(1)外文名称: Tibet Autonomous Region
    (2)中文名称: 西藏自治区
    (3)内容:
                       Tibet Autonomous Region
Ten years ago, Tibet was a tantalizing land, inaccessible to most Westerners and shrouded in mystery. Times are changing.  Tibet still bears the aura of an exotic, mysterious place. Nevertheless, Tibet has always carried the mantle as the most coveted, most extraordinary, most unobtainable, and most remote tourist spot in the world.
In the spring of 1980, the first small tourist groups in some 30 years began to arrive in Lhasa, the regional capital. Since then, about 1,000 visas have been issued annually.
                          Geographic Conditions
Tibet -- Xizang -- is its Chinese name -- is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China and covers 1.07 million sq. km. (500,000 sq. mi.) in China's southwest corner.
Nepal, Myanmar, India and Bhutan cluster along its southern border. Most of Tibet consists of high-altitude plateaus and mountain wilderness, which is how it has earned the name of the Roof of the World.
Wild grasses and endless reaches of snow blanket the higher elevations, which comprise three quarters of its landmass.
Lhasa, the "City of Sun," is nestled high in the Gyi Qu Valley and is blessed with seasonally mild and humid weather from monsoons in India 160 km.(100 mi.) to the south. Tibetan winters, as might be supposed, are fiercely cold. But for half the year, strong sunlight warms the thin air, making most days in Lhasa comfortably mild and, owing to protective mountains, relatively windless. Summer temperatures hover above 30'C (high-80s F) and only to drop to a searing -23'C (-10'F) in midwinter. The best time to visit is from late spring to early fall.
                Health Considerations for Visitors
No matter when to visit Tibet, however, the 3,600-m.(12,000-ft) altitude of the   Lhasa Valley will be a factor to consider, even if you live year-round in the Rocky Mountains or Switzerland. For the first few days, at least, the ubiquitous green canvas oxygen bags will be constant-and most welcome companions.  Any form of over-exertion (such as running or strenuous climbing) is patently dangerous, with even the fittest specimens courting dehydration and pulmonary strain.
   Most visitors will feel some form of mild discomfort-usually some combination of headache, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, or insomnia. Lots of rest and aspirin are the best remedies, although extreme symptoms may signal the onset of more serious forms of altitude sickness. In these cases, a physician should be consulted at once. The best cure in most cases may be an immediate return to a level ground. Smoking and drinking will only exacerbate the discomfort.
   Prior to 1980, the Chinese required rigorous physical exams of all passengers prior to boarding their flight to Lhasa. Since then, however, this requirement has been waived for many groups. But visitors with high blood pressure, or any respiratory or heart ailments, are advised to attend to the risks and reconsider their travel plans.
   Tibet is beautiful. Until 1950, no cars or trucks or carts were permitted to traverse the few dirt roads for fear that their wheels would scar the earth and thereby release evil spirits. No pollution mars the magnificent, jagged mountain peaks or darken the deep, clear lakes.
                          Roof of the World
Straddling the China-Nepal border in the middle section of the Himalayas, Mount Qomolangma, 8,848 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in the world -- the world's first peak as people say.
     Covered by snow all the year round, Mount Qomolangma has its accurate geographical location at 27°59′N, 86°55'E.
   The Himalayas, meaning the "home of snow", in Tibetan, stretch 2,400 kilometers on the south fringe of the Tibet Plateau at an average elevation of 6,000 meters, with their snowy peaks rising from 7,000 to 8,000 meters. Hence, the Himalayas are known as the "Roof of the World", whose highest ridge is Mount Qomolangma.
                      Tibet in History
Tibet also has a mystical charm. The atmosphere of fatalistic serenity and powerful beliefs in evil spirits stemmed in part from Lamaism, an ancient sect of Tantric Indian Buddhism, coupled with Tibetan Shamanism, which held sway every aspect of Tibetan life from the 7th century until political reforms begun in 1959. Albeit most of the monasteries and temples are now  officially designated as historical monuments, hundreds come to worship daily, with large throngs still appearing on religious holidays.
   Tibet's entire history is marked by intense preoccupation with religion, and by sporadic political autonomy through the centuries. Briefly conquered by the Mongols when they ruled China (1279-1368), the region came under Manchu control in the 18th century.
   Before the Democratic Reform of 1959 Tibet had long been a society of feudal serfdom under the despotic religion-political rule of lamas and nobles. Although they accounted for less than 5 percent of Tibet's population, they owned all of Tibet's farmland, pastures, forests, mountains and rivers as well as most livestock. Serfs made up 90 percent of old Tibet's population.
   The central people's government and the local government of Tibet signed in 1951 the 17-Article Agreement on measures for the peaceful liberation of Tibet, and Tibet was peacefully liberated. This brought hope to the Tibetan people in their struggle for equal personal rights. After the quelling of the armed rebellion in 1959, the central people's government, in compliance with the wishes of the Tibetan people, conducted the democratic reform in Tibet and abolished the extremely decadent and dark feudal serfdom. The million serfs and slaves were emancipated. From that time on they won the right to personal freedom. This was a great, epoch-making change in Tibetan history. The Tibetan laboring people began to enjoy the right to subsistence, along with adequate food and clothing.
                     Economic Development
   The economy of Tibet was extremely backward for a long  time under the feudal serfdom. However, the democratic reform has greatly aroused the enthusiasm of farmers and herdsmen for production. In the past four decades, particularly since the initiation of the reform and opening-up drive, earth-shaking changes have taken place in Tibet. With the support of the central government and people throughout the country, the Tibetan people have developed production, alleviated poverty and built up family fortunes.
   The development of agriculture and animal husbandry has been given top priority in the Tibetan economy. Tibet's production levels of agriculture and animal husbandry rose greatly. Since 1980, the government has imposed no levies on farmers and herdsmen, with both agricultural and livestock taxes exempted. Introduction of modern tools for production and the application of science and technology have boosted overall production.
   Modern industry started after the democratic reform. In 1965, 80 industrial enterprises were established in Tibet. Employing some 10,000 people, they covered the building, power, motor vehicle repair, lumber, tanning, borax and coal industries. The total industrial output value reached 28.83 million yuan that year. The government has paid close attention to the development of local handicrafts.
   Because Tibet was deficient in petroleum and coal, and energy supply was inadequate in the past. To change the situation, a power station was built in Lhasa in 1956. A geothermal power station was built in Yangbajain, with a generating capacity of 140,000 kw and an annual output of 400 million kwh. After 40  years of construction, Tibet has a dozen or so modern industries such as power, mining, building materials, lumber, wool textiles, printing and food processing. State-owned enterprises have a total work force of 51,000. In 1991, the total industrial output value came to 403 million yuan, a rise of 5.3 times that of 1959. The output value of the handicrafts stood at 46 million yuan.
   Due to Tibet's extremely harsh natural conditions and its extremely backward social development in history, the level of its economic development and the living standards of the local people are still lower than the nation's average. In 1989, the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region put forward the strategic ideas for the economic and social Development of Tibet. It has implemented the policy of opening up to the rest of China and the world as well; exploring the regional, domestic and foreign markets, developing advantageous resources and stepping up the development of key areas and industries. The goal is to narrow as soon as possible the gap in economic development between Tibet and other parts of the nation in order to lay a solid foundation for the common prosperity of Tibetan and other ethnic groups.
                           Communication
   After peaceful liberation, Tibet's first large-scale construction project was to build highways from Sichuan and Qinghai to Lhasa on the high mountain ridges with an average elevation of 3,000 meters. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway is 2,413 km long and the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, 2,122 km long. Since then, the Xinjiang-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet, and China-Nepal highways have been built one after another. Currently, there are 15 arterial highways and 315 feeder roads, with a total length of 21,842 km, throughout Tibet.
   Except for Medog County, which is located deep in the mountains, highways provide access for all the counties and 77 percent of the townships in Tibet. A highway network, with Lhasa at the center, consisting mainly of the Qinghai-Tibet, Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet and China-Nepal highways, has taken shape.
   In order to solve Tibet's fuel supply problem, the state built a 1,080-km refined oil transmission pipeline from Golmud in Qinghai Province to Lhasa. To meet Tibet's need to open to the outside world, since the opening of an air route from Lhasa to Beijing in 1956, domestic airlines have offered services from Lhasa to Chengdu, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Shanghai and Guangzhou. International air links have been inaugurated between Lhasa and Kathmandu, Nepal.
                      Freedom of Religious Belief
   The majority of Tibetans believe in Tibetan Buddhism. There are also about 2,000 Muslims and 600 Catholics in the autonomous region. Respect for and protection of freedom of religious belief is a basic policy of the Chinese government. Protected by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and laws, the Tibetan people now enjoy full freedom to participate in normal religious activities.
   The Chinese government has appropriated more than 200 million yuan in special funds to implement the religious policy in Tibet. For the renovation of the Potala Palace alone, the central government allotted more than 40 million yuan.
To date, more than 1,400 religious centers have been renovated and opened to the public, meeting the needs of the religious people for their normal religious life.
                 Development of Education and Culture
Education in old Tibet was very backward, without schools in the modern sense.
To develop education in Tibet, the government has invested more than 1.1 billion yuan and introduced a series of special policies over the past 40 years. Education is free. All the costs of Tibetan students, from primary school to university, are covered by the government.
Since 1985, free food, clothing and accommodation have been provided for some Tibetan primary and middle school students, and boarding schools have been set up in the vast rural and pastoral areas.
The principle of "Giving priority to local ethnic minorities" has been carried out in enrolling students for various kinds of schools at different levels. Priority is given to candidates of Tibetan and other local minorities in the enrollment of university, college, and secondary vocational school students.
By 1991, Tibet had established four modern universities, 15 secondary vocational and technical schools for in teacher training, agriculture and animal husbandry, public health, Tibetan medicine, finances, sports, art, and post and telecommunications.
The Tibetan language is the common language for the whole autonomous region. In July 1987, the autonomous regional People's Congress adopted the Regulations which clearly stipulate that both Tibetan and Chinese languages should be used in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
                         Tibetan Medicines
Traditional Tibetan medicines and pharmacology have been handed down and developed. The government invested 20 million yuan in building a new inpatient department of the region's Hospital of Traditional Tibetan Medicine, as well as five local hospitals of this kind. In 1991, there were 1,015 Tibetan doctors and pharmacists in the whole region.
In order to meet the needs to develop Tibetan medicines, the autonomous region founded the Tibetan Medical College and the Tibetan Medicine Research Institute, and encouraged and supported famous veteran Tibetan doctors to write academic books.
   A chronology of valuable medical expertise was compiled by a group of aged specialists. The four-volume Medical Code, a famous book on Tibetan medical knowledge, was published and distributed. Efforts have also been made in the compiling and publishing of A Complete Collection of Wall Charts of the four-volume Medical Code and Medical Science and Encyclopaedia; Tibetan Medicine, plus dozens of teaching materials and special books about Tibetan medicine, including Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Dietetics, and Newly Compiled Tibetan Medicine.
Pharmaceuticals production is developing quickly too. Now there are three Tibetan medicine factories.
            Special State Aid to Tibet's Development
Tibet has quite harsh natural conditions. To change the backward situation and promote the common prosperity of all ethnic groups, the central government and the people of the whole country have offered great support to Tibet in terms of labor, materials, finances and technology as well as in policies, demonstrating their special concern.
   Tibet started to implement the Eighth Five-Year Plan and the Ten-Year Program in 1991. Major State-financed projects include the comprehensive development of the drainage area of the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, Lhasa and Nyang Qu rivers, a project started in 1991 with a total investment of 1 billion yuan;    -- construction of the Yamzhog Yumco Pump-Storage Power Station, one of the state's key projects aimed at helping ease the power shortages in Lhasa and the surrounding area;   construction of the Qinghai-Tibet, Sichuan-Tibet, Nagqu-Qamdo and China-Nepal highways with an investment of over 1 billion yuan; the expansion of the Gonggar Airport in Lhasa. The runway can accommodate Boeing 747s and other jumbo passenger aircraft; construction of the Lhasa Post and Telecommunications center, which entails the addition of 11,000-channel program-controlled telephone exchanges and 54 ground satellite stations in 47 counties.