Tibet

Tibet(/tɪˈbɛt/;Tibetan:བོད,Lhasa dialect:[pʰøːʔ˨˧˩]Böd;Chinese:藏区;pinyin:Zàngqū), orGreater Tibet,is a region in the western part ofEast Asia, covering much of theTibetan Plateauand spanning about 470,000 sq mi (1,200,000 km).It is the homeland of theTibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups such asMongols,Monpa,Tamang,Qiang,Sherpa,Lhoba, and since the 20th centuryHan ChineseandHui.Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 4,380 m (14,000 ft).Located in theHimalayas, the highest elevation in Tibet isMount Everest, Earth's highest mountain, rising 8,848 m (29,000 ft) above sea level.
TheTibetan Empireemerged in the 7th century. At its height in the 9th century, the Tibetan Empire extended far beyond the Tibetan Plateau, from theTarim BasinandPamirsin the west, toYunnanandBengalin the southeast. It then divided into a variety of territories. The bulk of western and central Tibet (Ü-Tsang) was often at least nominally unified under a series of Tibetan governments inLhasa,Shigatse, or nearby locations. The eastern regions ofKhamandAmdooften maintained a more decentralized indigenous political structure, being divided among a number of small principalities and tribal groups, while also often falling under Chinese rule; most of this area was eventually annexed into the Chinese provinces ofSichuanandQinghai. The current borders of Tibet were generally established in the 18th century.
Following theXinhai Revolutionagainst theQing dynastyin 1912, Qing soldiers were disarmed and escorted out of Ü-Tsang, but it has been constitutionally claimed by theRepublic of Chinaas theTibet Area. The13th Dalai Lamadeclared the region's independencein 1913, although it was neither recognised by theChinese Republican governmentnor any foreign power.Lhasa later took control of westernXikangas well. The region maintained its autonomy until 1951 when, following theBattle of Chamdo, it was occupied andannexed by the People's Republic of China (PRC). The entire plateau came under PRC administration. The Tibetan government was abolished after the failure of the1959 Tibetan uprising.Today, China governs western and central Tibet as theXizang Autonomous Regionwhile the eastern areas are now mostlyautonomous prefectureswithin Qinghai,Gansu,Yunnanand Sichuan provinces.
TheTibetan independence movementis principally led by theTibetan diaspora.Human rights groups have accused the Chinese government of abuses ofhuman rights in Tibet, includingtorture, arbitrary arrests, and religious repression, with the Chinese government tightly controlling information and denying external scrutiny.While there are conflicting reports on the scale of human rights violations, including allegations of cultural genocide and theSinicization of Tibet, widespread suppression of Tibetan culture and dissent continues to be documented.
The dominantreligion in TibetisTibetan Buddhism; other religions includeBön, anindigenous religionsimilar to Tibetan Buddhism,Islam, andChristianity. Tibetan Buddhism is a primary influence on theart,music, andfestivalsof the region.Tibetan architecturereflectsChineseandIndianinfluences.Staple foods in Tibetare roastedbarley,yakmeat, andbutter tea. With the growth of tourism in recent years, the service sector has become the largest sector in Tibet, accounting for 50.1% of the local GDP in 2020.
TheTibetanname for their land,Bod(བོད་), means 'Tibet' or 'Tibetan Plateau', although it originally meant the central region aroundLhasa, now known in Tibetan asÜ(དབུས).TheStandard Tibetanpronunciation ofBod([pʰøʔ˨˧˨]) is transcribed as:BhöinTournadre Phonetic Transcription;Böin theTHL Simplified Phonetic Transcription; andPoiinTibetan pinyin. Some scholars believe the first written reference toBod('Tibet') was the ancient Bautai people recorded in the Egyptian-Greek worksPeriplus of the Erythraean Sea(1st century CE) andGeographia(Ptolemy, 2nd century CE),itself from theSanskritformBhauṭṭaof the Indian geographical tradition.
The best-known medieval Chinese name for Tibet isTubo(Chinese:吐蕃; orTǔbō,土蕃orTǔfān,土番). This name first appearsin Chinese charactersas土番in the 7th century (Li Tai) and as吐蕃in the 10th century (Old Book of Tang, describing 608–609 emissaries from Tibetan KingNamri SongtsentoEmperor Yang of Sui). In theMiddle Chineselanguage spoken during that period, as reconstructed byWilliam H. Baxter,土番was pronouncedthux-phjon, and吐蕃was pronouncedthux-pjon(with thexrepresenting ashangtone).
Other pre-modern Chinese names for Tibet include:
AmericanTibetologistElliot Sperlinghas argued in favor of a recent tendency by some authors writing in Chinese to revive the termTubote(simplified Chinese:图伯特; traditional Chinese:圖伯特; pinyin:Túbótè) for modern use in place ofXizang, on the grounds thatTubotemore clearly includes the entireTibetan plateaurather than simply theTibet Autonomous Region.
The English wordTibetorThibetdates back to the 18th century.Historical linguistsgenerally agree that "Tibet" names in European languages areloanwordsfromArabicṬībatorTūbātt(Arabic:طيبة، توبات), itself deriving fromTurkicTöbäd(plural oftöbän), literally 'The Heights'.
Linguists generally classify theTibetan languageas aTibeto-Burmanlanguage of theSino-Tibetan languagefamily, although the boundaries between 'Tibetan' and certain otherHimalayanlanguages can be unclear. According toMatthew Kapstein:
The language has numerous regional dialects which are generally not mutually intelligible. It is employed throughout the Tibetan plateau andBhutanand is also spoken in parts ofNepaland northern India, such asSikkim. In general, the dialects of central Tibet (including Lhasa),Kham,Amdoand some smaller nearby areas are considered Tibetan dialects. Other forms, particularlyDzongkha,Sikkimese,Sherpa, andLadakhi, are considered by their speakers, largely for political reasons, to be separate languages. However, if the latter group of Tibetan-type languages are included in the calculation, then 'greater Tibetan' is spoken by approximately 6 million people across the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetan is also spoken by approximately 150,000 exile speakers who have fled from modern-day Tibet to India and other countries.
Although spoken Tibetan varies according to the region, the written language, based onClassical Tibetan, is consistent throughout. This is probably due to the long-standing influence of the Tibetan empire, whose rule embraced (and extended at times far beyond) the present Tibetan linguistic area, which runs fromGilgit Baltistanin the west toYunnanandSichuanin the east, and from north ofQinghai Lakesouth as far as Bhutan. The Tibetan language has itsown scriptwhich it shares withLadakhiandDzongkha, and which is derived from the ancient IndianBrāhmī script.
Starting in 2001, the localdeaf sign languagesof Tibet were standardized, andTibetan Sign Languageis now being promoted across the country.
The first Tibetan-English dictionary and grammar book was written byAlexander Csoma de Kőrösin 1834.
Humans inhabited the Tibetan Plateau at least 21,000 years ago.This population was largely replaced around 3,000BPbyNeolithicimmigrants from northern China, but there is a partial genetic continuity between the Paleolithic inhabitants and contemporary Tibetan populations.
The earliest Tibetan historical texts identify theZhang Zhung cultureas a people who migrated from the Amdo region into what is now the region ofGugein western Tibet.Zhang Zhung is considered to be the original home of theBönreligion.By the 1st century BCE, a neighboring kingdom arose in theYarlung valley, and the Yarlung king,Drigum Tsenpo, attempted to remove the influence of the Zhang Zhung by expelling the Zhang's Bön priests from Yarlung.He was assassinated and Zhang Zhung continued its dominance of the region until it was annexed by Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Prior toSongtsen Gampo, the kings of Tibet were more mythological than factual, and there is insufficient evidence of their existence.
The history of a unified Tibet begins with the rule ofSongtsen Gampo(604–650CE), who united parts of theYarlung RiverValley and founded the Tibetan Empire. He also brought in many reforms, and Tibetan power spread rapidly, creating a large and powerful empire. It is traditionally considered that his first wife was the Princess of Nepal,Bhrikuti, and that she played a great role in the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet. In 640, he marriedPrincess Wencheng, the niece of the Chinese emperorTaizong of Tang China.
Under the next few Tibetan kings, Buddhism became established as the state religion and Tibetan power increased even further over large areas ofCentral Asia, while major inroads were made into Chinese territory, even reaching theTang's capitalChang'an(modernXi'an) in late 763.However, the Tibetan occupation of Chang'an only lasted for fifteen days, after which they were defeated by Tang and its ally, the TurkicUyghur Khaganate.
TheKingdom of Nanzhao(inYunnanand neighbouring regions) remained under Tibetan control from 750 to 794, when they turned on their Tibetan overlords and helped the Chinese inflict a serious defeat on the Tibetans.
In 747, the hold of Tibet was loosened by the campaign of generalGao Xianzhi, who tried to re-open the direct communications between Central Asia andKashmir. By 750, the Tibetans had lost almost all of their central Asian possessions to theChinese. However, after Gao Xianzhi's defeat by theArabsandQarluqsat theBattle of Talas(751) and the subsequentcivil warknown as theAn Lushan Rebellion(755), Chinese influence decreased rapidly and Tibetan influence resumed.
At its height in the 780s to 790s, the Tibetan Empire reached its highest glory when it ruled and controlled a territory stretching from modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.
In 821/822CE, Tibet and China signed a peace treaty. A bilingual account of this treaty, including details of the borders between the two countries, is inscribed on astone pillarwhich stands outside theJokhangtemple in Lhasa.Tibet continued as a Central Asian empire until the mid-9th century, when a civil war over succession led to the collapse of imperial Tibet. The period that followed is known traditionally as theEra of Fragmentation, when political control over Tibet became divided between regional warlords and tribes with no dominant centralized authority. AnIslamic invasionfrom Bengal took place in 1206.
The MongolYuan dynasty, through theBureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs, or Xuanzheng Yuan, ruled Tibet through a top-level administrative department. One of the department's purposes was to select adpon-chen("great administrator"), usually appointed by the lama and confirmed by the Mongol emperor in Beijing.TheSakyalama retained a degree of autonomy, acting as the political authority of the region, while thedpon-chenheld administrative and military power. Mongol rule of Tibet remained separate from the main provinces of China, but the region existedunder the administration of the Yuan dynasty. If the Sakya lama ever came into conflict with thedpon-chen, thedpon-chenhad the authority to send Chinese troops into the region.
Tibet retained nominal power over religious and regional political affairs, while the Mongols managed a structural and administrativerule over the region, reinforced by the rare military intervention. This existed as a "diarchicstructure" under the Yuan emperor, with power primarily in favor of the Mongols.Mongolian princeKhudengained temporal power in Tibet in the 1240s and sponsoredSakya Pandita, whose seat became the capital of Tibet.Drogön Chögyal Phagpa, Sakya Pandita's nephew becameImperial PreceptorofKublai Khan, founder of the Yuan dynasty.
Yuan control over the region ended with the Ming overthrow of the Yuan andTai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen's revolt against the Mongols.Following the uprising, Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen founded thePhagmodrupa dynasty, and sought to reduce Yuan influences over Tibetan culture and politics.
Between 1346 and 1354, Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen toppled the Sakya and founded the Phagmodrupa dynasty. The following 80 years saw the founding of theGelugschool (also known as Yellow Hats) by the disciples ofJe Tsongkhapa, and the founding of the importantGanden,DrepungandSeramonasteries near Lhasa. However, internal strife within the dynasty and the strong localism of the various fiefs and political-religious factions led to a long series of internal conflicts. The minister familyRinpungpa, based inTsang(West Central Tibet), dominated politics after 1435. In 1565 they were overthrown by theTsangpadynasty ofShigatsewhich expanded its power in different directions of Tibet in the following decades and favoured theKarma Kagyusect.
In 1578,Altan Khanof theTümedMongols gaveSonam Gyatso, a high lama of the Gelugpa school, the nameDalai Lama,Dalaibeing the Mongolian translation of the Tibetan nameGyatso"Ocean".
The5th Dalai Lama(1617–1682) is known for unifying the Tibetan heartland under the control of theGelugschool ofTibetan Buddhism, after defeating the rivalKagyuandJonangsects and the secular ruler, theTsangpaprince, in a prolonged civil war. His efforts were successful in part because of aid fromGüshi Khan, theOiratleader of theKhoshut Khanate. With Güshi Khan as a largely uninvolved overlord, the 5th Dalai Lama and his intimates established a civil administration which is referred to by historians as theLhasa state. This Tibetan regime or government is also referred to as theGanden Phodrang.
Qing dynastyrule in Tibet began with their1720 expedition to the countrywhen they expelled the invadingDzungars.Amdocame under Qing control in 1724, and easternKhamwas incorporated into neighbouring Chinese provinces in 1728.Meanwhile, the Qing government sent resident commissioners calledAmbansto Lhasa. In 1750, the Ambans and the majority of theHan ChineseandManchusliving in Lhasa were killed ina riot, and Qing troops arrived quickly and suppressed the rebels in the next year. Like the preceding Yuan dynasty, the Manchus of the Qing dynasty exerted military and administrative control of the region, while granting it a degree of political autonomy. The Qing commander publicly executed a number of supporters of the rebels and, as in 1723 and 1728, made changes in the political structure and drew up a formal organization plan. The Qing now restored the Dalai Lama as ruler, leading the governing council calledKashag,but elevated the role ofAmbansto include more direct involvement in Tibetan internal affairs. At the same time, the Qing took steps to counterbalance the power of the aristocracy by adding officials recruited from the clergy to key posts.
For several decades, peace reigned in Tibet, but in 1792, the QingQianlong Emperorsenta large Chinese army into Tibetto push the invadingNepaleseout. This prompted yet another Qing reorganization of the Tibetan government, this time through a written plan called the "Twenty-Nine Regulations for Better Government in Tibet". Qing military garrisons staffed with Qing troops were now also established near the Nepalese border.Tibet was dominated by the Manchus in various stages in the 18th century, and the years immediately following the 1792 regulations were the peak of the Qing imperial commissioners' authority; but there was no attempt to make Tibet a Chinese province.
In 1834, theSikh Empireinvaded and annexedLadakh, a culturally Tibetan region that was an independent kingdom at the time. Seven years later, a Sikh army led byGeneral Zorawar Singhinvaded western Tibet from Ladakh, starting theSino-Sikh War. A Qing-Tibetan army repelled the invaders but was in turn defeated when it chased the Sikhs into Ladakh. The war ended with the signing of theTreaty of Chushulbetween the Chinese and Sikh empires.
As the Qing dynasty weakened, its authority over Tibet also gradually declined, and by the mid-19th century, its influence was minuscule. Qing authority over Tibet had become more symbolic than real by the late 19th century,although in the 1860s, the Tibetans still chose for reasons of their own to emphasize the empire's symbolic authority and make it seem substantial.
In 1774, aScottishnobleman,George Bogle, travelled toShigatseto investigate prospects of trade for theEast India Company. His efforts, while largely unsuccessful, established permanent contact between Tibet and theWestern world.However, in the 19th century, tensions between foreign powers and Tibet increased. TheBritish Empirewas expanding itsterritories in Indiainto theHimalayas, while theEmirate of Afghanistanand theRussian Empirewere both doing likewise inCentral Asia.
In 1904, aBritish expedition to Tibet, spurred in part by a fear thatRussiawas extending its power into Tibet as part ofthe Great Game, was launched. Although the expedition initially set out with the stated purpose of resolving border disputes between Tibet andSikkim, it quickly turned into a military invasion. The British expeditionary force, consisting ofmostly Indian troops, quickly invaded and captured Lhasa, with theDalai Lamafleeing to the countryside.Afterwards, the leader of the expedition,Sir Francis Younghusband, negotiated theConvention Between Great Britain and Tibetwith the Tibetans, which guaranteed the British great economic influence but ensured the regionremained under Chinese control. The Qing imperial resident, known as theAmban, publicly repudiated the treaty, while the British government, eager for friendly relations with China, negotiated a new treaty two years later known as theConvention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet. The British agreed not to annex or interfere in Tibet in return for an indemnity from the Chinese government, while China agreed not to permit any other foreign state to interfere with the territory or internal administration of Tibet.
In 1910, the Qing government senta military expedition of its ownunderZhao Erfengto establish direct Manchu-Chinese rule and, in an imperial edict, deposed the Dalai Lama, who fled to British India. Zhao Erfeng defeated the Tibetan military conclusively and expelled the Dalai Lama's forces from the province. His actions were unpopular, and there was much animosity against him for his mistreatment of civilians and disregard for local culture.
After theXinhai Revolution(1911–1912) toppled the Qing dynasty and the last Qing troops were escorted out of Tibet, the newRepublic of Chinaapologized for the actions of the Qing and offered to restore the Dalai Lama's title.The Dalai Lama refused any Chinese title and declared himself ruler of anindependent Tibet.In 1913, Tibet andOuter Mongoliaconcludeda treaty of mutual recognition.The ROC continued to view the former Qing territory as its own, including Tibet.For the next 36 years, the 13th Dalai Lama and theregents who succeeded himgoverned Tibet. During this time, Tibet fought Chinese warlords for control of the ethnically Tibetan areas inXikangandQinghai(parts of Kham and Amdo) along the upper reaches of theYangtze River.In 1914, the Tibetan government signed theSimla Conventionwith Britain, which recognized Chinese suzerainty over Tibet in return for a border settlement. China refused to sign the convention.Tibet continued to lack clear boundaries or international recognition of its status.
When in the 1930s and 1940s the regents displayed negligence in affairs, the Kuomintang Government of the Republic of China took advantage of this to expand its reach into the territory.On December 20, 1941, Kuomintang leaderChiang Kai-Sheknoted in his diary that Tibet would be among the territories which he would demand as restitution for China following the conclusion of World War II.
Emerging with control over most ofmainland Chinaafter theChinese Civil War, thePeople's Republic of Chinaannexed Tibetin 1950 and negotiated theSeventeen Point Agreementwith the newly enthroned14th Dalai Lama's government, affirming the People's Republic of China's sovereignty but granting the area autonomy. Subsequently, on his journey into exile, the 14th Dalai Lama completely repudiated the agreement, which he has repeated on many occasions.According to theCIA, the Chinese used the Dalai Lama to gain control of the military's training and actions.
The Dalai Lama had a strong following as many people from Tibet looked at him not just as their political leader, but as their spiritual leader.After the Dalai Lama's government fled toDharamsala, India, during the1959 Tibetan Rebellion, it established arival government-in-exile. Afterwards, theCentral People's Governmentin Beijing renounced the agreement and began implementation of the halted social and political reforms.During theGreat Leap Forward, over 200,000 Tibetans may have diedand approximately 6,000 monasteries were destroyed during theCultural Revolution—destroying the vast majority of historic Tibetan architecture.
In 1980, General Secretary and reformistHu Yaobangvisited Tibet and ushered in a period of social, political, andeconomic liberalization.At the end of the decade, however, before theTiananmen Square protests of 1989, monks in theDrepungandSeramonasteries started protesting for independence. The government halted reforms and started an anti-separatistcampaign.Human rights organisations have been critical of the Beijing and Lhasa governments' approach tohuman rights in the regionwhen cracking down on separatist convulsions that have occurred around monasteries and cities, most recently in the2008 Tibetan unrest.
The central region of Tibet is now anautonomous regionwithin China, theTibet Autonomous Region. The Tibet Autonomous Region is a province-level entity of the People's Republic of China. It is governed by a People's Government, led by a chairman. In practice, however, the chairman is subordinate to the branch secretary of theChinese Communist Party(CCP). In 2010 it was reported that, as a matter of convention, the chairman had almost always been an ethnic Tibetan, while the party secretary had always been ethnically non-Tibetan.
All of modern China, including Tibet, is considered a part ofEast Asia.Historically, some European sources also considered parts of Tibet to lie inCentral Asia. Tibet is west of theCentral China plain. In China, Tibet is regarded as part of西部(Xībù), a term usually translated by Chinese media as "the Western section", meaning "Western China".
Tibet has some of the world's tallest mountains, with several of them making the top ten list.Mount Everest, located on the border withNepal, is, at 8,848.86 metres (29,032 ft), thehighest mountainon earth. Several major rivers have their source in theTibetan Plateau(mostly in present-day Qinghai Province). These include theYangtze,Yellow River,Indus River,Mekong,Ganges,Salweenand theYarlung Tsangpo River(Brahmaputra River).TheYarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, along theYarlung Tsangpo River, is among the deepest and longest canyons in the world.
Tibet has been called the "Water Tower" of Asia, and China is investing heavily in water projects in Tibet.
The Indus and Brahmaputra rivers originate from the vicinities of LakeMapam Yumcoin Western Tibet, nearMount Kailash. The mountain is a holy pilgrimage site for bothHindusand Tibetans. The Hindus consider the mountain to be the abode ofLord Shiva. The Tibetan name for Mount Kailash is Khang Rinpoche. Tibet has numerous high-altitude lakes referred to in Tibetan astsoorco. These includeQinghai Lake,Lake Manasarovar,Namtso,Pangong Tso,Yamdrok Lake,Siling Co,Lhamo La-tso,Lumajangdong Co,Lake Puma Yumco,Lake Paiku,Como Chamling,Lake Rakshastal,Dagze CoandDong Co. The Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor) is the largest lake in the People's Republic of China.
The climate is severely dry nine months of the year, and average annual snowfall is only 46 cm (18 inches), due to therain shadow effect. Western passes receive small amounts of fresh snow each year but remain traversible all year round. Low temperatures are prevalent throughout these western regions, where bleak desolation is unrelieved by any vegetation bigger than a low bush, and where the wind sweeps unchecked across vast expanses of arid plain. The Indianmonsoonexerts some influence on eastern Tibet. Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter.
Sus scrofaexpanded from its origin in southeast Asia into the Plateau, acquiring andfixingadaptive alleles for the high-altitude environment.The forests of Tibet are home to black bears, red pandas, musk deer, barking deer, and squirrels. Monkeys such asrhesus macaquesandlangurslive in the warmer forest zones. Tibetan antelopes, gazelles, and kiangs gaze on the grasslands of the Tibetan plateau. There are more than 500 bird species in Tibet. Because of the high altitude and harsh climate, there are few insects in Tibet.
Snow leopards are hunted for their fur and the eggs of black-necked cranes have been collected as a delicacy food.
Cultural Tibet consists of several regions. These include Amdo (A mdo) in the northeast, which is administratively part of the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan. Kham (Khams) in the southeast encompasses parts of western Sichuan, northernYunnan, southern Qinghai, and the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region.Ü-Tsang(dBus gTsang) (Ü in the center, Tsang in the center-west, and Ngari (mNga' ris) in the far west) covered the central and western portion of Tibet Autonomous Region.
Tibetan cultural influences extend to the neighboring states ofBhutan, Nepal, regions of India such asSikkim,Ladakh,Lahaul, andSpiti, Northern PakistanBaltistanorBalti-yulin addition to designated Tibetanautonomous areasin adjacent Chinese provinces.
There are over 800 settlements in Tibet.Lhasais Tibet's traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region.It contains two world heritage sites – thePotala PalaceandNorbulingka, which were the residences of the Dalai Lama. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries, includingJokhangandRamoche Temple.
Shigatseis the second largest city in the Tibet AR, west of Lhasa.GyantseandQamdoare also amongst the largest.
Other cities and towns in cultural Tibet includeShiquanhe(Gar),Nagchu,Bamda,Rutog,Nyingchi,Nedong,Coqên,Barkam,Sagya,Gertse,Pelbar,Lhatse, andTingri; in Sichuan,Kangding(Dartsedo); in Qinghai,Jyekundo(Yushu),Machen, andGolmud; in India,Tawang,Leh, andGangtok, and in Pakistan,Skardu,Kharmang, andKhaplu.
The Tibetan economy is dominated bysubsistence agriculture. Due to limited arable land, the primary occupation of the Tibetan Plateau is raising livestock, such assheep, cattle,goats,camels,yaks,dzo, andhorses.
The main crops grown arebarley, wheat,buckwheat,rye, potatoes, and assorted fruits and vegetables. Tibet is ranked the lowest among China's 31 provinceson the Human Development Index according to UN Development Programme data.In recent years, due to increased interest in Tibetan Buddhism, tourism has become an increasingly important sector, and is actively promoted by the authorities.Tourism brings in the most income from the sale of handicrafts. These include Tibetan hats, jewelry (silver and gold), wooden items, clothing, quilts, fabrics,Tibetan rugsand carpets. The Central People's Government exempts Tibet from all taxation and provides 90% of Tibet's government expenditures.However, most of this investment goes to pay migrant workers who do not settle in Tibet and send much of their income home to other provinces.
Forty percent of the rural cash income in the Tibet Autonomous Region is derived from the harvesting of the fungusOphiocordyceps sinensis(formerlyCordyceps sinensis); contributing at least 1.8 billion yuan, (US$225 million) to the region's GDP.
TheQingzang railwaylinking theTibet Autonomous RegiontoQinghai Provincewas opened in 2006, but it was controversial.
In January 2007, the Chinese government issued a report outlining the discovery of a large mineral deposit under theTibetan Plateau.The deposit has an estimated value of $128 billion and may double Chinese reserves of zinc, copper, and lead. The Chinese government sees this as a way to alleviate the nation's dependence on foreign mineral imports for its growing economy. However, critics worry that mining these vast resources will harm Tibet's fragile ecosystem and undermine Tibetan culture.
On January 15, 2009, China announced the construction of Tibet's first expressway, theLhasa Airport Expressway, a 37.9 km (23.5 mi) stretch ofcontrolled-access highwayin southwestern Lhasa. The project will cost 1.55 billionyuan(US$227 million).
From January 18–20, 2010, a national conference on Tibet and areas inhabited by Tibetans in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai was held in China and a plan to improve development of the areas was announced. The conference was attended by General secretaryHu Jintao,Wu Bangguo,Wen Jiabao,Jia Qinglin,Li Changchun,Xi Jinping,Li Keqiang,He GuoqiangandZhou Yongkang, all members ofPolitburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The plan called for improvement of rural Tibetan income to national standards by 2020 and free education for all rural Tibetan children. China has invested 310 billion yuan (about 45.6 billion U.S. dollars) in Tibet since 2001.
The State Council approved TibetLhasa Economic and Technological Development Zoneas a state-level development zone in 2001. It is located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is 50 kilometres (31 miles) away from theGonggar Airport, and 2 km (1.2 mi) away from Lhasa Railway Station and 2 km (1.2 mi) away from 318 national highway.
The zone has a planned area of 5.46 km(2.11 sq mi) and is divided into two zones. Zone A developed a land area of 2.51 km(0.97 sq mi) for construction purposes. It is a flat zone, and has the natural conditions for good drainage.
Historically, the population of Tibet consisted of primarily ethnicTibetansand some other ethnic groups. According to tradition the original ancestors of the Tibetan people, as represented by the six red bands in theTibetan flag, are: the Se, Mu, Dong, Tong, Dru and Ra. Other traditional ethnic groups with significant population or with the majority of the ethnic group residing in Tibet (excluding adisputed area with India) includeBai people,Blang,Bonan,Dongxiang,Han,Hui people,Lhoba,Lisu people,Miao,Mongols,Monguor (Tu people),Menba (Monpa),Mosuo,Nakhi,Qiang,Nu people,Pumi,Salar, andYi people.
The proportion of the non-Tibetan population in Tibet is disputed. On the one hand, the Central Tibetan Administration of the Dalai Lama accuses China of actively swamping Tibet withmigrantsin order to alter Tibet's demographic makeup.On the other hand, according to the2010 Chinese censusethnic Tibetans comprise 90% of a total population of 3 million in theTibet Autonomous Region.
Religion is extremely important to the Tibetans and has a strong influence over all aspects of their lives.Bönis the indigenous religion of Tibet, but has been almost eclipsed by Tibetan Buddhism, a distinctive form ofMahayanaandVajrayana, which was introduced into Tibet from the Sanskrit Buddhist tradition of northern India.Tibetan Buddhism is practiced not only in Tibet but also inMongolia, parts of northern India, theBuryat Republic, theTuva Republic, and in theRepublic of Kalmykiaand some other parts of China. During China'sCultural Revolution, nearly all Tibet'smonasterieswere ransacked and destroyed by theRed Guards.A few monasteries have begun to rebuild since the 1980s (with limited support from the Chinese government) and greater religious freedom has been granted – although it is still limited. Monks returned to monasteries across Tibet and monastic education resumed even though the number of monks imposed is strictly limited.Before the 1950s, between 10 and 20% of males in Tibet were monks.
Tibetan Buddhism has five main traditions (the suffixpais comparable to "er" in English):
The Chinese government continued to pursue a strategy of forced assimilation and suppression of Tibetan Buddhism, as demonstrated by the laws designed to control the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and those of other Tibetan eminent lamas. Monks and nuns who refused to denounce the Dalai Lama have been expelled from their monasteries, imprisoned, and tortured.
It was reported in June 2021 that amidst the2020–2022 China–India skirmishes, thePeople's Liberation Armyhad been forming a new unit for Tibetans who would be taken to Buddhist monks for religious blessings after completing their training.
The first Christians documented to have reached Tibet were theNestorians, of whom various remains and inscriptions have been found in Tibet. They were also present at the imperial camp ofMöngke Khanat Shira Ordo, where they debated in 1256 withKarma Pakshi(1204/6-83), head of theKarma Kagyuorder.Desideri, who reached Lhasa in 1716, encountered Armenian and Russian merchants.
Roman CatholicJesuitsandCapuchinsarrived from Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Portuguese missionaries Jesuit FatherAntónio de Andradeand Brother Manuel Marques first reached the kingdom ofGeluin western Tibet in 1624 and was welcomed by the royal family who allowed them to build a church later on.By 1627, there were about a hundred local converts in the Guge kingdom.Later on, Christianity was introduced toRudok,Ladakhand Tsang and was welcomed by the ruler of theTsang kingdom, where Andrade and his fellows established a Jesuit outpost at Shigatse in 1626.
In 1661 another Jesuit,Johann Grueber, crossed Tibet fromSiningto Lhasa (where he spent a month), before heading on to Nepal.He was followed by others who actually built a church in Lhasa. These included the Jesuit FatherIppolito Desideri, 1716–1721, who gained a deep knowledge of Tibetan culture, language and Buddhism, and various Capuchins in 1707–1711, 1716–1733 and 1741–1745,Christianity was used by some Tibetan monarchs and their courts and theKarmapasect lamas to counterbalance the influence of theGelugpasect in the 17th century until in 1745 when all the missionaries were expelled at the lama's insistence.
In 1877, theProtestantJames Cameronfrom theChina Inland Missionwalked fromChongqingtoBatanginGarzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, and "brought the Gospel to the Tibetan people." Beginning in the 20th century, inDêqên Tibetan Autonomous Prefecturein Yunnan, a large number of Lisu people and some Yi and Nu people converted to Christianity. Famous earlier missionaries includeJames O. Fraser,Alfred James BroomhallandIsobel Kuhnof the China Inland Mission, among others who were active in this area.
Proselytisinghas been illegal in China since 1949. But as of 2013, many Christian missionaries were reported to be active in Tibet with the tacit approval of Chinese authorities, who view the missionaries as a counterforce to Tibetan Buddhism or as a boon to the local economy.
Muslims have been living in Tibet since as early as the 8th or 9th century. In Tibetan cities, there are small communities ofMuslims, known as Kachee (Kache), who trace their origin to immigrants from three main regions:Kashmir(Kachee Yul in ancient Tibetan), Ladakh and the Central Asian Turkic countries. Islamic influence in Tibet also came from Persia. A Muslim SufiSyed Ali Hamdanipreached to the people ofBaltistan, then known as little Tibet. After 1959, a group of Tibetan Muslims made a case for Indian nationality based on their historic roots to Kashmir and the Indian government declared all Tibetan Muslims Indian citizens later on that year.Other Muslim ethnic groups who have long inhabited Tibet includeHui,Salar,DongxiangandBonan. There is also a well established Chinese Muslim community (gya kachee), which traces its ancestry back to theHuiethnic group of China.
Tibetan representations of art are intrinsically bound withTibetan Buddhismand commonly depictdeitiesor variations ofBuddhain various forms from bronze Buddhist statues and shrines, to highly colorfulthangkapaintings andmandalas.Thangkas are Tibet's traditional cloth paintings. Rendered on cotton cloth with a thin rod at the top, they portray Buddhist deities or themes in color and detail.
Tibetan architecture contains Chinese and Indian influences, and reflects a deeplyBuddhistapproach. TheBuddhist wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly everyGompain Tibet. The design of the TibetanChörtenscan vary, from roundish walls inKhamto squarish, four-sided walls inLadakh.
The most distinctive feature of Tibetan architecture is that many of the houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south, and are often made out of a mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Little fuel is available for heat or lighting, so flat roofs are built to conserve heat, and multiple windows are constructed to let in sunlight. Walls are usually sloped inwards at 10 degrees as a precaution against the frequent earthquakes in this mountainous area.
Standing at 117 metres (384 feet) in height and 360 metres (1,180 feet) in width, thePotala Palaceis the most important example of Tibetan architecture. Formerly the residence of theDalai Lama, it contains over one thousand rooms within thirteen stories, and houses portraits of the past Dalai Lamas and statues of the Buddha. It is divided between the outer White Palace, which serves as the administrative quarters, and the inner Red Quarters, which houses the assembly hall of the Lamas, chapels, 10,000 shrines, and a vast library of Buddhist scriptures. The Potala Palace is aWorld Heritage Site, as isNorbulingka, the former summer residence of the Dalai Lama.
The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnicTibetangroups are found in India,Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad. First and foremost Tibetan music isreligious music, reflecting the profound influence ofTibetan Buddhismon the culture.
Tibetan music often involveschantinginTibetanorSanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often recitations ofsacred textsor in celebration of various festivals.Yangchanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums and low, sustained syllables. Other styles include those unique to the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the classical music of the popularGelugpaschool, and the romantic music of theNyingmapa,SakyapaandKagyupaschools.
Nangmadance music is especially popular in thekaraokebars of the urban center of Tibet,Lhasa. Another form of popular music is the classicalgarstyle, which is performed at rituals and ceremonies. Lu are a type of songs that feature glottal vibrations and high pitches. There are also epic bards who sing ofGesar, who is a hero to ethnic Tibetans.
Tibet has various festivals, many for worshipping the Buddha,that take place throughout the year.Losaris the Tibetan New Year Festival. Preparations for the festive event are manifested by special offerings to family shrine deities, painted doors with religious symbols, and other painstaking jobs done to prepare for the event. Tibetans eatGuthuk(barley noodle soup with filling) on New Year's Eve with their families. TheMonlam Prayer Festivalfollows it in the first month of theTibetan calendar, falling between the fourth and the eleventh days of the first Tibetan month. It involves dancing and participating in sports events, as well as sharing picnics. The event was established in 1049 by Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama's order.
The most important crop in Tibet isbarley, and dough made from barley flour—calledtsampa—is thestaple foodof Tibet. This is either rolled into noodles or made into steamed dumplings calledmomos. Meat dishes are likely to beyak, goat, ormutton, often dried, or cooked into a spicystewwith potatoes.Mustard seedis cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yakyogurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yogurt is considered something of a prestige item.Butter teais a very popular drink.