Location

Tibet is located in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in the southwest frontiers of China. Tibet borders with Sichuan, Yuannan, Qinghai and Xinjiang; to the south lies India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma, and in the west, the country is bounded by Kashmir.

Physical Features

Lying in the highest region of the world, Tibet is often referred to by the sobriquet ‘the roof of the world.’ Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three main parts, the east, north and south. The eastern part is the forest region, occupying approximately one-fourth of the total land area. The northern part is open grasslands, where nomads and yak and sheep dwell. This part occupies approximately half of Tibet. The southern and central part is agricultural region, occupying about one-fourth of Tibet's land area, with all major Tibetan cities and towns such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse ad Tsetang located in this area. It is considered the cultural center of Tibet. The total area of the Tibet Autonomous Region is 1,200,000 sq km and its population is 1,890,000. The region is administratively divided into one municipality and six prefectures. The municipality is Lhasa, while the six prefectures are Shigatse, Ngari, Lhaoka, Chamdo, Nakchu and Nyingtri.

Climate

Winters are cold, but with little snowfall, except in the Yadong/Chumbii valley area. The sun shines brightly even in these days, but the air is cold. Thus, it would not be surprising to be sunburned in December in Lhasa, while on the dappled side of the street the gutters are full of ice as late as March. Summers are warm, but not hot, though the sun can be very strong due to the altitude. In central and western Tibet, there are slight monsoon showers in June. In the regions at the edge of the Tibetan plateau, namely, Eastern Amdo and Khams, the rain is not so predictable. Apparently, the summer and autumn seasons are drier times of the year. Trekking in mid-winter is not feasible due to the cold and the shorter days. The daytime temperature can be as low as –4°C; the sun does not rise until 9.00 am and it gets dark by 5.30 pm.

History

Tibetan history can be traced thousands of years back. However, the written history only dates back to the 7th century when Songtsan Gampo, the 33rd Tibetan king, sent his minister Sambhota to India to study Sanskrit, who on his return invented the present Tibetan script based on Sanskrit. Tibet's history can be divided into four periods: the Tsanpo's period, the period of decentralization, the period of Sakya, Pagdu, and Karmapa's rule, and the period of the Gandan Podrang's rule.

Arts & Crafts

There are three categories of Tibetan art: (a) flat (two-dimensional) paintings that include thangka, fresco, wooden tablet and sand painting; (b) solid (three-dimensional) objects that include bronze, clay sculpture, clay modeling, wooden carving, stone carving, ritual objects, butter sculpture, and mask; and (c) costume.

Fairs & Festivals

There are many colorful Tibetan festivals. Some are traditional, such as the New Year's Day, celebrated from the 23rd day of the last month of the year; Lingka festival, celebrated from the 15th day of the fifth month for 3–15 days; Bath Day, held from the 6th to the 12th day of the seventh month; and the Field Day or the harvest festival in the eighth month. Some festivals are religious, as the Great Prayer Festival or Smon-lam, the date of which varies from monastery to monastery. Lord Buddha's birthday, celebrated on the 8th day of the fourth Tibetan month, Buddha's Nirvana day on the 15th day of the fourth Tibetan month, the celebration of Buddha's return to the world of the gods on the 22nd day of the ninth month, and Tsongkha-pa's passage on the 25th day of the tenth month, etc., are other religious festivals.

Cuisine

Due to the high altitude of Tibet, the water boils at 90°C, and cooking with water is impossible. The diet and foods are peculiar in Tibet. The Tibetan diet consists mostly of meat, milks and other high-protein foods. The staple diet is tsamba. This is made of roasted barley (with husk) ground with a hand mill into very fine flour, which is mixed with a little tea and then rolled into small lumps and eaten with fingers. Butter, curds and sugar add flavor. Tubo is a savory evening gruel made of lumps of wheat flour, tsamba, dried meat and a tuber called yuangen. Travelers usually bring dried meat, tsamba, and tea for foods.

Tea is a necessity. There are three ways to make tea: simple tea, milk tea and butter tea. The most common tea leaves are produced in the Han Land, Fu Tea in Hunan, Tou Tea in Yuannan and Ta Tea in Szechwan. Tibetan tea drinking forms a special tea culture. Simple tea is boiled tea without any additive. Milk tea is also called sweet tea. It is an imitation of English tea and Indian tea. Butter tea, a Tibetan specialty, is made by putting hot boiled tea and a dash of salt into a tall and slender churn, adding a pat of butter, and finally stirring the mixture heavily until the tea and butter are well blended. Barley beer is made of barley, slightly sour, and resembles the ordinary beer. It is necessary in the weddings and the funerals.

In the winters, beef and mutton are cut into long stripes to be air-dried in the circular ground caves or bins walled with stones or dung. Dried beef and mutton keep better and longer, as the bacteria in them are killed during the drying process in deep winter. Dried meat also packs well. The dried meat is then barbequed or eaten raw. Finger meat and tails of white sheep are delicacies here. There are four different sausages in Tibet: blood, meat, flour and liver.

Milk is taken fresh or made into yogurt, or is separated by churning into butter and curds. In the central and western parts of Tibet, the yogurt is thin and smooth. In the east, it is too thick to stir. Yogurt has been a Tibetan food for more than 1,000 years.

SITES TO VISIT

Tibet is famous for its monasteries. The Potala Palace in Lhasa is one of the world’s most celebrated Buddhist sites. It is situated on the top of Mt. Putup, has 1,000 rooms, and is a huge storehouse of Buddhist cultural artifacts. The Tashilhunpo Monastery sprawls on the slope of Mt. Niser, covering an area of 3,00,000 sq m. The Sakya Monastery is an art gallery in itself. The Xialu Monastery is located in Rikuozo and combines in itself the Tibetan and Chinese forms of architecture. The Kumbum Monastery, in Gyantse, is famous for its nine-storied pagoda, housing 10,000 statues of Lord Buddha. The Samye Monastery is at the foot of Mt. Haibusi and is a combined feat of Indian, Chinese and Tibetan architecture. The Changzu Monastery is also called the Pearl Monastery and is on the east bank of the Yalong River. Yungbulakang is the palace of the first Tubo King Niechi in the Yalong River Valley. It is also called "the Mosher and Song Holy Hall.” The Norbulingka Park is a beautiful park in the western suburbs of Lhasa. It used to be the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas where they handled political affairs, and practiced religious activities.

Tibet is full of rivers and lakes that provide abundance of hydroelectric power and aquatic products. Bushy banks of the rivers and lakes are the homes of swans and geese. The Yaluzangbu River, in South Tibet, provides ample opportunities for canoeing and boating in yak-hide boats. The Gold Sand, Lancang and Nu Rivers flow down from north to the south into Yuannan. Accompanied by the grand sceneries of Mt. Hengduan, the area covered by these three rivers forms a picturesque locale.

The Mansarovar Lake, with an area of 400 sq km, is believed by the Buddhists to be bestowed from heaven. The holy water can cure all kinds of diseases, wash people clean, and get rid of people's worries. After walking around the lake and taking baths at the Four Bathing Gates, the pilgrims can be free from sins and can be bestowed happiness. It is a pilgrimage site for thousands of Hindus every year, who come from India. The Yangzongyong Lake, in Longkamu, is known as the “Fish Store of Tibet.” With an area of 1,940 sq km, the Namu Lake is the second largest salt-water lake. There are three islands in the lake. The lake is an ideal habitat for all kinds of aquatic life.

The mountains and peaks in the Tibetan plateau are either covered or capped with silver snow. Mt. Everest, Luozi, Makalu, Zhuoayou, Xixiabangma and Nanjiabawa seem to be competing to stand up higher than other peaks on earth. Huge rocks are seen piercing into the sky. White ice towers, stalagmites and stalactites, the serene looking ice sheep against the ferocious looking ice lion are the masterpieces of ice carving by the great nature. Mt. Kailash is considered the most sacred mountain by Buddhists and Hindus alike. Buddhists believe it to be the axis of Mt. Sumeru, the central mountain amidst the four continents of the old concept of world system. Hindus believe it to be the throne of Lord Shiva.

HOW TO REACH

One can fly to Lhasa from Chengdu. If one is lucky enough, one will be issued a ticket by the local airline office. They may refer the tourist to the police station where one must ask for a permit.