Square, which offers
a good view of the palace. In the late evening hours, water features and
colored lighting together with musical accompaniment conjure up a
kitschy and beautiful backdrop.
jokhang
The Jokhang monastery
complex, built in the 7th century, is the most important Buddhist
sanctuary in Tibet. It is located in the heart of Lhasa on Barkor Square
and is surrounded by the ancient Barkor pilgrimage route. The side
entrance on the right is open to tourists. Inside the complex is the
church, the Tsuglagkhang, completely surrounded by a walkway, the
Nangkor. One of its chapels inside is the actual Jokhang or House of
Jobo with the statue of Jobo Shakyamuni. Photography is not permitted
inside the building. A goal of many tourists is the upper floor. From
here you have a good view of Barkor Square and the surrounding streets,
to the west the Potala rises above the rooftops of Lhasa.
Norbulingka
In the southwest of Lhasa is a park that was begun in
1754 as the summer residence of the 7th Dalai Lama. Under his
successors, this Norbulingka, meaning Treasure Park, was expanded. The
last structure was built in 1954-1956, it is the Tagten Minjur Phodrang,
the summer palace of the 14th Dalai Lama, who went into exile just three
years later. A great deal of memorabilia of its former owner remains in
the building, but the images of the person have all been removed. You
can see the audience room, the private rooms such as the bedroom and
bathroom, personal items such as B. an old radio from Soviet production.
In the former summer residence, the Kelsang Phodrang, you can see a
number of thangkas in the audience hall. The park includes open-air
stages, pavilions and ponds, and there is an unusually beautiful stock
of old trees by Tibetan standards.
The park is open to the public, in
its western part there is a zoo as another attraction. Photography is
not allowed inside the Norbulingka.
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery (Chinese: Zhaibung) was
founded in 1416 on the western outskirts of Lhasa. Before the 5th Dalai
Lama moved his official residence from this monastery to the Potala
Palace, Drepung was the center of Tibet's political power. Before the
peaceful liberation of Tibet, it was the largest monastery with over
10,000 monks, today around 450 monks live there.
The monastery lies
at the foot of the 4,645 m high Mount Gephel. The mountain slopes
surrounding the monastery are strewn with prayer flags, with large
Tibetan inscriptions and images. Parts of the monastery are currently
being renovated (as of 2013).
Worth seeing in the large complex
is the Ganden Phodrang, the former seat of the 5th Dalai Lama. Inside,
glazed cupboards are filled with numerous figures, and Buddhist
scriptures are stored on shelves. Another interesting building is the
large assembly hall Tsogchen Dukhang with the Buddha statues of the
three times. In the Dalai Lama's former peach garden, monks are busy
decorating tantric figures with prayer notes and preparing them for sale
to believers or as souvenirs. Also impressive is the new large assembly
hall and the kitchen next to it, from which the monks are supplied with
butter tea, tsampa or other traditional dishes.
Sera Monastery
About 5 km northwest of the city center is the Sera Monastery. When you
visit, you always notice children who have black noses. In Sera Je, they
are blessed by a horse-headed protector god, in which a monk wipes their
noses with soot from yak butter lamps. In the building next to it,
artistic three-dimensional mandalas are sometimes on display (photos, as
almost always, cost extra). A special event for western visitors is a
visit to the debating courtyard, where young monks practice lively
discussions every day from 3 p.m.
Ani Sangkhung Nunnery
The
small nunnery is located in the city center just a few meters from the
Barkor pilgrimage route. Sanctuary is a cave where Songtsen Gampo
meditated in the 15th century. The nuns grow plants and sell them, and
they also cater for pilgrims in a small tea house. There is a souvenir
shop attached to the monastery, a little more expensive but more stylish
than the shops at the nearby market.
Ramoche Temple
The temple
is one of the oldest in the city. It is just north of the Jokhang.
Lukhang Temple
North of the Potala at the foot of Marpori Hill is
Lukhang Temple on a small island in the popular Lukhang Park (Chinese:
Zhonggyablukhang).
Miscellaneous
pilgrimage routes
numerous
Tibetans visit their most important shrines, especially during the
Buddhist holidays, and they circle them clockwise on a kora while
turning their prayer wheels, slipping their prayer beads through their
fingers, or prostrating themselves on the ground. They usually have
their bodies protected by leather aprons or rubber pads. The main ritual
ways in Lhasa are:
The Lingkor. It begins on the western hills of
the former old town at the Chakpori, goes north past the Barmari and the
Marpori to behind the Jokhang Monastery and back to the Chakpori. This
route roughly corresponds to the former city limits of Lhasa. Most
pilgrims use a slightly different route because of a changed route.
The Tsekor. This pilgrimage route begins at the stupas southwest of the
Potala on the Beijing Dong lu main thoroughfare and circles this palace
once. It goes north along the foot of Marpori to Lukhang Park and along
the palace perimeter wall back to the starting point.
The Barkhor.
The approximately 800 m long conversion path goes from Barkhor Square
once around the Jokhang, the oldest temple in the city, past countless
small shops and market stalls.
Tibet Museum
Tibet Museum, not
far from Norbulingka. The exhibition focuses on handicrafts and everyday
life of the population.
Overall, shopping in Lhasa is very good. You have to be careful and
search a little longer, however, if you wants to buy from real Tibetans
or authentic craftsmen.
Barkhor Market. In front of the Jokhang
and along the Barkhor circumambulation route, there are numerous shops
specializing in the needs of pilgrims and especially Chinese tourists.
Everything that can be used as a souvenir is sold. On offer are typical
striped clothing fabrics, there are singing bowls, vajras, Buddha
figures.
The small market stalls of the past have been cleared and
can now (2013) be found in a large market hall (Barkhor Supermarket)
north of the Barkhor on Beijing Street (or, unfortunately, they are no
longer found by many). Overall, the Barkhor is being "upgraded" and
according to some reports it is to be expected that the other side
streets will also house fewer 'mom and pop shops' and more and more
tourist shops over the coming years.
Beijing street. Might be
considered the main shopping street. Brand name fashion shops, souvenir
shops, tailors and small kiosks are located next to each other. There
are also some high-quality shopping arcades, such as the new Times
Square with a cinema (upper floor) and a super market (lower floor).
Ramoche-Lam. The connecting road (more of a pedestrian street) from
Beijing Street past the Ramoche Temple is worth a visit. Numerous market
traders and small shops, more locals than tourists can be found among
the shoppers here.
In the vicinity of Barkhor Square there are numerous Tibetan
restaurants, mostly of a simpler kind and also frequented by pilgrims.
Good restaurants and cafes are along the main thoroughfare Beijing Road
and in the pedestrian street between Potala Square and Barkhor Square.
Thangka Hotel (homepage only in Chinese, hotel is located directly on
Barkhor Square in the old town), YuTuo Road 38, Lhasa China. Tel:
+86-891-6308866, Fax: +86-891-6367299. The house is in walking distance
to the Potala, it has (free) LAN connection. Friendly, affordable
service.
Shangbala Hotel, Danjielin Rd, Lhasa (On a side street off
Barkhor Square). Tel: +86 891 6323888, Fax: +86 891 632577. The
establishment has an excellent restaurant on the ground floor. Right
next door is the Summit Cafe if anyone is looking for a really good
cappucino in Lhasa.
The police and military presence in Tibet is enormous: There are
heavily armed security forces on almost every street corner, sometimes
even armored vehicles. The Buddhist pilgrims are flanked every few yards
by groups of three soldiers armed with batons, machine guns and "people
catchers". In every temple there is a military post who, despite the
holy places, deliberately wears his headgear. The cities are paved with
police stations and surveillance cameras and sometimes consist largely
of barracks.
As a foreigner, you should never take photos of
facilities, vehicles or people associated with the military or police -
this can lead to the immediate confiscation of the camera and even to
deportation! You should also be prepared to have to pass security checks
very often (when entering the city center, a public building or temple
complex). As a tourist, you should avoid approaching locals about
political issues or otherwise embarrassing them, as well as introducing
yourself to scriptures associated with the Dalai Lama.
The main problem is adapting to the altitude, followed by burns from
the sun's UV rays.
Tibetan food (tsampa, butter tea) tastes better
than its reputation suggests, but not everyone can tolerate it.
The Lhasa Post Office is located across the south-east corner of the
Potala.
Country Code China: 0086.
Lhasa area code: 0891
In the mid-7th century, Songtsen Gampo became the leader of the
Tibetan Empire which rose to power in the Brahmaputra River valley
(known locally as the Yarlung Tsangpo River). After conquering the
kingdom of Zhangzhung in the west, he moved the capital from Chingwa
Taktsé Castle in Chongye County (pinyin: Qióngjié Xiàn), southwest of
Yarlung, to Rasa (Lhasa) where in 637 he erected the first structures on
the site of what it is now the Potala Palace on Mount Marpori. In 639
and 641 CE, Songtsen Gampo, who by this time had conquered the entire
Tibetan region, is said to have contracted two alliance marriages, first
with Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal, and then, two years later, with
Princess Wencheng of the court. Imperial of Tang. Bhrikuti is credited
with converting him to Buddhism, which is also the faith attributed to
his second wife, Wencheng. In 641 he built the temples of Jokhang (or
Rasa Trülnang Tsulagkhang) and Ramoche in Lhasa to house two Buddha
statues, the Akshobhya Vajra (representing the 8-year-old Buddha) and
the Jowo Sakyamuni (representing the 12-year-old Buddha). age),
respectively brought to her court by the princesses. Lhassa suffered
great damage from the kingdom of Langdarma in the 9th century, when
sacred sites were destroyed, desecrated and the empire fragmented.
A Tibetan tradition mentions that after the death of Songtsen Gampo
in 649 AD, Chinese troops captured Lhasa and burned the Red Palace.
Chinese and Tibetan scholars have noted that the event is not mentioned
in either the Chinese annals or the Tibetan manuscripts from Dunhuang.
Lǐ suggested that this tradition must derive from an insertion. Tsepon
W. D. Shakabpa believes that "these stories relating the arrival of
Chinese troops are not correct."
From the fall of the monarchy in
the 9th century until the rise of the 5th Dalai Lama, the center of
political power in the Tibetan region was not situated in Lhasa.
However, Lhassa's importance as a religious site has grown significantly
over the centuries. It was known as the center of Tibet where
Padmasambhava magically defeated the earth demon and built the
foundation of the Jokhang Temple over his heart. Islam has been present
since the 11th century in what is considered to have always been a
monolithic Buddhist culture. Two Tibetan Muslim communities lived in
Lhasa with distinct homes, food and clothing, language, education, trade
and traditional herbal medicine.
In the late 15th century the
city of Lhasa rose to prominence following the founding of three great
Gelugpa monasteries by Je Tsongkhapa and his disciples. The three
monasteries are Ganden, Sera and Drepung which were built as part of the
Puritan Buddhist revival in Tibet. The scholarly achievements and
political savvy of this Gelugpa lineage eventually pushed Lhassa once
again to the forefront.
The 5th Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso
(1617–1682), unified Tibet and moved the center of administration to
Lhasa in 1642 with the help of Güshi Khan of Khoshut. With Güshi Khan as
a largely uninvolved sovereign, the 5th Dalai Lama and his minions
established a civil administration that is referred to by historians as
the state of Lhasa. His central leadership of government is also
referred to as Ganden Phodrang, and Lhasa subsequently became both the
political and religious capital. In 1645, reconstruction of the Potala
Palace began on the red hill. By 1648, Potrang Karpo (White Palace) of
Potala was complete, and the Potala was used as a winter palace by the
Dalai Lama thereafter. The Potrang Marpo (Potal Palace) was added
between 1690 and 1694. The name Potala is derived from Mount Potalaka,
the mythical vault of the divine prototype of the Dalai Lama,
Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The Jokhang Temple was also greatly expanded
at this time. Although some of the wooden carvings and lintels of the
Jokhang temple date back to the 7th century, the oldest of Lhasa's
extant buildings, such as those inside the Potala Palace, the Jokhang,
and some of the monasteries and estates in the old quarter, date back to
this second flowering in history. from Lhasa.
In the late 17th
century the Barkhor area of Lhasa formed a bustling market for foreign
goods. The Jesuit missionary Ippolito Desideri reported in 1716 that the
city had a cosmopolitan community of Mongolian, Chinese, Muscovite,
Armenian, Kashmiri, Nepali and North Indian traders. Tibet was exporting
musk, gold, medicinal plants, yak hair and tails to distant markets, in
exchange for sugar, tea, saffron, Persian turquoise, European amber, and
Mediterranean coral. The Qing dynasty army entered Lhasa in 1720, and
the Qing government sent commissioned residents, called Ambans, to
Lhasa. On November 11, 1720, the assassination of the regent by the
Ambans sparked a revolt in the city that left over a hundred people dead
including the Ambans. After suppressing the rebels, the Qing Emperor
Qianlong reorganized the Tibetan government and started the governing
council called the Kashag in Lhasa in 1751.
In January 1904, a
British expeditionary force invaded and captured Lhasa during the
British expedition to Tibet. Expedition leader Sir Francis Younghusband
negotiated at the United Kingdom-Tibet Convention with the remaining
Tibetan officials after the Dalai Lama fled inland. The treaty was later
repudiated and replaced by the Anglo-Chinese treaty of 1906. All Qing
troops left Lhasa after the Xinhai Lhasa upheaval in 1912.
In the
20th century, Lhasa, long a beacon for both Tibetan and foreign
Buddhists, had numerous religiously and ethnically distinct communities,
among them Kashmiri Muslims, Ladakhi traders, Sikh converts to Islam,
and Chinese traders and officials. Kashmiri (Khache) Muslims traced
their arrival in Lhasa to the Islamic shrine of Patna, Khair ud-Din, a
contemporary of the 5th Dalai Lama. Chinese Muslims lived one block
south, and Newar merchants from Kathmandu north of Barkhor Market.
Residents of neighboring Lubu were descended from Chinese vegetable
farmers who stayed after accompanying an Amban to Sichuan in the
mid-19th century; some later married Tibetan women and spoke Tibetan as
their first language. The city's merchants catered to all tastes, even
importing Australian butter and Scotch whisky. In the 1940s, according
to Heinrich Harrer:
-'There is nothing that someone cannot buy,
or at least ask for. Someone still finds Elizabeth Arden's spices, and
there is a great demand for them. You can also borrow sewing machines,
radio antennas and gramophones and hunt down Bing Crosby albums.'
After the establishment of the Communist People's Republic of China
in China, "(...) the People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the country
in 1950. In March 1959, a rebellion centered in the capital, Lhasa,
proposed massive repression, during which the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
(b. 1935), fled into exile." Such markets and consumerism came to an
abrupt end after the arrival of Chinese government troops and
administrative cadres in the 1950s. Poorly stocked food rations and
government stores replaced the old markets, until the 1990s when trade
in international goods returned to Lhasa. again, and malls and galleries
with an abundance of goods flourished.
Of the 22 parks (lingkas)
that surrounded the city of Lhasa, most of them more than half a mile
long, where the people of Lhasa used to have picnics, only three survive
to this day: the Norbulingka, Summer Palace Dalai Lama, built by the 7th
Dalai Lama; a small part of the Shugtri Lingka, and the Lukhang. Blocks
of dormitories, offices and army barracks are built on the remainder.
The Guāndì miào (關帝廟) or temple of Gesar Lhakhang was placed by the
Amban in 1792 on top of Mount Bamare 3 km (2 mi) south of the Potala to
celebrate the defeat of the invading Gurkha army.
The main
gateway to the city of Lhasa used to run through the large Pargo
Kalingand stupa and contained sacred replicas of Mindukpa Buddha.
Between 1987 and 1989, Lhasa experienced massive demonstrations, led
by monks and disciples against the Chinese government. After Deng
Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992, Lhasa was forced by the government to
undergo economic liberalization. All government officials, their
families and students were banned from practicing their religion, while
monks and disciples were not allowed into government offices and the
campus of Tibet University. Subsequent to economic development policies,
the influx of immigrants dramatically altered the city's ethnic mix in
Lhasa.
In 2000 the urban area covered 53 km2 (20 sq mi), with a
population of around 170,000. Official metropolitan area statistics
report that 70 percent are Tibetans, 34.3 are Han, and the remaining 2.7
are Hui, although observers suspect non-Tibetans make up between 50–70
percent. Among Han immigrants, Lhasa is known as 'Little Sichuan'.
Lhasa has an elevation of around 3600 m (11.81 ft) and lies in the
center of the Tibetan Plateau with the surrounding mountains reaching
5500 m (18.04 ft). Air contains only 68 percent oxygen compared to sea
level. The Lhasa River, also Kyi River or Kyi Chu, a tributary of the
Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra River), flows through the southern
part of the city. This river, known by local Tibetans as the "happy blue
waves", flows through the snowy peaks and valleys of the Yainqêntanglha
Mountains, extending for 315 km (196 mi), and flowing into the Yarlung
Zangbo River at Qüxü, forming an area of great scenic beauty. The
swamps, mostly uninhabited, are in the north. Incoming and outgoing
roads run from east to west, while in the north, road infrastructure is
less developed.
Administration
Chengguan District is located
on the middle reaches of the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra
River, with land running north to south of the river. It is 28 km (17
mi) east to west and 31 km (19 mi) north to south. Chengguan District is
bordered by Doilungdêqên District to the west, Dagzê County to the east
and Lhünzhub County to the north. Gonggar County of Lhoka Prefecture
(Shannan) is located in the south.
Chengguan District has an
elevation of 3,650 m (11.98 ft) and covers 525 km2 (203 sq mi). The
built-up urban area covers 60 km2 (23 sq mi). The average annual
temperature is 8 °C (46 °F). Annual rainfall is around 500 mm (20 in),
mostly falling between July and September.
The term "Chengguan
District" is the administrative term for the inner urban area or urban
center within the prefecture, in this case the prefectural city of
Lhasa. Outside the urban area, much of Chengguan District is mostly
mountainous with an almost non-existent rural population. Chennguan
District is at the same administrative level as a county. Lhasa
Chengguan District was established on April 23, 1961. Currently, it has
12 fully urbanized sub-districts.
Due to its high elevation, Lhasa has a cold, semi-arid climate
(Köppen: BSk) with freezing winters and mild summers, although the
valley's location protects the city from intense heat and cold or strong
winds. The monthly sunlight probability ranges from 53 percent in July
to 84 percent in November, and the city receives approximately 3,000
hours of sunlight annually. It is because of this that it is sometimes
called the "enlightened city" by Tibetans. The coldest month is January
with an average temperature of -0.3°C and the hottest is June with an
average of 16.7°C, although nights are generally warmer in July.
The average annual temperature is 8.8°₢ , with temperature extremes
ranging from -16.5°C to 30.8°C . Lassa has an annual rainfall of 458mm
with rain falling mainly in July, August and September. The driest month
is December with 0.3 mm and the wettest month is August with 133.5 mm.
Summer is widely considered to be the best season of the year as the
rain mostly comes at night and Lhasa is still sunny during the day.
Demographics in the past
The 11th edition of the Encyclopædia
Britannica published between 1910 and 1911 put the total population of
Lhasa, including llamas in the city and prefecture, at about 30,000; an
1854 census put the count at 42,000, but it is known to have declined
greatly since then. Britannica indicated that within Lhasa, there were a
total of approximately 1,500 lay male Tibetan residents and about 5,500
female laypeople. The permanent population also included Chinese
families (about 2,000). The city's residents included traders from Nepal
and Ladak (about 800), and a few from Bhutan, Mongolia, and elsewhere.
Britannica noted that the Chinese had crowded cemeteries in Lhasa,
treated carefully by their manners, and that the Nepalese supplied
mechanics and metal workers at that time.
In the first half of
the 20th century, several Western explorers made celebratory journeys to
the city, including William Montgomery McGovern, Francis Younghusband,
Alexandra David-Néel, and Heinrich Harrer. Lhasa was the center of
Tibetan Buddhism as approximately half of the population were monks,
although this count would include monks from nearby monasteries who
traveled to Lhasa for various celebrations and were not permanent
residents there.
Most of Lhasa's pre-1950 Chinese population were
merchants and officials. In the Lubu section of Lhasa, the inhabitants
were descendants of vegetable farmers, some of whom married Tibetan
wives. They went to Lhasa between the 1840s and 1860s after a Chinese
official was appointed to the Amban position.
According to one
writer, the city's population was around 10,000, with around 10,000
monks in Drepung and Sera monasteries in 1959. Hugh Richardson, on the
other hand, puts the population of Lhasa in 1952 at around 25,000–
30,000—about 45,000–50,000 if the population of surrounding monasteries
is included."
Contemporary Demographics
The total population
of the city-prefecture of Lhasa is 521,500 (including known migrant
population but excluding military troops). Of these, 257,400 are in the
urban area (including a migrant population of 100,700), while 264,100
are outside. Approximately half of Lhasa's city-prefecture lives in
Chengguan District, which is the administrative division that contains
Lhasa's urban area (i.e. present-day city).
The urban area is
populated by Tibetan, Han, Hui and other ethnic groups. The official
2000 census gave a total population of 223,001, of whom 171,719 lived in
areas administered by city street offices and city neighborhood
committees. 133,603 had urban registrations and 86,395 had rural
registrations, based on their place of origin. The census was taken in
November, when many ethnic Han workers in seasonal industries like
construction would be outside Tibet, and did not count the military. A
2011 book estimated that more than two-thirds of the city's residents
are non-Tibetan, despite the government's claim that Chengguan District
as a whole was ethnically 63% Tibetan. As of 2014, half of Tibet's Han
population resided in the Chengguan District of Lhasa, where bilingual
or entirely Chinese teaching was common in schools.
Competitive industry along with economic aspects play a central role
in Lhasa's development. With a view to maintaining a balance between
economic development and the environment, tourism and the service
industry are emphasized as growth engines for the future. Many of
Lhasa's rural residents practice agriculture and livestock. Lhasa is the
traditional center of the Tibetan trade network. For many years chemical
and car manufacturing plants operated in the area and this resulted in
significant pollution, a factor that has changed in recent years.
Copper. lead and zinc are mined nearby and there is an ongoing
experiment into new methods of mining minerals and extracting geothermal
heat.
Agriculture and livestock in Lasa are considered to be of a
high standard. The people mostly plant highland barley and winter wheat.
Resources from water conservancy, geothermal heat, solar energy and
various ores are plentiful. There is electricity at will with uses both
of machinery and traditional methods in the production of things such as
cloth, leather, plastics, matches and embroidery. Handicraft production
has made great progress.
With the growth of the tourism and
service sectors, the sunset industries are expected to disappear in
hopes of building a healthy ecological system. Environmental problems
such as soil erosion, acidification, and loss of vegetation are being
addressed. The tourism industry now brings significant business to the
region, based on the attractiveness of the Potala Palace, the Jokang,
Norbulingka Summer Palace and surrounding large monasteries as well as
the spectacular scenery of the Himalayas along with the many native wild
animals and plants. from the high altitudes of Central Asia. Tourism to
Tibet declined precipitously following the crackdown on protests in
2008, but by 2009 the industry was recovering. Chinese officials plan an
ambitious growth in tourism in the region targeting 10 million visitors
by 2020; these visitors are expected to be domestic. With renovations
around historic sites such as the Potala Palace, UNESCO has expressed
"concerns about the deterioration of Lhasa's traditional landscape".
Lhasa has several hotels. Lhasa Hotel is a four star hotel located
northeast of Norbulingka in the western suburbs of the city. Completed
in September 1985, it is the flagship of the CIT'S facilities in Tibet.
Accommodates around 1000 guests and visitors in Lhasa. There are more
than 450 rooms (suites) in the hotel, and all are filled with air
conditioning, minibar and other basic amenities. Some of the rooms are
decorated in a traditional Tibetan style. The hotel was operated by
Holiday Inn from 1986 until 1997 and is the subject of a book, The Hotel
on the Roof of the World. Another hotel of note is the historic Hotel
Banak Shöl, located at number 8 Beijing Road in the city. It is known
for its distinctive wooden balconies. Nam-tso restaurant is located in
the hotel's town hall and is frequented especially by Chinese tourists
visiting Lhasa.
Lassa has several noteworthy trades. The Lassa
Carpet Factory, a factory south of Yanhe Dong Lu near the University of
Tibet, produces traditional Tibetan carpets that are exported worldwide.
It is a modern factory, the biggest carpet manufacturer across Tibet,
employing about 300 workers. Traditionally, Tibetan women were the
weavers and men the spinners, but both work on carpets today.
The
Lassa brewery was established in 1988 in the northern outskirts, south
of Sera Monastery and is the highest commercial brewery in the world at
11,975 ft (3,650 m) and accounts for 85 percent of contemporary Tibet
beer production. The brewery, consisting of five five-story buildings,
costs approximately US$20–25 million, and in 1994, production reached
30,000 bottles a day employing around 200 workers at that time. Since
2000, the Carlsberg group has increased its stronghold in the Chinese
market and has become increasingly influential in the country with
investment and expertise. Carlsberg has invested in the Lassa brewery in
recent years and has dramatically improved the brewery's facilities and
working conditions by renovating and expanding the building which now
covers 62,240 square meters (15.3 acres).
Lhasa has many historical landmarks including the Potala Palace,
Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery and Norbulingka. Potala Palace, Jokhang
Temple and Norbulingka are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, many
important sites were damaged or destroyed mostly but not only during the
Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. Many have been restored since
the 1980s.
The Potala Palace, named after the Potala Hill, the
abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara, was the main residence of the
Dalai Lama. After the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during the 1959
Tibetan uprising, the government converted the palace into a museum. The
site was used as a meditation retreat by King Songtsen Gampo, who in 637
built the first palace there to greet his bride Princess Wen Cheng of
Tang Dynasty China. Lozang Gyatso, the great Fifth Dalai Lama, began
construction on the Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual
advisers, Konchog Chophel (d. 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal
for a seat of government, set among the monasteries Drepung and Sera and
the old part of Lhasa. The palace underwent restoration work between
1989 and 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$6,875 million) and was
inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.
The Pillar
of Lhasa Zhol, below the Potala, dates back as far back as around 764
CE. and is inscribed with what is perhaps the oldest example of Tibetan
script. The pillar bears dedications to the Tibetan general and gives an
account of his services to the king including campaigns against China
that culminated in the brief capture of the Chinese capital Chang'an
(present-day Xian) in 763 CE during which the Tibetans temporarily
installed a relative of Princess Jincheng Gongzhu (Kim-sheng Kong co),
the Chinese wife of Trisong Detsen's father, Me Agtsom.
Chokpori,
meaning 'Mountain of Metal', is a sacred hill, located south of Potala.
It is considered one of the four sacred mountains of central Tibet and
along with two other hills represent in Lhasa the "Three Protectors of
Tibet.", Chokpori (Vajrapani), Pongwari (Manjushri), and Marpori
(Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara). It was the SITE of the most famous
medical school in Tibet, known as Mentsikhang, which was founded in
1413. It was conceived by Lobsang Gyatso, the great 5th Dalai Lama, and
completed by Regent Sangye Gyatso (Sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho) shortly after
1697 .
Lingkhor is a sacred path, most commonly used to name the
road of pilgrimage in Lhasa meeting its inner twin, Barkhor. The
Lingkhor in Lhasa was 8 km (5.0 mi) logically encircling Ancient Lhasa,
the Potala and Chokpori Hill. In ancient times it was crowded with men
and women covering its length with prostrations, begging and pilgrimages
approaching the city for the first time. The road passed through
willow-shaded parks where Tibetans used to picnic in summer and watch
open operas on festival days. New Lassa has obliterated most of
Lingkhor, but a stretch still remains west of Chokpori.
Norbulingka palace and surrounding park is situated in the western part
of Lhasa, a short distance southwest of Potala Palace with an area of
about 36 ha (89 acres), it is considered the largest man-made garden in
Tibet. It was built in 1755 and served as the summer residence of
successive Dalai Lamas until the 14th's self-imposed exile. Norbulingka
was declared a 'Cultural Relic Unit of National Importance' in 1988 by
the state council. In 2001, the central committee of the Chinese
government at the 4th session of Tibet decided to restore the complex to
its original glory. The Sho Dun Festival (popularly known as the "yogurt
festival") is an annual festival that takes place in Norbulingka during
the seventh Tibetan month in the first seven days of the full moon
period, which corresponds to dates in July/August according to the
Gregorian calendar.
The Barkhor is an area of narrow streets and
a public square in the old part of the city located at the Jokhang
temple and was the most popular devotional circumambulation for pilgrims
and locals alike. The walk is about one kilometer (1 km (0.6 mi)) long
and surrounds the entire Jokhang, the former seat of the State Oracle in
Lhasa called Muru Nyingba Monastery, and a number of noble houses
including Tromzikhang and Jamkhang. There are four large incense burners
(sangkangs) in the four cardinal directions, with incense constantly
burning, to please the gods protecting Jokhang. Most of the old
buildings and streets have been demolished in recent years and replaced
with wider streets and newer buildings. Some buildings on Barkhor were
damaged in the 2008 unrest.
The Jokhang is located at Barkhor
Square in the old city section of Lhasa. For many Tibetans it is the
most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some ways
pan-sectarian, but is currently controlled by the Gelug school. Along
with the Potala Palace, it is probably the most popular tourist
attraction in Lhasa. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Sites
"Historical Synchronization of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual
center of Lhasa. This temple remained a key point of Buddhist pilgrimage
for centuries. The circumambulation route is known as the "kora" in
Tibetan and is marked by four large stone incense burners at the
corners. Jokhang Temple is a four-story building, with roofs covered
with gold-plated bronze tiles. The architectural style is based on
Indian viara design, and was later expanded resulting in a blend of
Nepali and Tang dynasty styles. It features the statues of Chenresig,
Padmasambhava and King Songtsan Gampo and his two foreign brides
Princess Wen Cheng (niece of Emperor Taizong of Tang) and Princess
Bhrikuti of Nepal and other important items.
Ramoche Temple is
considered the most important temple in Lhasa after Jokhang Temple.
Situated in the northwest of the city, it is east of the Potala and
north of Jokhang, covering a total area of 4,000 square meters (almost
an acre). The temple was emptied and partially destroyed in the 1960s
and its famous bronze statue disappeared. In 1983 the lower part of it
was said to have been found in a Lhasa dump, and the upper part in
Beijing. They have now been joined together and the statue is housed in
the Ramoche temple, which was partially restored in 1986, and still
showed severe damage in 1993. Following the major restoration in 1986,
the main building of the temple now has three stories.
The Tibet
Museum in Lhasa is the official museum of the Tibet Autonomous Region
and was opened on October 5, 1999. It is the first large and modern
museum in the Tibet Autonomous Region and has a permanent collection of
1000 artifacts, from examples of art Tibetan to architectural design
through history such as Tibetan doors and building beams. It is located
in an L - shaped building to the west of the Potala Palace on the corner
of Norbulingkha Road . The museum is organized into three main sections:
a main exhibition hall, a folk cultural garden and administrative
offices.
The Monument for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet was
unveiled in Potala Square to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the
Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, and work
on the development of the autonomous region since then. The
37-metre-high concentration monument is shaped like an abstract Mount
Everest and its name is engraved in the calligraphy of former CCP
General Secretary and PRC President Jiang Zemin, while an inscription
describes the socio-economic development experienced in Tibet in recent
years. 50 years.
Music and dance
There are some nightly cabaret acts where
performers sing in Chinese, Tibetan, and English. Dancers wear
traditional Tibetan costumes with long flowing fabrics flowing down
their arms. There are numerous small bars that feature live music,
although they have a limited drink menu and cater more to foreign
tourists.
Tibet University
The University of Tibet (Tibetan:
བོད་ལྗོངས་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཆེན་མོ་) is the premier university in the Atonoma
Region of Tibet. Its campus is located in Chengguan District, Lhasa,
east of the city centre. A precursor was created in 1952 and the
university was officially established in 1985, founded by the Chinese
government. About 8000 students are enrolled at the university.
Tibet University is an inclusive university with the highest academic
level in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is a member of the prestigious
Projeto 211, and is sponsored by the First Classes of Dual Disciplines
initiative.
Rail
Lhasa has been served by trains since 2006, when the
Qinghai–Tibet Railway opened for passenger operations. Reaching an
elevation of 5,072 feet above sea level, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is
the highest railway in the world by elevation. It connects Lhasa with
Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, about 2,000 km (1,200 mi)
distant, and ultimately connects Lhasa with other major cities with
China's extensive railway network. Five trains arrive and depart from
Lhasa train station every day. Train number Z21 takes 40 hours and 53
minutes from West Beijing, arriving in Lhasa at 13:03 each day. The Z22
train from Lhasa to West Beijing departs at 3:30 pm and arrives in
Beijing at 8:20 am on the third day, taking 40 hours and 50 minutes.
Trains also arrive in Lassa from Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Xining,
Guangzhou, Shanghai and other cities. To get around the problems of high
altitude giving passengers mountain sickness, extra oxygen is pumped
into the ventilation system and available directly into each berth with
open control via a nearby flap for passenger convenience, and personal
oxygen masks are available on request. . Inside the sleeper cabins there
are 64 seats per train that have an electrical outlet for electronics.
Lhasa is also connected to the second largest city in Tibet, Shigaze, by
train service, since 2014. A third railway, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway,
which connects Lhasa with Nyingchi C County and within the interior
ultimately ending in Chengdu, has started construction in June 2015.
For further train travel in South Asia, the nearest major station in
India is New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri in West Bengal. However, the extension
of the Indian railway system to Sikkim will facilitate further
connections in the South Asian railway network. There are preliminary
plans to link Lhasa by rail with Kathmandu.
According to a
Chinese-Tibetan spokesperson, extension of this train line to Kathmandu
with a tunnel under Mount Everest is expected to open in 2020.
Air
Lassa Gonghar Airport (IATA: LXA), built in 1965, is Tibet's
aviation hub. It is located south of the city proper. It takes about
half an hour to get there by car via the Lhasa Airport Expressway;
before the expressway opened in 2011, the trip to the airport took over
an hour. As of 2014, there are daily flights serving major Chinese
cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, and there
are also occasionally scheduled services to Kathmandu in Nepal. Lhasa
Airport is the hub for Tibet Airlines, which offers regional services to
other destinations in Tibet such as Nyingchi, Ngari Prefecture,
Shigatse, and Qamdo.
Road
The Qinghai–Tibet Highway (part of
the G109) runs northeast towards Xining and eventually Beijing and is
the most used highway in Tibet. The Sichuan–Tibet Highway (part of the
G318) runs east towards Chengdu and eventually to Shanghai. G318 also
runs to Zhangmu on the border with Nepal. The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway
(G219) runs north from Lhasa to Yecheng, and then on to Xinjiang. This
road is rarely used due to the lack of amenities and gas stations. A new
37.68 km (23.41 mi) four-lane highway between Lhasa and Gonghar Airport
was built by the Tibetan Department of Transport at a cost of RMB 1.5
billion. This road is part of National Highway 318 and starts at Lhasa
Railway Station, passes through Caina Town in Qushui County, ends at the
north entrance of the Gala Mountain Tunnel and the south bridge head of
the Lhasa River Bridge, and on route goes beyond the first elevated
walkway in Lassa to the Liuwu walkway.
Maritime
The nearest
ports are Kolkata and Haldia in West Bengal, India. The Nathu La pass
gives Chinese companies access to the port of Kolkata (Calcutta),
situated about 1,100 km (680 mi) from Lhasa, for trans-vessels to and
from Tibet.