Tibet, the very name evokes feelings of awe and mystery. A land of ancient Buddhist culture, amazing landscapes, artistic monasteries and centuries-old caravan trails; Tibet is a destination out of the ordinary.

Famed as the Roof of the World, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China lies on a plateau at an average elevation of 4,000 m. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the north and the Himalaya to the south. Tibet covers an area of 1.2 million sq km, and has a population of 2.3 million.

Lhasa is not only the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, but also the center of Tibetan politics, economy, culture and religion. It is located on the North Bank of the Lhasa River, which is a tributary of the Yar-long Tsangpo, and stands at 3,760 meters above the sea level.

Lhasa dates back more than 1,300 years, and one prefecture under its jurisdiction. The area of the city covers 32 square kms and the population is over 310,000.

In Tibean, Lhasa means “The land of the Gods”, or “Holy Place”. It was founded in 633 A.D. under the leadership of King Songtsan . Gampo.

Lhasa enjoys delightful weather, throughout all seasons. It has 3,000 hours of sunshine annually – hence its popular name “The Sunshine City”. The temperatures vary greatly between night and day, but remain fairly uniform during the year. Winters are neither severely cold, nor summers unbearably hot. The average annual rainfall is only 230-570mm, and at least 2/3rds of the year are frost-free. The best time to visit Lhasa is from March to October.

Lhasa is becoming a thriving and prosperous town, and many successful new business enterprises have been established. These include a hydroelectric power station. Leather fanning plants, thermal power stations, cement works, an agricultural machinery plant, machine repair plant, food industry, a film dubbing studio, building industries, vehicle repair shops, grain and oil processing factories, hotels and guest houses for tourists and so on. Cultural, educational and modern sanitation services and facilities are also being developed. As well as the Tibet University, Polytechnic schools, Hospitals and cultural organizations have also opened. Lhasa is expanding and developing rapidly – not least in terms of tourism. All roads lead to Lhasa in the past 30 years, main-line roads have been built to Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xinjiang and Nepal.