LHASA

Wade-Giles romanization La-sa, Pinyin Lhasa capital of the Tibetan autonomous ch' (region) of the People's Republic of China. It is located at an elevation of 11,975 feet (3,650 m) in the Tibetan Himalayas near the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. Lhasa had been designated as the capital of Tibet by the 9th century AD. National power was decentralized following the assassination of the Tibetan king in 842, and Lhasa lost its position as the country's capital, though it gained in religious importance in succeeding centuries. It served as the national religious centre of Tibet, and much of its population was composed of Buddhist monks and laymen. In 1642 Lhasa was again the seat of the central government, a position it held into the 20th century. Although Lhasa and Tibet came under Chinese occupation in 1951, the city and the country remained under the Tibetan government until 1959, when direct Chinese administration was imposed. The centre of the city is occupied by a four-story temple of Gtsug-lag-khang, built in the mid-7th century AD and considered the holiest in Tibet. It was temporarily converted into a guesthouse by the Chinese after 1951, but restoration of its artistic and architectural heritage began in 197275, and its religious functions were restored in 1979. Other city landmarks include the temple of Klu-khang; the Potala Palace, once the winter residence of the Dalai Lama; and the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama, the Nor-bu-gling-ka (Jewel Palace), which is now the People's Pleasure Park. The monasteries of 'Bras-spungs (Drepung) and Se-ra, two of the largest in Tibet, have received renovation. Before the Chinese occupation, the city's economy was based on the historic trade routes that converged on Lhasa from China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Except for handicrafts, the only industries were those of the ammunitions factory and mint. The Chinese administration reopened Lhasa to foreign trade in the 1980s and has established experimental farms outside the city and encouraged the scientific breeding of livestock. Small-scale industries include chemical production, electric-motor manufacturing, tanning, wool processing, pharmaceutical and fertilizer production, motor-vehicle maintenance and repair, tractor assembly, rug and carpet making, and cement production. The city has a teacher-training college and an airport. Roads connect Lhasa with the major cities in the Chinese provinces of Szechwan and Tsinghai and the autonomous region of Sinkiang. Pop. (1988 est.) 106,000.