Tibet
Tibet
lies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of the southwest border of China.
The average height of the whole region is more than 4,000 meters
above sea level, for which Tibet is known as "Roof of the World".
The highest peak of Tibet, also the highest in Himalayas and in
the whole world, is Everest Peak, which is as high as 8,846.27
meters above sea level.
Although
a part of China, Tibet has a unique culture of all there own.
It is mainly inhabited by Tibetans, a minority nationality of
old and mysterious people. Tourist attractions include the Potala
Palace in Lhasa, Jokhang Temple, and a number of Buddhist sacred
places.
Tibet
(Xi Zang in Chinese) is to the south of Xin Jiang Uygur Autonomous
Region and Qing Hai Province, to the west of Sichuan, to the northwest
of Yunnan and to the north of India and Nepal. Its population
of 2.3 million people come from a variety of ethnic groups including
Tibetan, Han, Monba and Lhota. Its capital city is Lhasa.
Northwest
Tibet, mainly Qing Hai plateau, is home to a variety of unusual
and unique animals. Across the northern expanse of Tibet, you
can see vast grasslands where horses, cattle and sheep roam freely.
The world's lowest valley, the Grand Yarlun-tzanpo River Valley
lies in east Tibet.
Nearly
all Tibetans follow Tibetan Buddhism, known as Lamaism, with the
exception of approximately 2,000 followers of Islam and 600 of
Catholicism. Tibetan Buddhism was greatly influenced by Indian
Buddhism in its early time, but after years of evolution, Tibetan
Buddhism has developed its own distinctive qualities and practices.
A well-known example is the belief that there is a Living Buddha,
who is the reincarnation of the first, a belief alien to Chinese
Buddhism.
It
is freezing cold in most time of the year. Most tourists come
to visit Tibet only in the warmest seasons, June, July, August
and early September.
In
641, after marrying Princess Wencheng, Songtsen Gampo decided to
build a grand palace to accommodate her and let his descendants
remember the event. However, the original palace was destroyed due
to a lightening strike and succeeding warfare during Landama's reign.
In seventeenth century under the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama,
Potala was rebuilt. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama expanded it to today's
scale. The monastery-like palace, reclining against and capping
Red Hill, was the religious and political center of old Tibet and
the winter palace of Dalai Lamas. The palace is more than 117 meters
(384 feet) in height and 360 (1180 feet) in width, occupying a building
space of 90 thousand square meters. Potala is composed of White
Palace and Red palace. The former is for secular use while the later
is for religious.
Jokhang
Temple has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. It is the spiritual
center of Lhasa and stands in the heart of the old city. It was
built in 647AD by King Songtsen Gampo, upon establishing his kingdom's
capital in Lhasa. Through several renovations it expanded into quite
a large group of buildings and now covers an area of over 25,000
sq meters.
