地热之城羊八井

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.     

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.     

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.     

News in Brief

Tibet to Hold ! ITH Mountaineering Assembly The llth Tibet Mountaineering Assembly is going to be held from Sep.26 to Oct.7. It is aimed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Qomolangma by human beings. The organizers will also hold several mountaineering activities for amateurs to learn mountaineering skills. i,hasa Issued China＇s Firstlmrism Law Lhasa issued the offprint of the Tourism Law of the People＇s Republic of China in August, which is the country＇s first tourism law. Deliberated and approved by the 12th Standing Committee of the National People＇s Congress （NPC）, the law will be put into force on October 1, 2013. Overseas Chinese Painters X＇isited Tibet Nearly 20 overseas artists from 11 countries and areas including the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, France and Italy set out for the journey of ＂Famous Chinese Painters to Tibet＂ on August 16. In the next ten days in Tibet, they produced art works and had seminars with local artists. 2013 Tibetan Thangka Industrial Dexelnpment Forum Ileid in Lhasa The forum was held in the Mass Art Gallery in Lhasa on August 15, attracting the relative experts, scholars and painters in Tibet to have an in-depth discussion about Thangka＇s industrial development pattern and path, and the inheritance and protection in the new media age. Grand Tibetan Musical Yarluag Zangbo Premiered Musical Yarlung Zangbo premiered at the Yarlung Theatre in Lhoka Prefecture on August 15, 2013. The musical showed the time-honored history and culture of Lhoka and also highlighted the Yarlung Cultural Festival from August 15 to 21. Tibet Invests 100 Million Yuan to Build Sehool Bathrooms Almost 100 million Yuan has been invested in building bathrooms for primary and middle school students in Tibet since 2012. It is expected that 109 bathrooms, which make use of solar energy by installing solar power water heaters, will be finished until the end of 2013. Nachen Bridge, connecting the North Circular Road and the 318 National Highway after completion, has realized its closure of the main part structure and is expected to open to traffic within the year. The scenic zone Nanyigou, located in Nyingchi Prefecture, has adopted a tourist quota policy to allow a limit of up to 2,000 per day since August in order to support Chinas bid to build ecological shelter. The 2013 Shoton Festival of Tibet has wrapped up on August 12th. During the seven days＇ festival this year, a total number of 1.38 million tourists have visited Tibet, reaching an all-time high. The Xiahe Airport in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province opened on Aug. 19.     

Protection of Lhalu Wetland

Lhalu Wetland is regarded as "the lung of Lhasa City" or its kidney showing its importance to the well-being of the capital of the autonomous region.Located in the north of the city, it used to be a piece of land belonging to a noble family named Lhalu. A typical highland marshland-type wetland, it is the highest of its kind in the world formed by the joint influence of the freezing grassland weather and its special geography.     

Through Tanggula

<正>This is the origin of three of the most famous rivers in China:the Yangtze River,River Lancangjiang and Nujiang. Here,the attempt by Genghis Khan to advance into the Indian subcontinent was thwarted and crushed. This is the gateway from Qinghai Province to Tibet and the natural boundary between the administrative regions of Qinghai and Tibet. This is also the highest point on four highways into Tibet:Sichuan-Tibet,Qinghai-Tibet,Yunnan-Tibet, and Xinjiang-Tibet,as well as the highest point on the highest railway in the world. It was more than 50 years ago that the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway(China National Highway 109)was begun.The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was opened in 2006.This was the most challenging section during the constructions(due to its high elevation). Between 1991 and 2009,I drove through Tanggula four times.     

FOUR GENERATIONS OF HOUSES IN THE TSUSUM VILLAGE: A MINIATURE OF THE GREAT CHANGES IN CHINA'S BORDER AREAS

正Tsusum, a border village some 2,000 kilometers east of Lhasa and 6,000 kilometers from Beijing, is in the Tsosisumkyi Township of Zanda County in Ngari Prefecture. The road to the village is both longer and tougher than even the well-known difficult road leading to the Metok County.Tsusum means"dried-up lake"in Tibetan. With an elevation of 4,000     

A Trip to Nam Co Lake

The meaning of Nam Co Lake in Tibetan language is ＂Heaven Lake＂, Ihe most important of three greal holy lakes in Tibet. It is 70 km long from east to west. 30 km wide from north to south, and covers an area of 1,920 square km. the largest lake in Tibetan Autonomous Region. among the top two sahwater lakes in China and the lake at the highest altitude in the world.     

NEWS IN BRIEF

Road for Gonggar AirportThe Central Government has approved construction of the "two bridges and one tunnel" project which is expected to shorten the 98-km distance from Lhasa to Gonggar Airport to 53 km. As a result, the travel shall be shortened from 90 minutes to 50 minutes.Construction of the project shall consume 6.5 billion Yuan in investment.The two bridges refer to the 1,594-rneter-long Lhasa River Bridge and the 3,797-meter-long Yarlung Zangbo River Bridge. Both are of the extra large type in Tibet.The one tunnel refers to the Shierong Tunnel that cuts through the mountain by 2,426 meters.The new road will extend 13.282 km. It will be a second class one by the Chinese standard. It is expected to meet Tibet's need for economic construction in the 10-15-year period. It is expected to be built at the end of 2004.     

要闻

China,Nepal Jointly Announce New Height of Mt.Qomolangma The new height of Mt.Qomolangma,the world's highest peak,is 8,848.86 meters,according to a joint announcement by China and Nepal on Dec.8,2020.The figure,including the height of the snowcap,was confirmed by surveyors from the two countries,which reached a consensus in 2019 to jointly declare the remeasured height of the peak and conduct scientific research on it.     

The Construction of the Qinghai - Tibet Railway and It's Impact on Tibetan Development

The Qinghai to Tibet railway began full operation from July 1, 2006. It symbolises Tibet's historical inaccessibility via railway. The total distance from Lhasa to Xining by railway is 1956 kilometres, and it is the world's highest railway extending for the longest distance through a plateau of permanent frost.     

要闻（英文）

正China,Nepal Jointly Announce New Height of Mt.Qomolangma The new height of Mt.Qomolangma,the world's highest peak,is 8,848.86 meters,according to a joint announcement by China and Nepal on Dec.8,2020.The figure,including the height of the snowcap,was confirmed by surveyors from the two countries,which reached a consensus in 2019 to jointly declare the remeasured height of the peak and conduct scientific research on it.     

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.     

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     

A Messenger For the Han and Tibetans

The ＂Tashideleg for Beijing and Tibet＂ activity started at the end of 2004. With the help of the Haidian District Children＇s Work Committee the Lhasa Chengguan District Children＇s Work Committee and the China Tibet Information Center, 25 primary schools including the Lhasa Lodui Primary School and the Beijing Shuangyushu Central Primary School paired off in a Hand-in-Hand relationship. On May 26, 2005, 16 teachers and students from Lhasa Chengguan District came to Beijing to participate in exchange activities for one week with the help of Haidian District children.     

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TIBETAN AND HAN OPERAS

Tibetan opera is an ethnic and unique theatrical genre in the system of Chinese operas. All the ethnic operas in China are directly or indirectly akin to Han operas, so is Tibetan opera. As a member of the big family, Tibetan opera necessarily absorbs some artistic nutrition from other Chinese operas. As a result, it acquires the common style and some common formal characteristics of Chinese national operas as a whole. The generality just lies on the level of cultural genre and overall flavor, however. As for the entity of the theatrical art itself, Tibetan opera is basically and independently derived from Tibetan culture and art except for some indirect influences from Han operas. During Emperor Qiaulong＇s reign, some leaders of the Qing troops stationed in Tibet used to organize soldiers from Shaanxi and Gansu to perform Shaanxi opera in the army In the period of the Republic of China, the office of Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan affairs in Lhasa promoted opera performance to celebrate victory in the Anti-Japanese War, New Year＇s celebrations,     

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-     

A Former Little Monk Becomes a Star of Tibetan-Comic Performance

With silvery hair and a kindly countenance that clearly shows his 70-plus years, he frequently appears on the streets of Lhasa energeticallyriding a bike. He is well known with locals as a star comic and the famous Tibetan winner in the 4th Chinese Peony Awards, the highest award for comedy duo performance in China.     

News in Brief

Lhasa Old District to Get Big- budget Facelift The government of Lhasa is to spend 1.234 billion Yuan to protect its old urban area.The facelift project was launched on Dec.20 and is expected to be completed by July 2013,which includes renovation of water supply and drainage,power lines,pipelines,street lamps and construction of heating facilities.