Tibet : The Roof of The World

Highlights

Geographical Highlights
Tibet covers 1.2 million sq km, constituting one eighth of China's land mass, second only in size to Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three major 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 ( where the major cities and towns such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse and Tsetang are located ) is agricultural region, occupying about one-fourth of Tibet's land area, and considered as the cultural and political centre of Tibet.

From a topographical viewpoint, the Tibet Plateau is one of the most interesting regions in the world, consisting of high mountains and great rivers, prairie and gorges. It has a very unique environment and many unique plateaus, with the largest scale of vertical eco-system zones, from the highest point on the earth - Mount Everest ( or 'Qomolangma', in Chinese ) at 8,850m - to the bottom of valley 900 meters in elevation.

The Tibetan Plateau has the largest and widest space area in the world, with the famous Changtang ( 'Qiangtang' in Chinese ) Grasslands in North Tibet spreading from east to west over 2,400 kilometers and from north to south over 700 kilometers, averaging 4,500 meters at sea level. This boundless grassland is the principal pastoral area in Tibet.

There are many numerous glaciers and Tibet has the largest canyon in the world - the Yarlung Zangbo River Great Canyon with a total depth 5,382 meter - from where many important rivers ( the Ganges, Mekong ) originated. There are more than 1500 lakes including 47 with over 100 square kilometers. Lake area stands at 24,183 square kilometers, representing over one-third of the total lake area in China.

The Tibetan Plateau is also the highest plateau in the world, with an average altitude of 4500m. Tibet is surrounded by high mountains with the Kunlun mountains in the north, the Himalayas in the south, the Kela Kunlun ranges in the west and the steep Hengduan ranges in the east. There are 6 peaks of over 8,000 meters at sea level, 50 peaks of over 7,000 meters at sea level and numerous peaks of over 6,000 meters at sea level. In the last century since its opening, Tibet has become a real paradise for mountaineers and explorers.

Lhasa - City of Sunshine
Lhasa means holy land in Tibetan. On the northern bank of Lhasa River, a tributary of Yarlungtsanpo River, it is 3,650 meters above sea level. It is famous for its long history. Lhasa is also famous as a city of sunshine for its sunshine of more than 3,000 hours a year. It is the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region and is a political, economic and cultural center of the region. It boasts many historical sites and scenic spots both in its urban areas and outskirts.

The Potala Palace
The Potala was the place of the Dalai Lama. It was originally built in the 7th century by King Songtsan Gampo and rebuilt to the present size by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Its 13-story main building is 117metershigh and is composed of the Red and White Palaces, with the red one in the middle. The main building consists of the Halls of Stupas of Dalai Lamas from various historical stages and halls of Buddhist statues. The White Palace is the residence of the Dalai Lamas and places for handing political affairs. The Potala Palace houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including the Pattra-leaf scripture from India, Bak’gyur and the imperial edicts, golden seals and titles of nobility granted by the Qing emperors to the Dalai Lamas.

Jokhang Temple
Located in the center of the ancient city of Lhasa, the Jokhang Temple was built in the seventh century by Songtsan Gambo, the Tang Princess Wen Cheng and Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti. Its four-story main building demonstrates a combination of the Han, Tibetan, Indian and Nepaless architectural styles, as well as a Mandala world outlook of Buddhism. With the Hall of Amitayus Sutra as its center, the temple symbolizes the nucleus of the universe. The Hall of Sakyamuni is the essence of the temple.

Barkhor Street
Barkor Street is a shopping street around the Jokhang Temple. Being 500 meters long, it is also a way along which the pilgrims walk around the monastery while turning prayer wheels in their hands.

Norbulingka
Norbulingka means a lovely garden in Tibetan. Located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, it has been a palace for the Dalai Lamas to stay to escape the summer heat. It was built in the 1740s and covers an area of 36 hectares. It was once a place of bathing and recuperation of the Seventh Dalai Lama. The Qing minister stationed in Tibet built the first palace here. Since then, the eighth, 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas built their own palaces here too. Continuous expansions in the past 200-odd years have turned it a large-scale and Tibet-style palace complex and garden. On festivals and holidays, the local people in their splendid attires come here with food and tents to sing and dance overnight.

Drepung Monastery
On the slope of the Wutse Hill five kilometers northwest of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery was built in 1416 and is the largest monasteries of the Gelug Sect. It covers an area of 250,000 square meters. In its heyday, it had more than 10,000 monks. The monastery has trained a large group of talents for Tibetan Buddhism. The 5th Dalai Lama lived here before he moved to the Potala Palace. It houses plenty of historical and cultural relics and Buddhist classics. In the exciting Shoton Festival, “Sunning the Buddha” ceremony held in the monastery has been one of the most magnificent religious activities in Tibet.

Sera Monastery
At the foot of the Wuze Hill in Sera to the north of Lhasa, the Sera Monastery is one of the three great monasteries in Lhasa and one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Buddhism in Tibet. It was built by one of disciples of Zonggaba in 1419. On 27th of the 12th month of the Tibetan calendar, the monastery holds the grand Sera Bungchen Festival, which attracts flocks of Buddhists and others.

Ganden Monastery
In Dangze County 60 km to the east of Lhasa, it is one of the three great monasteries in Lhasa and one of the six great monasteries of the Gelugpa Sect. Gandain means happiness and contentedness in Tibetan. The Gandain Monastery was built in early 15th century under the supervision of Tsonggaba, the founder of the Gelug Sect. The main buildings include the Coqen Hall, the Chamber of Tsonggaba and the College of Yangbajian.

The Ganden Kora walk has been described as ‘stunning’ by Lonely Planet and ‘should not be missed’, while the 5-6 days Ganden-Samye monastery trek is one of the most popular treks in Tibet.

Samye Monastery
Samye was probably founded during the 770's under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of the Yarlung dynasty, who drew heavily upon Indian architectural styles when designing Samye.   The monastery has been damaged and restored many times throughout its long history.  The present construction was rebuilt by the 6th Dalai Lama and the living Buddha of Reting monastery.  This is the monastery where the very first seven Tibetan monks had been ordained and translated the Buddhist scriptures from the Sanskirit and Pali into Tibetan.  The structure of the monastery is so unique and fascinating for its distinction. Samye Monastery is designed to represent the Buddhist universe and many of the buildings in the courtyard are cosmological symbols.

Namtso Lake
At 4627m above sea level, Namtso is said to be the highest lake in the world. Bordered to the south by the Nyanchen Thanglha mountain range and surrounded by desolate grassy plains, this vast lake, China's second largest (70km long, 30km wide), lies in one of Tibet's coldest and most unpredictable climates. Even in the summer, frequent storms and high winds sweep down from the mountains and drench the area with rain and hail, leaving visitors dazzled by misty rainbows and the sound of thousands of prayer flags fluttering against silver gray skies. Countless rock cairns, lapsi flag pyramids, and mani prayer stones that demarcate energy centers and sacred spaces lend a sense of Tibetan's strong spiritual culture to Namtso's astounding natural beauty.

Shoton Festival
The Shoton (or Xuedun) Festival is one of the grandest festivals in Tibet. Prior to the 17th century, Shoton had been an exclusively religious observance. The month of June on the Tibetan calendar was reserved for self-cultivation and meditation for all the monks who were not allowed to go out of monasteries until July 1, when local residents would offer alms of yogurt (Sho, in Tibetan). From around the mid-17th century, Tibetan local operas were added to festival celebrations which were held around monasteries and in Lhasa the Drepung Monastery. From the beginning of the 18th century, the main site of the festival was moved to Norbu Lingka and celebrations became formalized which include shining of the Buddha's portrait, folk amusement at the local park and performances of Tibetan operas. Popular fairs are also organized during the festival.

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.

Changtang Ngachu - 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.