Tibet
From ChinaTravelGuide
[edit] Overview
Tibet (西藏), known as the roof of the world (世界屋脊), is one of the more exotic tourist destinations in China. With a size of France, Spain, and Greece combined, it is the largest and highest plateau on earth. Its unique culture, celebrated monasteries, magnificent wildlife, and spectacular scenery have been sealed from outsiders for years.
The climate in Tibet's Lhasa area is very dry most of the year with lots of dust blowing around. The high temperature in Lhasa (拉萨) is 27 °C (about 81 °F) in July and August, and the low is -15 °C (5 °F) in December to Februry. Refer to Today and Tomorrow's Weather Forecast for real time weather info. The annual precipitation is about 500mm, mainly in June and July.
Tibet (西藏) nowadays can be reached through air (Gonggar Airport), Qingzang railway (青藏铁路), or long-distance buses if you can handle the poor roads and high altitude. Trains run from Beijing (北京), Chengdu (成都), Chongqing (重庆), Xining (西宁) and Lanzhou (兰州).
Top attractions are Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka Palace and Drepung Monastery. A good time to go is from April through October. However, from November through March, you can see colorful nomads living in tents, and going on pilgrimages from one monastery to another. For visitors with foreign passports and visitors from Taiwan, you need the Tibet Entry Permit (Tibet visa), and maybe also Alien's Travel Permit (PSB Permit) for some "unopened" areas.
[edit] History
The Tibetans first settled along the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet. Evidence of the new and old stone age culture was found in archaeological excavations at Nyalam, Nagqu, Nyingchi and Qamdo. According to ancient historical documents, members of the earliest clans formed tribes known as "Bos" in the Shannan area. In the 6th century, the chief of the Yarlung tribe in the area became leader of the local tribal alliance and declared himself the "Zambo" (king). This marked the beginning of Tibetan slavery society and its direct contacts with the Han people and other ethnic groups and tribes in northwest China.
At the beginning of the 7th century, King Songzan Gambo began to rule the whole of Tibet and made "Losha" (today's Lhasa) the capital. He designated official posts, defined military and administrative areas, created the Tibetan script, formulated laws and unified weights and measures, thus establishing the slavery kingdom known as "Bo," which was called "Tubo" in Chinese historical documents.
After the Tubo regime was established, the Tibetans increased their political, economic and cultural exchanges with the Han and other ethnic groups in China. The Kingdom of Tibet began to have frequent contacts with the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Tibetan and Han peoples got on well with each other. In 641, King Songzan Gambo married Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty. In 710, King Chide Zuzain married another Tang princess, Jin Cheng. The two princesses brought with them the culture and advanced production techniques of Central China to Tibet. From that time on, emissaries traveled frequently between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. The Tibetans sent students to Changan, capital of the Tang Dynasty, and invited Tang scholars and craftsmen to Tibet. These exchanges helped promote relations between the Tibetans and other ethnic groups in China and stimulated social development in Tibet.
From the 10th to 12th century, Tibet fell apart into several independent regimes and began to move towards serfdom. It was at this time that Buddhism was adapted to local circumstances by assimilating certain aspects of the indigenous religion, won increasing numbers of followers and gradually turned into Lamaism. Consisting of many different sects and spread across the land, Lamaism penetrated into all spheres of Tibetan life. The upper strata of the clergy often collaborated with the rich and powerful, giving rise to a feudal hierarchy combining religious and political power and controlled by the rising local forces.
The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) founded by the Mongols in the 13th century brought the divided Tibet under the unified rule of the central government. It set up an institution called Xuanzhengyuan (or political council) and put it in charge of the nation's Buddhist affairs and Tibet's military, governmental and religious affairs.
Phagsba, a Tibetan lama, was given the title of imperial tutor and appointed head of the council. The Yuan court also set up three government offices to govern the Tibetan areas in northwest and southwest China and Tibet itself. The central government set up 13 Wanhu offices (each governing 10,000 households) in Inner and Outer Tibet east of Ngari. It also sent officials to administer civil and military affairs, conduct census, set up courier stations and collect taxes and levies. Certificates for the ownership of manors were issued to the serf owners and documents given to local officials to define their authority. This marked the beginning of the central authorities' overall control of Tibet by appointing officials and instituting the administrative system there.
The ensuing Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) carried over the Tusi (headmen) system in the Tibetan areas in northwest and southwest China. In Tibet proper, three sect leaders and five secular princes were named. These measures ensured peace and stability in the Tibetan areas during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and the feudal economy there developed and culture and art flourished. Tibet's contacts with other parts of the country became more frequent and extensive.
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the last monarchy in China, set up a government department called Lifanyuan to administer affairs in Tibet and Mongolia. In Tibet, the Qing emperor conferred the titles of the "Dalai Lama" (1653) and "Bainqen Erdini" (1713) on two living Buddhas of the Gelugba sect of Lamaism. The Qing court began to appoint a high resident commissioner to help with local administration in 1728, and set up the Kasha as the local government in 1751. In 1793, the Qing army drove the Gurkhas invaders out of Tibet and formulated regulations concerning its administration.
The regulations specified the civil and military official appointment systems and institutions governing justice, border defense, finance, census, corvee service and foreign affairs, establishing the high commissioners' terms of reference in supervising Tibetan affairs.
In other areas inhabited by Tibetans in northwest and southwest China, the Qing court continued the Tusi (headmen) system established by the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and put them under the administration of the Xining Commissioner's office (established in 1725) and the Sichuan governor (later the Sichuan-Yunnan border affairs minister).
After the Republic of China was founded in 1911, the central government set up a special department to administer Mongolian and Tibetan affairs. In 1929, the Kuomintang government set up a commission for Mongolian and Tibetan affairs in Nanjing and established Qinghai Province. In 1939, Xikang Province was set up. The Tibetan areas in northwest and southwest China, except Tibet, were placed under the administration of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Xikang and Yunnan provinces respectively.
After the Chinese Communist Party was founded in 1921, its central committee clearly stated in its Agrarian Revolution Program that the feudal privileges of Tibetan princes and Lamas would be abolished. During its Long March northward to fight the Japanese invaders, the Chinese Worker and Peasant Red Army passed through Tibetan areas in Sichuan, Xikang, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai, where they mobilized the poor Tibetans to carry out land reform and establish democratic political power of the laboring people. Areas inhabited by Tibetans were liberated one after another after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Tibet proper was liberated peacefully in 1951.
[edit] Geography
In geological terms, the creation of the Himalayas and the rising of the Tibetan plateau are extremely recent events. The mountains originated less than four million years ago, making them among the youngest in the world.
About 80 million years ago India broke away from an early massive proto continent. Slowly and steadily it moved across the ancient Sea of Tethys, collecting hard sheets of rock along the way. Eventually it rammed into the soft underside of Asia, which the rock easily penetrated and pushed up, creating the Himalayas. From sea level these mountains rose rapidly to a height of nearly 9,000 meters ( 30,000 feet). Today the succession of parallel ranges, running east to west for nearly 3,200 kilometers ( 2,000 miles), reveals this original plate boundary between Indian and Asia. In fact, the movement of Sub-continental India is still forcing the Himalayas upwards at a rate of two centimeters ( 0.8 inches) per year in places.
The rivers of Tibet existed before the collision of India and Asia. As the soft sedimentary rocks that formed the bottom of the Sea of Tethys were folded up, the rivers were able to cut through them and maintain their original north-to-south course. ( The Yarlong Tsangpo River is a major exception.) As a result there are many spectacular gorges and mountain ranges sliced up into individual massifs.
Much of Tibet, once well-forested, lush and fertile, is today one of the world's most terrifying, unforgiving places. As the Himalayas increased in height, less and less moisture reached the areas north of the range. The result has been a slow botanical death to the great northern plateau, the desertification of huge regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.
There are three distinct geographical regions in Greater Tibet. By far the largest natural region is the northern plateau, of Chang Tang, an enormous expanse of over a million square kilometers ( 386,000 square miles). The second main geographical region of Tibet, the outer plateau, extends in a great arc for nearly 3,500 kilometers ( 2,200 miles) from Baltistan in the west to beyond Xining, the capital of Qinghai, in the east. And the last not the least main geographical region is the southeastern plateau or 'river gorge country', comprising only one-tenth of the total area of Tibet. Plant and animal life here is vastly richer than in the other regions. Forest are very much a characteristic of the southeastern plateau; its western and northern boundaries follow the natural limits of trees.
[edit] Videos
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[edit] Cities
| • Chamdo (昌都) | • Lhasa (拉萨) | • Nakchu (那曲) | • Ngari (阿里) |
| • Nyingchi (林芝) | • Shannan (山南) | • Shigatse (日喀则) |
[edit] Other Places
Gyangze (江孜) (a town in Shigatse (日喀则) Prefecture) know for monasteries.
[edit] Attractions
- Potala Palace (布达拉宫)
- Jokhang Temple (大昭寺)
- Sera Monastery (色拉寺)
- Norbulingka Palace (罗布林卡宫殿)
- Drepung Monastery (哲蚌寺)
[edit] Culture
With a total area of 1.22 million square kilometers at an elevation of more than 4,000 meters, the Tibet Autonomous Region is located in southwest China, and borders Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal. It is composed of one city, six prefectures, and 72 counties, with a population of 2.7 million. Tibetans make up 92.8% of this total, but they share the region together with the Moinba, Lhoba, Hui, Mongolian, Naxi and Han ethnicities, as well as the Sharpa and Deng peoples.
[edit] Language
Tibetans have their own language, in both spoken and written forms. The Tibetan language belongs to the Tibetan sub-branch of the Tibetan-Myanmese language branch of the Chinese-Tibetan language family. According to geographical divisions, it has three major local dialects: Weizang, Kang and Amdo. The Tibetan script, an alphabetic system of writing, was created in the early 7th century. With four vowels and 30 consonants, it is used in all areas inhabited by Tibetans.
The strict social caste system was manifested even in the use of language. The Tibetan language has three major forms of expression: the most respectful, the respectful and the everyday speech, to be used respectively to one's superiors, one's peers and one's inferiors.
The Tibetan language and customs are enjoying respect and the outstanding heritage of Tibetan culture has been carried forward.
[edit] Cuisine
The basic Tibetan meal is tsampa, a kind of dough made with roasted barley flour and yak butter with water, teror beer.
Tibetans live on beef,mutton and milk products.As everybody knows,beef and mutton contain high heat energy,which is helpful for people living in the area of high attitude to withstand coldness.
Yak Butter,refined from the milk of cattles and goats,is the daily food of Tibetans.
The prevalent milk products are yoghourt and milk sediment. Firstly put a little of Rtsam-pa,cheese power and yak butter into a tea bowl, then pour tea .Eat the Rtsam-pa after drinking up.
With black tea as its original juice,sweet tea contains other components such as milk and sugar,making it more sweet and nutritious.
[edit] Music
The music of Tibetan peoples, just like the Tibetan culture, is rich in heritage and custom, yet also shows influences from many countries and cultures. India’s Mahayana Buddhism, arriving in Tibet as far back as the 7 th century, as well as dealings with Mongolian and Chinese governments and culture throughout history, has had a great impact on sacred and secular musical practices, styles, and instruments. Even today, one can find outside influences in the contemporary music that is being created by Tibetans worldwide, including variations on traditional and folk music, the introduction of karaoke and rock, as well as the electrification of traditional instruments.
[edit] Notables
[edit] Ethnic Groups
The Tibet Autonomous Region, with 45 percent of the country's total ethnic Tibetan population, is a region where Tibetan ethnic group live in the most compact communities. In addition to Tibetans, other ethnic groups, including the Moinba, Lhoba, Han and Hui, and Deng and Xiarba peoples, are also found in the region.More info about Tibet Ethnic Groups...
More about The Tibetan ethnic minority
[edit] Festivals
In Tibet, there are many festivals throughout the year that attract the faithful as well as curious onlookers. Dancing monks can be seen in the Year End Festival (February-March) held to dispel the evil of the old year and auspiciously usher in the new one; Losar (New Year Festival) is a colorful week of activities (February-March), including Tibetan drama, pilgrims making incense offerings and Tibetans dressed in their finest crowding the streets; cham dancing and chang drinking are the order of the day at the Tsurphu Festival (May-June) - the highlight is the dance of the Karmapa.
The Gyantse Horse Racing Festival is a traditional event that takes place in June and features dances, picnics, archery and equestrian events; the Ch?kor Duchen Festival, held in Lhasa around August-September, celebrates Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi; the Bathing Festival (September-October) sees locals washing away the previous year's grim in the river; Lhabab D¨1chen (November-December) commemorates Buddha's descent from heaven.
[edit] Tibetan New Year (February or March)
It is the greatest festival in Tibet. In ancient times when the peach tree was in blossom, it was considered as the starting of a new year. Since the systematization of the Tibetan calendar in 1027 AD., the first day of the first month became fixed as the New Year. On the New Year's Day, families unite "auspicious dipper" is offered and the auspicious words "tashi delek" are greeted.
[edit] Butter Oil Lantern Festival (February or March)
It's held on the 15th of the first lunar month. Huge yak-butter sculptures are placed around Lhasa's Barkhor circuit.
[edit] Saga Dawa Festival (May or June)
It is the holiest in Tibet, there memorable occasions coincide on this day, Buddha's birth and Buddha's enlightenment. Almost every person within Lhasa joins in circumambulations round the city and spends their late afternoon on picnic at "Dzongyab Lukhang" park at the foot of Potala.
[edit] Gyantse Horse Race & Archery (May or June)
Horse race and archery are generally popular in Tibet, and Gyantse enjoys prestige of being the earliest in history by starting in 1408. Contests in early times included horse race, archery, and shooting on gallop followed by a few days' entertainment or picnicking. Presently, ball games, track and field events, folk songs and dances, barter trade are in addition to the above.
[edit] Changtang Chachen Horse Race Festival (August)
There are many horse racing festivals in Tibet, the one in Nagqu of Northern Tibet is the greatest. August is the golden season on Northern Tibet's vast grassland. Herdsmen, on their horsebacks, in colorful dresses, carrying tents and local products, pour into Nagqu. Soon they form a city of tents. Various exciting programs are held, such as horse racing, yak racing, archery, horsemanship and commodity fair.
[edit] Shoton Festival (August)
It is one of the major festivals in Tibet, also known as the Tibetan Opera Festival. The founder of the Gelugpa (Yellow Sect of Buddhism), Tsongkhapa set the rule that Buddhists can cultivate themselves only indoor in summer, to avoid killing other creatures carelessly. This rule must be carried out till the seventh lunar month. Then Buddhists go outdoors, accept yoghurt served by local people, and have fun. Since the middle of 17th century, the Fifth Dalai Lama added opera performance to this festival. Famous Tibetan opera troupes perform in Norbulingka (Dalai Lama's summer palace).
[edit] Bathing Festival (September)
It is believed when the sacred planet Venus appears in the sky; the water in the river becomes purest and cures diseases. During its appearance for one week, usually the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth lunar months, all the people in Tibet go into the river to wash away the grime of the previous year.
[edit] Kungbu Traditional Festival (November or December)
Long time ago, when Tibet was in danger of large scale invasion, the Kongpo people sent out an army to defend their homeland. It was in September and the soldiers worried that they might miss the New Year, highland barley wine and other good things. So people had the Tibetan New Year on 1st October ahead of time. To memorize those brave soldiers Kongpo people present three sacrifices and stay up at night from then on. And now it has become the Kongpo Festival for entertainment like Kongpo dancing, horse race, archery and shooting.
[edit] Harvest Festival (September)
The farmers in Lhasa, Gyantse and Shangnan to celebrating their bumer harvest in this time. During that time, people enjoy with horse racing games, costume fashion show, songs and dance Archery and picnic etc.
[edit] Colleges and Universities
Tibet University, the first in Tibet, offers such courses as the Tibetan language, Tibetan art and the history of the Tibetan ethnic group. More than 10,000 students, 85 per cent of whom are of Tibetan and other ethnic groups, have graduated from the university since its establishment in 1985.
With an aim to develop and carry forward traditional Tibetan medicine, the College of Tibetan Medicine was founded with the assistance of the central government. The college has become the largest and most authoritative educational institution of Tibetan medicine in China.
Tibet University and the College of Tibetan Medicine began offering post-graduate courses on the history, language and art of China's ethnic groups, and a course in the Tibetan medicine in 1998.
The founding and development of colleges and universities in Tibet signify a revival of cultural consciousness for Tibetans. Tibet's colleges and universities have become major venues for people to systematically study, examine and carry forward traditional Tibetan culture. They also serve as important bridges through which traditional Tibetan culture can mix with modernization and globalization.
[edit] Area and Postal Codes
| City | Area Code | Postal Code | City | Area Code | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamdo (昌都) | 895 | 854000 | Lhasa (拉萨) | 891 | 850000 | |
| Nakchu (那曲) | 896 | 852000 | Ngari (阿里) | 897 | 859000 | |
| Nyingchi (林芝) | 894 | 860000 | Shannan (山南) | 893 | 856000 | |
| Shigatse (日喀则) | 892 | 857000 |
[edit] Tips & Practical Info
[edit] Permits for travel in Tibet
Tibet Entry Permit (Tibet visa) (shown below at left), issued by Tibet Tourism Administration, is required for visitors with foreign passports and visitors from Taiwan. An Alien's Travel Permit (PSB Permit) (shown below at right) may also be required for visitors with foreign passports and visitors from Taiwan to enter some "unopened" areas. You will need the copy of your passport and Chinese visa, together with other information such as your occupation to apply for the permits.
Also individual travel to Tibet is not allowed, according to China's regulation. You have to take the trip with a travel agency, either by individual package with a guide or groups.
To cope with Tibet's high altitude and the atmosphere, visitors are advised to bring the sunscreen, sunglasses or dark glasses and lip creams. In addition, you should bring some "high altitude" medicines, in addition to the normal medications, like the Aspirin and Ibuprofen.
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[edit] Useful telephone numbers
IDD code of China 0086
Police 110
Fire Alarm 119
Code for Lhasa 0891
Weather forcast 121
Time 117
First - Aid Center 120
Local phone directory 114
Long - distance call inquiry 113
Chengguan District Taxi Co. 6323762
Civil Aviation Ticket Office 6322417
The region's Foreign Affairs Office 6324992
Emergency Department of the region's Second Hospital 6322115
Emergency Department of the region's People's Hospital 63222000
Foreign Affair Office of the Region's Public Security Bureau 6324528
[edit] Custom
[edit] Presenting Hada
Present hada is a common practice among the Tibetan people to express their best wishes on many occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, festivals, visiting the elders and the betters, and entertaining guests. The white hada, a long narrow scarf made of silk, embodies purity and good fortune.
[edit] Proposing a Toast and Tea
Proposing a Toast and Tea When you come to a Tibetan family, the host will propose a toast, usually barley wine. You should sip three times and then drink up. To entertain guests with tea is a daily etiquette. The guest has not to drink until the host presents the tea to you.
[edit] Greetings
Greetings don't forget to add "la" after saying hello to the Tibetan people to show respect. Make Way to others. Try not to make any sounds while eating and drinking.
[edit] Sky Burials
Sky burial is a common form in Tibet. There are many prohibitions. Strangers are not allowed to attend the ceremony. Visitors should respect this custom and keep away from such occasions.
[edit] Tibetan Buddhism
Also known as the Lamaism, the Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Tibet from the mainland and India in the seventh century. The Tibetan Buddhism consists of four major sects, the Ge-lug-pa (Yellow) Sect, the Nying-ma-pa (Red) Sec, the Saturday-kya-pa (Variegated) Sect, and the Ka-gyu-pa (White) Sect.
[edit] Pilgrimage
The immediate motivations of pilgrimage are many, but for the ordinary Tibetan it amounts to a means of accumulating merit or good luck. The lay practitioner might go on pilgrimage in the hope of winning a better rebirth, cure an illness, and end a spate of bad luck or simply because of a vow to take a pilgrimage if a bodhisattva granted a wish.
In Tibet there are countless sacred destinations, ranging from lakes and mountains to monasteries and caves that once served as meditation retreats for important yogin. Specific pilgrimages are often proscribed for specific ills; certain mountains for example expiate certain sins. A circumambulation of Mt. Kailash offers the possibility of liberation within three lifetimes, while a circuit of Lake Manasarovar can result in spontaneous Buddha hood.
