THE LHASA - SHIGATSE RAILWAY LINE OPENS

The Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, the second railway in Tibet Autonomous Region and also an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, was officially put into use on August 15, 2014, The 251 kilometers railway links the regional capital Lhasa and Shigatse, the second-largest city in the region. It has a total of 14 stops including Lhasa, Xicrong, Chushur, Nyemo, Rinbtmg and Shigatse and reduces the travel time from the current six hours by highway to around three hours. The first passenger train left Lhasa for Shigatse at 9 a.m. August 16, 2014.     

PEOPLE IN THE BARKOR STREET：PALBAR,AN OLD MANIN SHARSASUALLEY

According to local custom in Lhasa, people refer to the area around the Jokhang Temple as ＂Barkor Street＂. ＂Lhasa＂ is ＂the Buddha＇s land＂ in Tibetan. In the hearts of Tibetan people, the Jokhang Temple is one of the most holy places because a statue of the twelve-year-old Sakyamuni is enshrined and worshiped there. Every year, the temple attracts many Tibetan Buddhist monks and disciples come from far away and pay homage to the Buddha. As time passed, the area of Barkor Street around the Jokhang Temple has become the busiest district in Lhasa. Eight alleyways extend out from the Barkor Street. Here the old citizens of Lhasa reside, and this is where Lhasa＇s unique economy, national culture, traditional craftsmanship and local Tibetan customs and practices flourish.     

The Historical Evolution of American Policy Toward Tibet

Tibet is well known around the world today. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is one of China's five ethnic minorities' autonomous regions. However, to some in the West, Tibet's political position seems open to dispute.It is obviously that no one can reach a proper understanding of this issue without consulting history. In ancient times, Tibet was a vague geographical concept to Western world, but it did witness competition between the great powers in modern times. Originally the so-called "Great Game" brought Russian and British monk-spies and, eventually, the British Indian army, into Lhasa. Then, during World War II, the US established the famous air transport     

PEOPLE IN THE BARKOR STREET

<正>Editor's Note:According to local custom in Lhasa,people refer to the area around the Jokhang Temple as"Barkor Street"."Lhasa"is"the Buddha's land"in Tibetan.In the hearts of Tibetan people,the Jokhang Temple is one of the most holy places because a statue of the twelve-year-old Sakyamuni is enshrined and worshiped there.Every year,the temple attracts many Tibetan Buddhist monks and disciples come from far away and pay homage to the Buddha.As time passed,the area of Barkor Street around     

Xigaze: Beautiful Hometown

Xigaze covers an area of182,000 square km. Extend-ing 800 km east-west and200 km south-north. it has a1,573 km border with Nepal, Bhutanand Sikkim to the south. Shannan lies tothe east, Ngari in the west and Nagqu inthe north. Historically, Xigaze has always beenan important administrative region. Dur-ing the period of the Tubo Kingdom,central Tibet was divided into U andTsang. Tsang was centered on Xigazeand was further divided into Yuru in thepresent-day Nyang Qu River area andRulha along the upper reaches of the     

蕃尼古道及其宋元明清时期的主要遗迹（英文）

<正>Ancient Tubo-Nepal Road, namely, the ancient road from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu in Nepal, is one of the crucial main roads connecting Tibet and inner China with Nepal, India and Central Asia and it is also a pivotal part of the Silk Road. Since its initiation, it not only has generated huge political, economic, social and cultural impact on Tibet but also has greatly influenced the communication between     

A Trip to Lhasa River(I)

The Lhasa River originates from Nyangqentanglha Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.It is 551 km long and is one of the five major tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo.For many years,the average diametric flow volume has been 6 billon cubic meters,which is about one-eighth of that of the second largest river in China,the Yelow River.The drainage area is nearly 30,000 square km.The Lhasa River is the Mother River of the Tibetans,which witnessed the changes of ancient Tibetan culture.The drainage area of the Lhasa River serves as the center of politics,economy,culture,transportation and religion in the whole Tibet, as well as the significant part of three-river area(the Yarlung Zangbo River,the Lhasa River and the Nyang Qu River)that Tibetan government attaches importance to the development there.     

A Trip to Lhasa River （Ⅰ）

The Lhasa River originates from Nyangqentanglha Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is 551 km long and is one of the five major tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo. For many years, the average diametric flow volume has been 6 billion cubic meters, which is about one-eighth of that of the second largest river in China, the Yellow River. The drainage area is nearly 30,000 square km. The Lhasa River is the Mother River of the Tibetans, which witnessed the changes of ancient Tibetan culture. The drainage area of the Lhasa River serves as the center of politics, economy, culture, transportation and religion in the whole Tibet,as well as the significant part of three-river area （the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Lhasa River and the Nyang Qu River） that Tibetan government attaches importance to the development there.     

DEGE SUTRA PRINTING HOUSE:CULTURAL TREASURE

Dege, in Sichuan Province, faces Tibet across the Jinshajiang River. It is one of the three cultural centers for Tibetan-inhabited areas, the other two being Lhasa River in Tibet and Xiahe River in Gansu Province.SUTRA PRINTING HOUSE. In the end of 7th century, offspring of Gar Songtsan, minister of the Tubo King Songtsan Gambo, took refuge in the Kham area, settling on the banks of the Jinshajiang River. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the settlement grew in strength and…     

Lhasa Basked in Sunshine

According to the records, there were 31 cities sited in the Lhasa area and 17 cities in the Xigaze area during the long history of Tibet. "City" actually meant "castle", and the fact is that there were no cities in the real meaning of the word. In some places, large or small pillboxes were built for human habitation without any streets, or even lanes, or surrounding city walls.     

NEW BOOKS

Tibetan Race and Eastern Tibet CivilizationAuthored by Shi Shu, the book probes into the source of Tibetan race and its relations with the ancient civilization in the Henduan mountainous area in eastern Tibet.The book is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is devoted to ancient civilization of eastern Tibet; the second chapter to the source of the Tibetan race plus related stories; the third chapter to the source and ties between Mo tribe and tribes in the Henduan mountainous area; the fifth chapter to Yi people in the Henduan mountainous area in ancient time; and the sixth chapter to concluding remarks.The 32-mo book, running to 235,000 words, has been published by the Sichuan People's Publishing House and is priced at 32 Yuan per copy.     

地热之城羊八井（英文）

正In Tibetan,the word yangbajain means "wide" or "broad".The term is also used as the name of the town under the jurisdiction of Damshung County,Lhasa.Found90 kilometers northwest of Lhasa at an altitude of around 4,300 meters above sea level,the place is worldrenowned for its hot springs.The amount and quality of the spring water is difficult to fathom.Some say the temperature of the water is the highest naturally found in China,ranging from 93 to 172 degrees Celsius.Tibet has the highest proportion of hot springs in China.These are both large and small,but     

Tibet Is Tibetan, Says TAR Official

Lhasa (Tibet), JULY 25. It is one of those canards that is best exploded by figures. And the canard is as follows-that the Chinese Central Government is pursuing a systematic policy of settling Han Chinese in Tibetan and Tibetans are a minority in the Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR).     

NEWS IN BRIEF

Tibet Museum of Natural Science Breaks Ground
Tibet Museum of Natural Science broke ground on Oct. 8 in Lhasa. With a total investment of over 442 milh＇on yuan and covering an area of 330,000 square meters, the complex is scheduled to be finished in the year 2013.     

Land of Snow Mountains And Grasslands

Damxung, located at the meeting point of southern and northern Tibet, is 160 km from Lhasa. Tibetans regard it as the northern gate to the regional capital city.In Tibetan, Damxung means "the selected choice place". It is the best grassland in Changtang and is the only county under Lhasa devoted to animal husbandry.Sitting at an elevation of 4,300 meters, it is intersected by the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, and has a total area of 12,000 square km.The county exercises jurisdiction over six townships and two towns, respectively Wuma Township, Lungren Town-     

LHARI,THE MOST PROSPEROUS AND SPLENDID CORRIDOR OF NORTHERN TIBET

正Lhari is a charming place situated between Nyingchi(referred to as the"prosperous southern area of the Tibet Autonomous Region")and the grasslands in Nagqu.This is a location featured with snow-covered mountains,a primitive forest,beautiful lakes,attractive prairies,fertile fields,steep cliffs,and deep valleys,which all do their part in making the magnificence and sublime features of the area all the more prominent.     

Rural Management——The Way Out for Tibetan Rural Areas

Tibetan towns and villages are the remotest areas in China regional society. The remoteness is evident in two aspects： （i） the natural environment; located in the southwestern frontier of China, as the core of the ＂the Third Extreme＂, Tibet claims to be the farthest area in terms of space, altitude and distance -- and com- pared with towns, this is really true of the villages, （z） the social environment; with the rapid development of Tibet＇s tourist industry in recent years, people tend to focus more on Tibet, but mainly on such cities as Lhasa, Shigatse and Tsetang. Beyond people＇s attention, towns and villages stay far away not only from those socio-economically and culturally developed areas but also from the focus of intensive social development.     

SKY OVERLORDS OF CHANGTANG:THE HIMALAYAN VULTURE AND THE LAMMERGEIER

<正>Besides the two common giant saprophagous birds of prey pictured above,there is another vulture in Tibet.Vultures are often seen in Lhasa,Lhoka,and some other areas in southern Tibet.A celestial burial ground is the domain of Himalayan vultures and these third vultures,with the Changtang Prairie in northern Tibet being the haven of Himalayan     

Soinam Wangdui and Archaeological Work

In 1951, when Tibet won peaceful liberation, Soinam Wangdui was nine years old and liv-ing in the Chongsaikang area of Lhasa. Apprenticed to a master cobbler, he made shoes for the PLA troops.Later, the cobbler guild arranged for him to stay with his uncle, accompanying his cousins to the largest private school in Lhasa. This gave him the chance to learn to read and write. He went to study in the Lhasa Primary School     

川甘青结合部藏区经济发展协调度评估及优化策略研究（英文）

<正>ⅠIntroduction As an extremely impoverished area in the Three Districts and Three Prefectures'(Three Districts:Tibet,Nanjiang in Xinjiang,and the Tibetan regions in four provinces;Three Prefectures:Linxia in Gansu,Liangshan in Sichuan,and Nujiang in Yunnan)and also a significant part of our central government's governing and stabilizing Tibet and promoting the coordinate development between Tibet and the Tibetan region of the