Tibet
Lhasa Tour
Lhasa Tsedang Tour
Art of Bhutan
Laya Gasa Trek
Lhasa Yamdrok Tso Lake
About Tibet
Tibet Autonomous Region situated in the west of China covers a total area of 1.2 million sq. km.Occupying one-eighth of the national total area, it is the second largest jurisdiction in China. It is adjoined with Xinjiang and Qinghai to the north, Sichuan to the east, and Yunnan to the southeast. It is bordered to India, Nepal, Burma and Bhutan to the south and Kashmir to the southwest. The boundary line is as long as 4000 km. Lhasa is not only the capital city of Tibet, but also the first largest city in Tibet, second being Shigatse. Therefore, this region is known as “the roof of the world”. But millions of years ago here was only an ancient sea. The geologists call it “the ancient sea of Turish”. The landforms and historical remains can still be found in Tibet. The Tibet Plateau has shown the historical testimony that time has brought great changes to the world.
Tibet has a varied topography divided into three different natural parts: the northern Tibet Plateau in the west which lies between the Kunlun and the Tangula and the Gandise and the Nyanqin Tangula ranges, covering two-thirds of the total area in the Tibet Autonomous region, the river valleys in the southern part of Tibet which lie between the Gangdise and the Himalaya ranges; the eastern part of Tibet belongs to an area of deep gorges where a series of mountain ranges from east to west criss-crossing mountain ranges running from south to north. This is some parts of the Hengduan mountain range, whose landform can be divided into six types of terrains such as ultra-high mountain, high mountain, medium-high mountain, low mountain, hill and plain. There is also ice-field Karst topography, wind-sanded and volcanic land.
The Himalayas to the south of the Tibetan Plateau is the youngest and highest range on earth, which consist of a series of parallel ranges running from south to north. Its main part is at the juncture of three countries: China, India and Napal. It has a distance of 2400 km. in the length, 200-300 km in width. Its altitude is over 6000 m, the highest range in the world---Mt. Qomolangma, stands in the middle of the Himalaya range. In its surrounding area of more than 5000 sq. km, there are four of the world’s 8000-meter peaks and thirty-eight of the 7000-meter peaks.
Within the boundary of the Tibet Autonomous Region there are over 20 rivers whose flow coverage is over 10,000 sq. km, and 100 rivers, whose flow coverage is over 2000 sq. km. The famous rivers are the Yangtse, the Gyalmo Ngulchu, the Zachu, and the Yarlung Tsangpo. Tibet also is the most extensively distributed of the international river area in China. The source of the famous rivers Ganges, Bramaputra, Indus, and the Mekong river, the Salween, the Yilowade River are all gathered here. The water of Tibet's rivers comes from rainfall, snow and underground water. There are 1500 lakes, big and small, in the Tibet plateau. Among them, 47 lakes are over 100-sq. km. in size. The total area of lakes is more than 2400 sq. km, which is one-third of the national total in China. The Tibet plateau is not only the biggest in size and the most spotted in lakes, but also the highest altitude of the surface of lakes. The water in these lakes is salty.
Lhasa
Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, which is considered to be the center of politics, economy and cultural, communication as well as tourism. It is located in the northern bank of Kyichu River, the main tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo River. It is also an ancient cultural city with a history of 1300 years.
In early times, Lhasa was called Rasa, literally “goat earth”. It is said that Lhasa was originally a fenland. At first, the Jokhang Temple was constructed with earth carried by white goats after the arrival of Princess Wencheng to Tibet who suggested to build it. After Songtsen Gampo set up the Tubo kingdom, he moved the capital to Rasa. It was changed into Lhasa in 9th century, which means "the Holy Land", or "the secred land" as known till now. With the rapid growth of the Tubo’s politics, economy, cultural and Buddhism, the Potala palace, the Jokhang Temple and the Ramoche Temple were gradually built and formed an embryonic-shaped of the old city with the Jokhang Temple as the center. In consequence for over 1300 years, with the regime being renovated, a well-known historical city in palaces, Buddhist halls and inhabitants with uniquely dominant features stood up in the Lhasa valley. Today, the total area of the Lhasa municipality expanded to 30,000 sq. km. with its urban area of 523 sq. km. Which has seven prefectures and one dustrict under its jurisdiction. The total population in the city is about 474,500 with 140,00 of people living in the urban district. There are more than thirty nationalities such as Tibetans, Hans, and Moslems of which Tibetans make up 87% of the total population.
Shigatse
Situated at the juncture of rivers Yarlung Tsangpo and Nyangchu, Shigatse is an ancient city on the Plateau of which its history can be traced back to more than 500 years. With its altitude of 3,800 m, Shigatse covers a total area of 182,000-sq. km. in 18 counties. With population of 635,200 under its jurisdiction, Shigatse is historically named “Nyangme” which means “the lower reaches of the Nyangchu River” in Tibetan. In the past it belonged to the region of Tsang. During the Tubo Dynasty, “U-Tsang” area was divided into “the Four Ru” and this area was “The Yi Ru”, a part of “Rula”. During the Yuan Dynasty, Pakpa, the head of the Sakya Sect, took Sakya as a center to institude local administrative authority in actual control of all Tibet by the support of the Yuan imperial court. The Sakya regime was authorized to take control over “13 Myriarchies” (communities of 10,000 households each) and the chieftain of each myriarchy was directly appointed by the Yuan imperial court out of which 40,000 hoseholds were in today’s Shigatse area. In the later period of Phakmo Drupa Dynasty, the Rinpungpa families took over the Tsang area (in Shigatse) and established its political power on the basis of Shigatse. Later Tsangpa Khan overthrew the Phakmo Drupa Dynasty to establish the Desi system and exercised authority over the whole region which had once led Shigatse to become the centre of politics, economy and culture across the whole of Tibet. In 17th century, after Gushi Khan helped Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama, to perish Tsangpa Khan, the 4th Panchen moved into the Tashilunpo Monastery marking the beginning of local rule through the Panchen's leadership under the jurisdiction of the Central Government of Qing Dynasty. Taday’s Shigatse has become the second largest city in Tibet. The prosperous living level in Shigatse bears comparison with that in Lhasa.