Tibet (part of China!)

Located on the Roof of the World, there are many mountains to climb, things to eat, and sites to explore.

History
In 1950 Communist China invaded the country; in 1951 Tibet was forcibly made an autonomous province of China. A rebellion against the Chinese was halted in 1959, and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee. From 1959 until 1964, the Panchen Lama served as an ally while China consolidated its control over Tibet. When he began to denounce China's neglect of Tibetan culture, he was replaced with a pro-Chinese leader. Chinese authorities vigorously attempted to replace the Tibetan language with Chinese and to reduce religious belief. They also dismantled the feudal system. By 1980, however, these policies had ceased, mainly because of a change in Chinese leadership.

More major protests against Chinese domination occurred in Tibet in the late 1980's. The Panchen Lama died in 1989. The Dalai Lama worked to find a peaceful way to end Chinese rule, and his efforts were recognized in 1989 when he won a Nobel Peace Prize. The Dalai Lama chose Gedhun Choekyi Nyima to serve as the new Panchen Lama in 1995. However, the Chinese government did not recognize him as such.

A new railway links Lhasa with the Quinhai province city of Golmud. It opened in 2006 and runs 710 miles

Geography
Tibet, a rich and beautiful land, is located at the main part of Qinghai-Tibet plateau, south-West frontier of China. Tibet borders with Sichuan, Yuannan, Qinghai And Xinjiang; to the south contiguous to India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma, and bounded by Kashmir on the west.

Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three majoy parts, the east, north and south. The eastern part is forest region, occupying approximately one-fourth of the land. Virgin forests run The entire breadth and length of this part of Tibet. The northern part is open grassland, where nomads and yak and sheep dwell here. 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.

Politics
As of now, Tibet is considered an autonomous region of China. There are many who want an independent or semi-independent Tibet. Although China did modernize and improve many aspects of Tibetan society, many locals feel they are being outnumbered by Han migrants.

Economy
The Tibetan economy consists of subsistence agriculture, or the growing of enough food to live off of. There is very little arable land available and the main crops grown are barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, potatoes and assorted fruits and vegetables. Livestock are also raised, mainly in the Tibetan Plateau, among them are sheep, cattle, goals, camels, yaks and horses.

The industry that brings in the most income is that of handicrafts. These include Tibetan hats, jewelry (silver and gold), wooden items, clothing, quilts, fabrics and carpets. Another important revenue generator is tourism, with tourists most staying in Lhasa or going to Xihaze and the Mount Everest base camp.

Culture
The people of Tibet are strong, and adaptable due to the harsh environment in which they live, but they are also extremely warm and hospitable. They are always quick to invite a visitor to Tibet into their home and serve them homemade food, and the famous Tibetan butter tea.

Buttered tea is a staple of Tibetan cuisine. Tibetans drink butter tea because it warms them up. The buttered tea is quite salty. Some people think it tastes more like soup broth than tea.

Tibetan food is not only sustenance, but also helps Tibetan people survive the harsh climates. Their food keeps them warm, gives them energy, helps them with the high altitude, and gives them nutrients essential to the harsh climate. Due to the high altitude of Tibet, water boils at 90 degrees making cooking with water impossible, so Tibetan food has become very specialized. The Tibetan diet consists mostly of meat, milks and other high protein foods.

Religion
Tibetan Buddhism is unique in the fact that they believe in the Living Buddha, a reincarnation of the original. As well as believing in reincarnation of their leaders in the Dalai Lamas.

Lhasa (11850 ft) - The land of Gods
"Lhasa" in Tibetan means "the land of gods" and is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region is located between 29o 36'N and 19o 06' E at the north bank of Kyichu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, at an altitude of 3650 meters above he sea level. Lhasa has history of more than 1300 years and it's been the center of politics, economy, culture and religion in Tibet since ancient times. There are numerous scenic spots and historical attractions, among which Potala Palace, Norbulingka, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, being the most famous.

Tashilungpo Monastery


It is the biggest Gelugpa monastery in the Tsang region of Tibet. It is located in the town of Sigatse and was founded by Gedun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelungpa Sect. Gedun Drup was later recognized as the first Dalai Lama. It was formerly built in 1447 and continuously expanded by the successive Panchen Lamas. The Ngagpa College (Tantric College), one of its four monastic colleges, was the residence of the Panchen lamas. The most amazing image in this monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914, and took four years for its establishment. This giant statue stands twenty six meters in height and 275 Kg. of solid gold, great quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers have absolved for its construction. The 4th Panchen Lama's funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it stands eleven meters high and it covered with solid gold and silver.

The Himalayas
The mighty Himalayas, like a silver screen zigzags along Tibet's southern horizon. It possesses eleven peaks over 8000 meters above sea level, among which five lie along the Sino - Nepalese boundary line, namely, Mt. Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) (8848m), the world's highest peak, Mt. Lhotse (8516m), the world's fourth highest peak, Mt Makalu (8463 m) the fifth highest, Mt. Cho Oyu (8201m), the sixth highest and Mt. Shisha Pangma (8012m) the 14th highest. Some thirty peaks over 7000 meters and many more are above 6000 meters also in this same Shigarse region.

The landscape at the northern side of the Himalayas is as attractive as it is in the south. World's highest glaciers are found at the northern slope of the Himalayas, which are mysteriously in wait for man's exploration. A trip to the Himalayas would bring one a lot of unforgettable memories!

Mt. Everest (Qomolangma)


Qomolangma Meaning " Goddess" in Tibetan, is the highest mountain on earth with an altitude of 8848m. Mount Qomolangma, known to the western world as Mt. Everest, stands a the south of Tingri in the southern Tibet, on the border land of the central Himalayas, between China and Nepal, capped with accumulated eternal snow. The optimum weather on Mount Qomolangma is from April to June, an golden period for mountaineers. Each year a great number brave robust mountaineers come from all over the world to tour and climb Mount Qomolangma, hoping to fulfil a life-long wish by climbing and looking out the world's highest peak.