Lhasa

Lhasa 拉萨 ལྷ་ས་ Lasa
—  Prefecture-level city  —
拉萨市
Tibetan transcription(s)
- Tibetan	ལྷ་ས་
- Wylie transliteration	lha sa
- pronunciation in IPA	[l̥ásə] or [l̥ɜ́ːsə]
- official transcription (PRC)	Lha sa
- THDL	Lhasa
- other transcriptions
Chinese transcription(s)
- Traditional	拉薩
- Simplified	拉萨
- Pinyin	Lāsà
From top: The Potala Palace, Lhasa's most famous landmark, a city view of Lhasa, Barkor Street, and Jokhang Square
Lhasa Location within Tibet
Coordinates: 29°39′N 91°07′E / 29.65°N 91.117°E / 29.65; 91.117
Country	China
Province	Tibet
Prefecture	Lhasa Prefecture
Government
- Mayor	Doje Cezhug
Area
- Land	53 km2 (20.5 sq mi)
Elevation	3,490 m (11,450 ft)
Population (2004 est.)
- Total	1,000,098
- Major Nationalities	Tibetan; Han; Hui
- Regional dialect	Tibetan language, Hohhot dialect
Time zone	+8 (UTC)
Area code(s)	850000
Website	http://www.lasa.gov.cn/

Lhasa, (pronounced /ˈlɑːsə/ in English, Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་, pronounced [l̥ásə] or [l̥ɜ́ːsə]; simplified Chinese: 拉萨; traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà) and sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. It is located at the foot of Mount Gephel.

Traditionally, the city is the seat of the Dalai Lama and the capital of Tibet, and is one of the highest capitals in the world. It is the location of the Potala and Norbulingka palaces (both are included as World Heritage Sites^[1]), and in Tibetan Buddhism. The Jokhang in Lhasa is regarded as the holiest centre in Tibet. The city is home to 1,100,123 people (2009 census estimate). Its altitude is 3,490 metres (11,450 feet) and the air only contains 68% of the oxygen compared to sea level.^[2]

Lhasa literally means "place of the gods", although ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was called Rasa, which means "goat's place", until the early 7th century.^[3]

Lhasa is now the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. The city is part of a township-level prefecture, the Lhasa Prefecture, consisting of 7 small counties: Lhünzhub County, Damxung County, Nyêmo County, Qüxü County, Doilungdêqên County, Dagzê County and Maizhokunggar County.

History

By the mid 7^th century, Songtsän Gampo became the leader of the Tibetan Empire that had risen to power in the Brahmaputra River (locally known as the Yarlung River) Valley. After conquering the kingdom of Zhangzhung in the west, he moved the capital from the Chingwa Taktse castle in Chongye county (pinyin: Qonggai), southwest of Yarlung, to Rasa (modern Lhasa) where in 637 he founded the first buildings of the Potala Palace on Mount Marpori. In 641 he founded the Rasa Trulnang or Jokhang.^[4] Lhasa soon became not only the religious, but the political centre.^[5] Lhasa remained the capital throughout the development of the Tibetan Empire until the reign of Langdarma in the 9th century, when the sacred sites were destroyed and desecrated and the empire fragmented.^[2]

In CE 641, Songtsän Gampo, who by this time had conquered the whole Tibetan region, wedded Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of the Imperial Tang court. Through these marriages, he converted to Buddhism and proceeded to build the Jokhang Ramoche Temple in Lhasa in order to house two Buddha statues brought to his court by the princesses. Other building constructed about this time included the nine-storey Pabonka (Pha bong kha) tower and Pabonka Hermitage, and the gompas (temples) of Meru Nyingba, Tsamkhung and Drak Lhaluphuk.^[6][7]

Tang dynasty records noted that Songtsän Gampo's empire was still largely nomadic and he held court in large movable resplendent tents, at least when his court moved about the country. The report by a Chinese ambassador in 672 that the Tibetan Emperor did "not live beneath a roof," was doubtless an exaggeration, and probably intended to belittle the country.^[8] However, this was probably based on a simple misunderstanding. We learn from a somewhat later ambassador, who arrived in Tibet in 822 CE, that the Tibetan Emperor had his summer headquarters in a large tent just to the north of Lhasa. It is quite clear that this was just a summer encampment and one can only assume that he spent the freezing winters in one of the many building in Lhasa itself. The description of this royal summer camp, as the Chinese Ambassador saw it, is recorded in the Xin Tangshu 216A :

"The valley to the north of the Tsang River (Kyi-chu or Kyi River) is the princely summer camp of the bcan-po. It is surrounded with [a palisade of] posts attached together. At an average distance of ten paces [from each other] 100 lances have been set up; in the middle of which is planted a great standard. There are three gates a hundred paces from each other. Armour clad soldiers guard the gates. Sorcerers with caps of bird [feathers] and a girdle of tiger [skins] thumped on drums. Anyone who entered was searched before they were allowed to proceed. In the middle [of the camp] was a high terrace, surrounded with a rich balustrade. The bcan-po was seated in his tent. [There were] dragons with and without horns, tigers, and panthers, all made of gold. [The bcan-po] was dressed in white linen with a rose-coloured muslin cloth tied around his head. He carried a sword encrusted with gold. The Prime Minister was standing on his right, while the Ministers of State were arranged at the foot of the terrace." ^[9]

Songtsän Gampo

From the fall of the monarchy in the 9th century to the accession of the 5th Dalai Lama, the centre of political power in the Tibetan region was not situated in Lhasa. However, the importance of Lhasa as a religious site became increasingly significant as the centuries progressed.^[10] It was known as the centre of Tibet where Padmasambhava magically pinned down the earth demonness and built the foundation of the Jokhang Temple over her heart.^[11]

By the 15^th century, the city of Lhasa had risen to prominence following the founding of three large Gelugpa monasteries by Je Tsongkhapa and his disciples. The three monasteries are Ganden, Sera and Drepung which were built as part of the puritanical Buddhist revival in Tibet.^[6] The scholarly achievements and political know-how of this sect eventually pushed Lhasa once more to centre stage.

The fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), conquered Tibet and, in 1642, moved the centre of his administration to Lhasa, which again became both the religious and political capital. In 1645, the reconstruction of the Potala Palace began on Red Hill. In 1648, the Potrang Karpo (White Palace) of the Potala was completed, and the Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time onwards. The Potrang Marpo (Red Palace) was added between 1690 and 1694.

The name Potala is possibly derived from Mount Potalaka, the mythological abode of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The Jokhang Temple was also greatly expanded around this time. Although some wooden carvings and lintels of the Jokhang Temple date to the 7^th century, the oldest of Lhasa's extant buildings, such as within the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and some of the monasteries and properties in the Old Quarter date to this second flowering in Lhasa's history.

The Norbulingka summer palace and gardens to the southwest of the city were constructed in the 18th century under the 7th Dalai Lama.^[6]

The 11th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica published between 1910–1911 noted the total population of Lhasa, including the lamas in the city and vicinity was about 30,000^[12]; a census in 1854 made the figure 42,000, but it is known to have greatly decreased since. Britannica noted that within Lhasa, there were about a total of 1,500 resident Tibetan laymen and about 5,500 Tibetan women.^[12] The permanent population also included Chinese families (about 2,000).^[12] The city's residents included people from Nepal and Ladak (about 800), and a few from Bhutan, Mongolia and other places.^[12] The Britannica noted with interest that the Chinese had a crowded burial-ground at Lhasa, tended carefully after their manner and that the Nepalese supplied mechanics and metal-workers at that time.^[12]

In the first half of the 20^th century, several Western explorers made celebrated journeys to the city, including William Montgomery McGovern, Francis Younghusband, Alexandra David-Néel and Heinrich Harrer. As Lhasa was the centre of Tibetan Buddhism nearly half of its population were monks.

According to one writer, the population of the city was about 10,000, with some 10,000 monks at Drepung and Sera monasteries 1959^[13] Hugh Richardson, on the other hand, puts the population of Lhasa in 1952, before the Chinese occupation, at "some 25,000–30,000—about 45,000–50,000 if the population of the great monasteries on its outskirts be included."^[14]

With the invasion of China many people fled from the city; these included the living 14^th Dalai Lama who fled from the Potala Palace into exile in India in 1959 after the Lhasa uprising.

Between 1987–1989 Lhasa experienced major demonstrations, led by monks and nuns, against the Chinese occupation. As a result the Chinese imposed restrictions and political re-education programmes in the monasteries. Many had to go through re-education sessions with the intent of having them align with the Communist views; they were also required to denounce both the Dalai Lama and Tibetan independence. Many monks and nuns who refused to cooperate were sent to prison, while others left the monasteries and escaped to India so that they could carry on with their studies.

In the early 2000s, the city's population stood at about 255,000. For the history of Tibet since 1950, see the History of Tibet.

Jokhang

Geography and climate

Lhasa sits in a flat river valley in the Himalaya Mountains.

Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world, covering a flat river valley in the Himalaya Mountains.^[15]

Lhasa and the prefecture covers an area of close to 30,000 km² (12,000 sq mi). It has a central area of 544 km² (210 sq mi)^[16] and a total population of 500,000; 250,000 of its people live in the urban area. Lhasa is home to the Tibetan, Han, and Hui peoples, as well as several other ethnic groups, but overall the Tibetan ethnic group makes up a majority of the total population.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of about 3,600 metres (11,812 ft)^[17] and lies in the centre of the Tibetan Plateau with the surrounding mountains rising to 5,500 metres (18,000 ft). The Kyi River (or Kyi Chu), a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River), runs through the city. This river, known to local Tibetans as the "merry blue waves,", flows through the snow-covered peaks and gullies of the Nyainqêntanglha mountains, extending 315 km (196 mi), and emptying into the Yarlung Zangbo River at Qüxü, forms an area of great scenic beauty.

Lhasa features a cold steppe climate. Due to its very high altitude, Lhasa has a cool, dry climate with frosty winters. It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually and is sometimes called the "sunlit city" by Tibetans.

Lhasa has an annual precipitation of 400 millimetres (16 in) with rain falling mainly in July, August and September. The rainy season is widely regarded the "best" of the year as rains come mostly at night and Lhasa is sunny during the daytime.

Temperature; Daily average (January) -1.2^oC, 29.8^oF; (July) 16.4^oC, 61.5^oF

Precipitation; Daily average (January) 0.5 mm, 0.02 inches; (July) 129.7 mm, 5.11 inches.^[16]

Administration

Lhasa prefecture-level city in Tibet Autonomous Region

Counties of the Lhasa Prefecture

Administratively speaking, Lhasa is a prefecture-level city that consists of one district and seven counties. The district comprises the urban area of Lhasa and is called Chengguan District (Tibetan: ཁྲིན་ཀོན་ཆུས་, Wylie: khrin kon chus, simplified Chinese: 城关区; traditional Chinese: 城關區; pinyin: Chéngguān Qū). The seven counties are Lhünzhub, Damxung, Nyêmo, Qüxü, Doilungdêqên, Dagzê, and Maizhokunggar.

Economy

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Competitive industry together with feature economy play key roles in the development of Lhasa. With the view to maintaining a balance between population growth and the environment, tourism and service industries are emphasised as growth engines for the future.

Agriculture and animal husbandry in Lhasa are considered to be of a high standard. People mainly plant highland barley and winter wheat. The resources of water conservancy, geothermal heating, solar energy and various mines are abundant.

There is widespread electricity together with the use of both machinery and traditional methods in the production of such things as textiles, leathers, plastics, matches and embroidery. The production of national handicrafts has made great progress.

A market in Lhasa.

With the growth of tourism and service sectors, the sunset industries which cause serious pollution are expected to fade in the hope 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, building on the attractiveness of the Potala Palace, the spectacular Himalayan landscape together with the many wild plants and animals native to the high altitudes of Central Asia. Many of Lhasa's rural residents practice traditional agriculture and animal husbandry. Lhasa is also the traditional hub of the Tibetan trading network. For many years, chemical and car making plants operated in the area and this resulted in significant pullution, a factor which has changed in recent years. Copper, lead and zinc are mined nearby and there is ongoing experimentation regarding new methods of mineral mining and geothermal heat extraction.

Demographics

An elderly Tibetan woman holding a prayer wheel on the street in Lhasa

Woman with son busking in Lhasa, 1993.

Tibetan exile groups assert that ethnic Tibetans are now in a minority in Lhasa, because of the influx of migrants from other parts of the Peoples' Republic of China over the past years (particularly Han and Hui Chinese). This is backed up by many foreign journalists who have reported from the city.^[19][20] Officially, the total population of Lhasa Prefecture-level City is 521,500 (including known migrant population but excluding military garrisons). Of this, 257,400 are in the urban area (including a migrant population of 100,700), while 264,100 are outside.^[21] Nearly half of Lhasa Prefecture-level City's population lives in Chengguan District, which is the administrative division that contains the urban area of Lhasa (i.e. the actual city).

According to the 2000 census (which did not count the substantial People's Liberation Army garrison or the many undocumented migrants), the ethnic distribution in Lhasa Prefecture-level City was as follows in November 2000:

Mendicant monk in Lhasa

The Tibetan government in exile assert that, if the excluded military garrisons and migrants from outside Tibet were to be considered, ethnic Tibetans would be seen as being a minority in Lhasa. Resentment at the relative wealth and influence of the newcomers was one of the reasons behind the recent unrest in the city.

Culture and landmarks

Potala

Norbulingka

The Barkhor, a place for walking, meditation and shopping

Lhasa has many sites of historic interest, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Zhefeng Temple, Drepung Monastery and Norbulingka. However, many important sites were damaged or destroyed mostly, but not solely, during the Cultural Revolution.^[23][24][25]

The city of Lhasa contains three concentric paths used by pilgrims to circumambulate (walk around) the sacred Johkhang Temple, many of whom make full or partial prostrations along these routes in order to gain spiritual merit. The innermost, the Nangkor (Nang-skor), is contained within the Jokhang Temple, and surrounds the sanctuary of the Jowo Shakyamuni, the most sacred statue in Tibetan Buddhism. The middle circumambulatory, the Barkor (Bar-skor), passes through the Old Town and surrounds the Jokhang Temple and various other buildings in its vicinity. The outer Lingkor (Gling-skor) encircles the entire traditional city of Lhasa. Due to the construction of a large new street, Beijing Lam, the Lingkor is not usually used by pilgrims.

Every August the Shoton Festival, one of Tibet's biggest traditional festivals, is held in Lhasa; it was first held in the 7th century.

Food in Lhasa can also be seen as part of the culture. Usually, Tibetans live on mutton and beef. Especially for the herdsmen, who dry the mutton and beef before winter comes so that there are supplies during the cold months. Wine is indispensable to Tibetans, who brew it with Qingke, a kind of crop which grows on Qingzang Plateau.

Landmarks

• Potala Palace
• Barkhor
• Tromzikhang
• Jokhang
• Norbulingka
• Lingkhor
• Muru Nyingba
• Chokpuri
• North Linkor Road
• Tibet University
• Lhasa Carpet Factory
• Lhasa Hotel
• Lhasa railway station
• Lhasa west railway station
• Central Beijing Road

Tourism

Sho dun (Shotun) festival

According to the region's authorities, 1.1 million people visited Tibet in 2004. Chinese authorities plan an ambitious growth of tourism in the region aiming at 10 million visitors by 2020; these visitors are expected to be mostly ethnic Chinese. Proponents of greater Tibetan autonomy are concerned that the increase in tourism will lead to an erosion of the indigenous culture of Tibet; in particular, these proponents have stated that renovation around historic sites, such as the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are creating a jarring "Disney-like" degradation of the sacred site.^[26]

Transport

Mainstreet

Railway

The new Lhasa Railway which proceeds north and then east to Xining, some 2000 km, is the highest plateau railway in the world. Journalists report that the opening of the railway in July 2006 has brought with it an increasing demand for property which has pushed prices up.

Five trains arrive at and depart from Lhasa railway station each day. Train numbered T27 takes 47 hours, 28 minutes from Beijing West, arrives in Lhasa at 20:58 every day. The ticket costs 389 yuan for 'hard seat', or 813 yuan for a lower 'hard sleeper', 1262 yuan for a lower 'soft sleeper'. T28 from Lhasa to Beijing West departs at 08:00 and arrives in Beijing at 08:00 on the third day, taking 48 hours. There are also trains from Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Xining, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Initially the large altitude difference has caused problems on this route, giving passengers altitude sickness. To counter this, extra oxygen is pumped in through the ventilation system, and personal oxygen masks are available.^[27]

Air Transport

Lhasa Gonggar Airport is located about one hour's taxi ride south from the city. There are flight connections to several Chinese cities including Beijing and Chengdu, and to Kathmandu in Nepal.

Highway

• The Qinghai-Tibet Highway (part of G109) runs to northeast toward Xining and eventually to Beijing and is the mostly used road.
• The Sichuan-Tibet Highway (part of G318) runs east towards Chengdu and eventually to Shanghai.
• The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway (G219) runs north to Yecheng, Xinjiang. This road is rarely used due to the lack of amenities and petrol stations.

Lhasa in entertainment

Bar in Lhasa with image of Potala on wall. 1993.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

Life in Lhasa was covered by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in his book Seven Years In Tibet and the film of that same name which starred Brad Pitt and David Thewlis. The book in particular relates the story of his life in Lhasa during the 1940s. His autobiography, Beyond Seven Years in Tibet, published in English in 2007 also gives a perspective on his time in Lhasa.

There are some night spots which feature cabaret acts in which performers sing in English, Chinese, Tibetan, and Nepalese songs and dancers wear traditional Tibetan costume with long flowing cloth extending from their arms. There are a number of small bars which feature live music, although they typically have limited drink menus and cater mostly to foreign tourists.

In 1995 a British electronic music act Banco de Gaia released the album Last Train to Lhasa. The Chinese rock artist Zheng Jun has recorded a hit song titled "Back to Lhasa" (Hui Dao Lasa). The song is filled with swirling Tibetan influences and rapidly took on the status of a cult classic.

Gallery

Stone lion. Lhasa. 1938.	Lhasa streetscene. 1938.	Vendor in Lhasa market. 1938.	Erecting a prayer pole. Lhasa. 1938.
Foodstall. Lhasa. 1938.	Lhasa is located in the Lhasa Valley of Tibet.		View of the main road in Lhasa.

Footnotes

References

• Das, Sarat Chandra. 1902. Lhasa and Central Tibet. Reprint: Mehra Offset Press, Delhi. 1988. ISBN 81-86230-17-3
• Dorje, Gyurme. 1999. Footprint Tibet Handbook. 2nd Edition. Bath, England. ISBN 1 900949 33 4. Also published in Chicago, U.S.A. ISBN 0 8442-2190-2.
• Dowman, Keith. 1988. The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 59. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0 (ppk).
• Miles, Paul. (April 9, 2005). "Tourism drive 'is destroying Tibet' Unesco fears for Lhasa's World Heritage sites as the Chinese try to pull in 10 million visitors a year by 2020". Daily Telegraph (London), p. 4.
• Pelliot, Paul. (1961) Histoire ancienne du Tibet. Libraire d'Amérique et d'orient. Paris.
• Richardson, Hugh E (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Shambhala Publications, Boston. ISBN 0-87773-376-7.
• Richardson, Hugh E (1997). Lhasa. In Encyclopedia Americana international edition, (Vol. 17, pp. 281–282). Danbury, CT: Grolier Inc.
• Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, p. 38. Reprint 1972. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (paper).
• Vitali, Roberto. 1990. Early Temples of Central Tibet. Serindia Publications. London. ISBN 0-906026-25-3.
• Liu, Jianqiang (2006). chinadialogue - Preserving Lhasa's history (part one).
• (2006). Lhasa - Lhasa Intro

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lhasa

• People's Government of Lhasa Official Website
• Lhasa @ China Tibet Information Center
• Lhasa Nights art exhibition
• Grand temple of Buddha at Lhasa in 1902, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

Videos

• Short form of a video travelogue to Lhasa - the skyway over Sichuan-Tibet Highway to Lhasa, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Serena Monastery, Tibet Train from Lhasa to Chengdu

Maps and aerial photos

• Map central Lhasa
• Old map of central Lhasa from 1959

Coordinates: 29°39′N 91°06′E / 29.65°N 91.1°E / 29.65; 91.1

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v • d • e Lhasa Prefecture County-level divisions Lhünzhub · Damxung · Nyêmo · Qüxü · Doilungdêqên · Dagzê · Maizhokunggar · Chengguan District · Caina (township) Notable landmarks Barkhor · Lingkhor · Tromzikhang  · Potala Palace · Norbulingka · Jokhang Temple · Tsomon Ling · Ganden Monastery · Sera Monastery · Pabonka Hermitage · Kundeling Monastery  · Nechung · Nyethang Drolma Lhakhang Temple · Yangpachen Monastery · Lhasa Airport · Lhasa railway station · Chokpori · Drepung Monastery · Ramoche Temple · Reting Monastery · Sanga Monastery · Tibet University · Drapchi Prison  · Banak Shöl Hotel · Lhasa Hotel · Lhasa Brewery · Lhasa Zhol Pillar  · Yerpa People Dalai Lama · Doje Cezhug