Lhasa

A young Tibetan monk in Lhasa. The monastic practice of lamaism is one of meditation, chanting, and recitation. The monks wear traditional simple orange robes and have very few material possessions.

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. The present palace was built in the 17th century on the site of its 7th century forerunner and is now a museum.

Street in Lhasa, Tibet. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, and the holy city of Lamaism. Following Tibet's annexation by the Chinese in 1950–51, an increasing number of Chinese settlers moved to the region, provoking conflict and resentment.

Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet. The palace is the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 following the Chinese annexation. When the office was first founded in the 15th century, the Dalai Lama had a purely religious role. However, in the 17th century (when the palace was built), the fifth Dalai Lama united Tibet politically and assumed a temporal as well as spiritual role.

Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lama, Lhasa, Tibet. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama; it was built on the foundations of an earlier palace dating to 637.

Capital of the autonomous region of Tibet, China, at 5,000 m/16,400 ft; population (2000) 171,700. Traditional products include handicrafts and light industrial goods. The holy city of Lamaism, Lhasa was closed to Westerners until 1904, when members of a British expedition led by Col Francis E Younghusband visited the city. It was annexed with the rest of Tibet 1950–51 by China, and the spiritual and temporal head of state, the Dalai Lama, fled in 1959 after a popular uprising against Chinese rule. Monasteries have been destroyed and monks killed, and an influx of Chinese settlers has generated resentment. In 1988 and 1989 nationalist demonstrators were shot by Chinese soldiers. In the late 20th century, under Chinese administration, foreign trade was encouraged and the city developed a wider range of industry, including chemicals, electric motors, tractor assembly, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and cement.