Tibet Tours

Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has earmarked 2 million yuan of special funding to preserve Tibetan opera, the regional government said Wednesday.

The funds would be used to train more performers and upgrade facilities of Tibetan opera troupes, the regional cultural department said in a press release.

The funds would benefit eight schools of Tibetan opera that enjoyed relatively long histories and were more popular among Tibetans, it said.

“These schools are popular in Doilungdeqen County on the outskirts of Lhasa, Namling County of Xigaze, Nedong County of Shannan, and Chagyab County of Qamdo,” it said.

Tibetan opera is more than 600 years old, about 400 years older than Peking opera, one of China’s more famous cultural treasures.

The performing art featuring vivid face masks, earthy dancing unvarnished singing and colorful costumes is staged for religious festivals and family celebrations.

The survival of the traditional art form is being challenged as some of its unique skills — especially singing techniques — have to be handed down through personal contact from generation to generation.

The death of one aged artist might mean the loss of the performance art of one school. Experts say it is imperative to train more young actors.

China stepped up preservation of Tibetan opera in 2005 and has since spent 10 million yuan to shore up village troupes and publish books and videos.

Yet money is still a problem for many village-run troupes with no regular financial sources. Earnings from performances barely cover the living and travel expenses of performers during the performing season, which discourages young people from taking up the art.

Tibetan opera was put on the world heritage list of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2009.

The city of Lhasa in mid-December, the total sky as a heavy snow in the brewing, occasionally cloud covered the sun, the wind swept the same as the ghost from colorless, blown had narrowed the sub once Doje eyes, he looked at micro-Yang Zhuotou to the direction of the wind, eyes flashing light tough. He was received as similar to “apprentice” of the two disciples, 18-year-old Pubuduoji and 30-year-old class code sitting beside him busy for a long time to form a roll of the natural harmony Figure grandchild Elegance .

Times once Dorje, class code so busy for a long time and Pubuduoji skill level of the age gradient and, autonomous regions and Tibetan Opera Troupe (hereinafter referred to as Tibetan Opera Troupe) Zhao Yong, deputy head of the pier that this is by far the Tibetan Opera Troupe of the most perfect combination of heritage: Pub Dorje Tibet University in 2008, graduated from the Art Institute of Tibetan classes, systematically studied the theoretical system of Tibetan performing arts. The class code wang long, said he had known in Tibet, this is not an exaggeration: there’s a take a taxi, the car radio is singing opera and did not realize that a taxi driver told reporters that this is not Class Code busy for a long time to sing, not sound.

Course Code wang long in the possession of Theatre for almost 20 years, the performance of his current form is not vocal and acting immature, on the contrary, he showed in this regard is not consistent with his age, talent and accomplishments. Even the times I once Dorje, the reporter mentioned to him some well-known Tibetan opera actor, he just shook his head, currently the best singer or the class code wang long. He was satisfied regiment specially selected for his apprentice.

Plays Dan Dorje home a Tibetan style wall mask flavor, it is Tibetan “Blue Mask” series of masks, Tibetan Opera Troupe of inheritance from the original feel of wood Long Tibetan Lhasa team, class Code wang long time and again stressed: Tibetan Opera Troupe is the authentic feel of wood Long tradition, plays Dan Dorje is the real feel of wood Long faction spokesmen, and they, plays Dan Dorje’s disciple who really continues the feel of wood in the Long Pine Heritage.

Plays once Dorje was selected as the age of 72 state-level intangible cultural heritage Tibetan heritage feel of wood Long faction who feel their parents are old wooden Long Tibetan Lhasa team actor, from small monasteries, he came into contact with Tibetan 8 years old . Fifties and sixties of last century, Cox Team Mu-lung Tibetan Autonomous Region Tibetan opera was adapted for the first team, then integrated into the regional Tibetan Opera Troupe, plays Dan Dorje Tibetan Opera Troupe has naturally become the actor. So far, time once Dorje is the only one able to Tibetan in the world’s eight classic plays by the old traditional way of performing artists shown integrity, he is the most important of the Tibetan heritage and also the most delicate part.

Fortunately, the now 73-year-old still plays once Doje health, high spirits, on weekdays in addition to directing theater in his possession of those “disciples”, he needs to travel frequently in tan hot amateur art troupe and other rural folk a few a non-governmental Tibetan team, as advisers to the Tibetan team. In recent years, civil Tibetan team suddenly “boom up”, although to some extent a product of birth of market economy, but this is gradually beginning to understand the Tibetan traditional art, began to look forward to return to the classic traditional art performance. Because the nation is the world. Tibetan native good as a pure culture, the beautiful singing, the complex plot and performances, colorful costumes and masks, can be excellent as Tibetan culture show to the world.

In the Tibetan selected as the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind the end of 2009, meeting once Doje, class Code wang long Pubuduoji, there Niang thermal head of rural folk art troupe of Jemima, who, they all look forward to in Tibetan as the industry more.

How Long Pine Wood Tibetan feel superior? Theatre Tibetan autonomous region tell you the answer to everyone: In “Blue Mask” faction of the four Tibetan, all factions have their own repertoire the most good: in the traditional eight plays, Jiang garkung best at school, “Los Mulberry Prince “, the Hong Palestinian faction chief item is” Princess Wen Cheng “and” Zhimei more Teng “, circumventing Palestinian faction,” Dayton month Toinzhub “Let the other factions can not be exceeded, and feel of wood in Long Pine, there are three in eight Tibetan good repertoire: “Indzhova Sangmo”, “Sujinima” and “white Ma Wen Pakistan.” Since the fifth Dalai Lama has been maintained during the Sour Milk Drinking Festival Tibetan Opera Festival, the feel of wood than other factions Long School 11, felt wooden performance artist Takashi always be arranged for “Blue Mask” series hold the line position, its performing repertoire than any other team to one or two more Tibetan.

1.Thangka picture
Thangka, a kind of religionary scroll painting framed in cloth or silk with various religious functions, is regarded as a masterpiece of Tibetan culture. As one of the forms of Regong art, it is widely used in palaces, monasteries and temples in Tibet, bearing the features of Tibetan religion, folk custom and culture. Nowadays, Thangka has become a hot cultural as well as religionary collection around the world!

Thangka is considered gem of th world painting art. The yellow, blue, red and green are the most often used colours in these paintings. Each of them has abstruse meanings, strong decorative effect and local flavour. Thangka covered a wide range of topics, including the stories of how a Buddha was born and the transformation of gods, construction process of a monastery, history and legend depicting Tibet’s exchanges with inland area, production scenes such as hunting and farming, folk customs, entertainment, and portraits of revered monks, living buddhas and emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties…

Thangka is a transliteration from a Tibetan word, it refers to the picture scroll mounted on colourful satin. It is a unique kind of painting in Tibet. It is usually vertically long, with no certain size. The picture is first drawn on a white cloth, then it will be stretched with a frame, pasted, polished, sketched with threads and painted. After that, the picture will be edged with colour satins and mounted on a cotton or silken cloth. In the front, two pieces of yellow silk bands and two ribbons will be added to be curtain and streamers. Hard wood scrolls are then added to the top and low ends of the picture, a Thangka is finished.

According to its material and craftsmanship, Thangka is divided into three kinds: painting Thangka, textile Thangka and printed Thangka. The embroidered Thangka, brocade Thangka (jiandui), tapestry Thangka, applique Thangka and pearl Thangka are especially valuable.

2.Tibetan carpets
Hand made Tibetan carpets is a part of the Tibetan culture.These beautiful pieces are highly valued and are passed on from generation to generation. And Tibetan Carpet already be one of the three most famous carpets in the world.

Tibetan carpet uses widely, for sitting or sleeping on, even use as floor or trational home decoration. They are divided into mats, carpets, cushions, cushions, tapestries and so on, It is the possession of the raw materials of wool to fiber length, Flex moderate, characterized by strong flexibility, drawings exquisitely designed, colorful, beautiful and generous in the world. And the mat is the main products of Tibetan carpet manufacturing industry, is it is also the daily necessities of Tibetan families.

When you buy the carpet, please be aware of the inauthentic products. Because many manufacturers claim to make “Tibetan” carpets, but some weavers dilute the expensive Tibetan wool or yak hair with inferior wool from other places. Many carpets on the market today were made with short-cuts to save time and money, and as a result they do not have the beauty and durability of traditionally manufactured rugs which will retain their value and even appreciate over time.

Other Souvenirs with Tibetan features
Tibetan Buddhist Conch Shell, Big Prayer Box, Tibetan Mask, Tibetan Singing Bowl, Malas Beads, …

4.Tibetan Medicine
On this mysterious land, it is abundant in various kinds of herbal medicine, such as Caterpillar Fungus; Saffron Crocus; Snow lotus(flower)….

(1). Caterpillar Fungus ( Cordyceps Sinesis )It is known as “Winter Insect and Summer Grass”. Just because it is an insect in winter, hibernating in the fields of the mountain at the altitude of 3500-5000 meters. And next May, at the time of local people gathering it, a grass has grown out of its head.

The “winter insect” is actually the larva of a moth, and the “Summer grass” is a parasitic fungus living in the head of the insect.

Caterpillar Fungus is good for the lungs and kidney. It is used for the treatment of cough and asthma, asthenia and the deterioration of the organs, it is one of the most precious traditional Tibetan medicine.

(2). Saffron Crocus

It is from a flower and it can enrich and active the blood, prevent cerebral hemorrhage and coronary heart disease. Especially help for the women’s problem. Like regular menstruation. It also can maintain the skin if women often use it.

(3). Snow lotus (flower)

It grows up in the high mountains covered by snow all around the years. And this kind of flower gows under the snow. It is used for women’s problem, warm the uterus and enrich the blood. At the same time, it can warm the channels and come lose the cold. It can get rid of the wet and relieve pain.

Besides herbal medicine, in Tibet, also contains animal medicine and mineral medicine, such as antelope’s horn; Pilose antler, bears gall bladder and natural pearl, agate, amber, turquoise, et.

Here we would like to mention you the patent Tibetan medicine, for easier to take, more and more Tibetan medicine is made to the pills, tablet or powder. Most of the patent medicine contains various kinds of herbal medicine and mineral medicine.

The largest scale Tibet theme picture show, ‘The Spirit of Tibet— Red White and Black Series of Jing Tingyao’ opened on November 16 in China Art Gallery in Beijing, capital of China.

The show selects 60 pieces of Jing’s works created from 1995 to 2007 , which unveils Tibet’s long history, unsophisticated folk customs and spectacular holy mountains and lakes on the snowland plateau. It seems that Jing Tingyao painted all these works with his unique taste and passion. All the Tibetan features, beautiful natural landscapes and people images are well laid off.

There are two turning points in Jing’s over 40-year art career. He used to focus on figures, birds and flowers in 1980s to early 1990s. As a soldier, he entered Tibet for the first time in 1985, which changed his drawing theme and style ever since. From then on, an innovated drawing language and form have been developed and finalized as the second turning point at the beginning of the 21st century.

When you set foot on snow-covered plateau, whether walking the streets in the town, walk through the village lanes, or across the vast grasslands, as long as people smoke where there is strong tea fragrance. Enter the Tibetan people, whether distant or frequently see each other’s friends, visitors, owners Lift first fragrant tea, respectfully ask you to drink before we start the greeting procedure. Tibetan women, hardworking and intelligent, the first thing after getting up to fight fire boil tea. What am Tibetan people can not wash it all down, but can not drink tea. Even people to the station, airport and ferry bid farewell to friends and relatives to the hospital to visit patients, to relatives of the deceased to offer condolences to the park had “traditional garden”, also can not do without tea. All over the streets of tea, it is often young people enter, the elderly often come and go.

China’s Muslim northwest, “Gaiwan Cha,” Mongolian “tea”, the North Han “tea”, along the southeast coast of the Han and Southeast Asia, “Kung Fu Tea”, Yunnan Wa’s “Bitter Tea” … … its unique production and drinking method known world, and the Tibetan “buttered,” “sweet tea” and “tea” held a more unique color.

Relatively simple method of making tea, dark tea, boil for a long time to revolve juice, then adding a little salt, pour one cup or drink. Associated with tea in the light of faint salty, makes Qinxin comfortable, Yue Heyue drink.

Sweet tea, also known as milk tea, the tea into the pot of boiling revolve dark brown, tea-leaf filter, pour some water dilution, to be moderate light, then add milk or milk powder, white sugar, and a little salt in the kettle hard rock, so that harmony, the place near the stove or thermos flask containing people inside, with the drink with the back, drink, add a little master. The cup of tea drank, do not want to drink, or was preparing to leave. Of course, the masters of hospitality but also repeatedly ask you to drink. Sweet and delicious sweet tea, is also widely popular, most of the street tea is sweet tea. People in the tea house, not only taste delicious sweet tea, also chatted, playing chess, playing Crown ball, enjoy enjoyed.

Making butter tea, first brick (V tea) deep making for a long time revolve juice, tea-leaf filter, adding butter and a little salt, wooden barrels in the hold system – hard whipped butter in the bucket, so butter and tea blend, and then in a pot on the fire, or the installation of the thermos bottle, the side edge down to drink. Almost the same sugar beet drinking laws, just floating in the tea drinking before the first plane side of the oil gently blown drink. Teacup also more particular about the past more than the wooden bowls and the bowl with Lid, now generally a small bowl with printing, there are still used in wooden bowls and Bowl of. Bowl male and female are different, the slightly larger male, and more rugged. Run Gan aromatic butter tea, high nutritional value, is essential Tibetan drink product. Living in the highlands Han, Hui and other nationalities are also delighted to drink butter tea.

Tibetan people that drinking habits, and plateau production of unique natural environment and way of life who are inseparable. According to experts, studies have shown that tea contains large amounts of theophylline, caffeine, vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin C and other substances. Tibetan people, living mainly in livestock, meat-based, theophylline can dissolve fat, can help to digest than the greasy, helps digestion. Relatively high altitude plains of fresh vegetables and fruits are more scarce it is difficult enough intake of vitamin needed by the body, a lot of tea, can be compensated properly. High altitude snow, cold lack of oxygen, often wind grab the skin splits open, face cracking; oxygen makes dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitation, vomiting, tea fragrance oil, caffeine can play excited the brain, promoting the body metabolism, increasing blood vessels and heart function to refresh and protect skin, supplemental oxygen, relieve altitude sickness. Some people say that drinking butter tea, sweet tea, but also to a certain extent, the medical common cold, asthma, cough and other diseases. Although there is no scientific reason how many people knows, but people in their daily lives are deeply understand the great benefits of tea, so tea drinking endless transfer of learning long, long history.

According to Tibetan folklore, the year three hundred years ago, Tibet and no tea, then drink one kind of bark Tubo residents decocted juice. To the liberation, many can not or can not afford to buy the poor tea farmers and herdsmen, still drinking the juice of this bark boil. After the war prosperity of frequent vomiting Lei, soldiers and horses have been to the Central Plains, won from the neighboring nation of tea. At first I wonder what that thing, wonder what purpose. Later, by the influence of other nations, the Tibetan upper class began to drink tea. To the seventh or eight century, Princess Wen Cheng and Jin Chenggong main Tibet have not only introduced to the Central Plains of advanced scientific and cultural knowledge, it also brings a large number of materials, Tang and expanded trade, including the tea trade. From the beginning the people of Tibet common tea, and gradually formed its own of Tea.

The people of Tibet make some gorgeous beads of different sizes, some inlaid with gem stones, and some set  in brass and silver. Tibetan silver is not 925, but is recognized worlwide as a great  silver jewelry product. I’ve found some good sources of these wonderful beads, and am enjoying working with them.  Here are two examples of items I’ve made with some Tibetan beads.  The first is beads that have coral and lapis set in bands of Tibetan silver, and I mixed them with some lapis jasper and Chinese blue glass beads,  then added a 925 closure and earwires.

Tibetan silver beaded necklace and earring set

The second example uses 3 Tibetan brass beads, inlaid with coral and turquoise.  Then I used lots of coral and turquoise beads, and added 925 sterling earwires and a Thai S closure on the necklace. Thai silver is actually more pure in silver than 925.

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With unique culture and religion, Tibetans have different ways of behavior in many aspects. There is an old Chinese saying: “Sing the local songs when you get to a local place.” So please keep in mind the following tips:

1. Remember not to step on threshold when entering the tent or house.
2. Calling somebody in name please add “la” behind the name to express respects.
3. If you are asked to sit down, please cross your legs, do not stretch your legs forward and face your sole to others.
4. You should accept the gift with both hands. While presenting the gift you should bend your body forward and hold the gift higher than your head with both hands. While offering tea, wine or cigarette, you should offer them by both hands and any fingers do not touch inside of the bowl.
5. Do not touch, walk over or sit on any religious texts, objects or prayer flags in monasteries.
6. When the host presents you a cup of wine, you should dip your ring finger in the wine and flick the wine into the sky, in the air and to the ground respectively to express your respects to the heaven, the earth and the ancestors before sipping the wine. The host will fill the cup, and you take a sip of the wine again. After the host fills your cup again, you have to bottom it up.
7. Tibetan people do not eat horse, dog and donkey meat and also do not eat fish in some areas, so please respect their diet habits. 8. It is not polite to clap your palms and spit behind the Tibetan people.
9. Tibetan people stretch out their tongue to say hello to you. Also it is a courtesy to put their hands palm in front of breast.
10. Do not smoke in monasteries. Also it is banned to touch the statue of Buddha and religious articles and take pictures of them. In addition, all should walk clockwise (not in the Bon temples).
11. Seeing any dagobas, monasteries or Mani piles, please go around them clockwise (not of the Bon), do not cross them.
12. Eagles are the sacred birds in the eyes of the Tibetan people. You should not drive them away or injure them. On the outskirts, you could not drive or disturb the sheep or cows with red, green or yellow cloth strips on.

Since more and more tourists are going to Tibet, more and more Tibetan people get used of seeing the “Big Noses” (western people) with jeans, sun glasses and some of them with shorts (It is prohibited to wear shorts among the Tibetans.), the above rules are not obeyed so strictly as before. But we still suggest you take the above advices and travel to behave well.

Photo from CTIC shows the traditional wind horse prayer flags. This kind of flags can be seen everywhere in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibetan people print images of scriptures on cloth, silk or papar and put them on branches, doors, ropes or cols, so the flags will rock in wind with best wishes of the local people.

In most people’s eyes, Tibetan Buddhism is the only religious belief held by the people in Tibet. But in Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, it is not Sakyamuni who is worshipped, it is Jesus Christ.

The Yanjing Catholic Church, built in 1865 by French missionaries, is the only one of its kind in Tibet and covers an area of 6,000 sq m.

Undated photo shows the inside of the Yanjing Catholic Church, Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, photo from People’s Daily Online.

The church, a rare combination of Western and Tibetan architectural styles, has a typical Gothic vault and frescoes featuring the contents of Bible on the ceiling in the inside, but looks like a common Tibetan-style residence in the outside.

In addition to the images of Jesus and Virgin Mary, the church is decorated by red lanterns and white hada, a symbol of purity and happiness in the Tibetan custom.

The 1,000 residents of Upper Yangjing Village constitute the main body of the believers of the church.

Catholics in the village still regard the Tibetan New Year’s Day as the start for a new year; missionaries are dressed in Tibetan-style clothes; and the Catholic followers use the world’s only Tibetan-edition of Bible.

Undated photo shows the outside of the Yanjing Catholic Church, Upper Yanjing Village, Mangkang County, Chamdo Prefecture, eastern Tibet, photo from tibet.cn.

During Western festivals like Christmas, the church will invite Catholics from neighboring provinces and abbots of local Tibetan monasteries to join the get-together party.

On the occasion of the Religious Dance Festival of Tibetan Buddhism, priests and Catholics will also be invited to appreciate the religious dance to mark the festival.

Yanjing Village is divided by a ditch into two parts, with one called Upper Yanjing Village and the other, Lower Yanjing Village.

Residents in Lower Yanjing Village are Naxi people who believe in Tibetan Buddhism, while residents in Upper Yanjing Village are indigenous Tibetans who believe in Catholicism.

In company with their unique culture, Tibetans have food of a very distinctive character.

Among the great variety of Tibetan food, zanba and buttered tea are the most popular and distinguished. The former, made of qingke (barley flour) and tasting a little bit sour, is very nutritious and easy to take, while the latter, a Juema, a Tibetan snack mixture of butter, tea and salt, claims to be a good energy-giving beverage. Quite a few tourists drink it during their stay in Tibet in order to adapt to the high altitudes and dry climate and it becomes quite addictive. Qinke wine, however, seems to have quite the opposite effect due to its strong after-effects. Many outsiders shrink from the challenge of drinking this wine despite in popularity with the locals. Other typical Tibetan foods include dried meat, mutton served with sheep’s trotters, roast sheep intestine, yogurt and cheese.

You can’t say you have really tasted Tibetan food without trying qingke wine, buttered tea, sheep blood soup and yak meat.

All the hotels in Tibet serve Tibetan food and the Tibetan restaurants along Eastern Beijing Road in Lhasa enjoy quite a reputation among tourists. Snow Goddess Palace at the foot of the Potala attracts innumerable tourists with its authentic Tibetan cuisine. If you enjoy a feast there you will be offered the following: For the first course you will be served cold dishessuch as zanba, yak meat, beef tripe and ox tongue. Next comes the hot dishes of sheep blood soup, fried sheep lung and stir-fried beef with pickled carrot. The staple is steamed buns stuffed with minced beef and potato, or rice fried with butter. What a treat not only for your stomach, but also for your eyes. Nevertheless, most people only taste a little of these beautiful dishes.

Tibetan food is not the only choice for tourists of today. Different styles of food, such as Sichuan and Guangdong cuisine, are also available at hotels and streetside restaurants in such cities as Lhasa, Zetang and Xigaze. Western restaurants and buffet cafeterias are also available for the slightly more unadventurous of tourists.

The Buttered Tea

Buttered tea is the favorite drink of Tibetan people. It is made of boiled brick tea and ghee. Ghee, which looks like butter, is a kind of dairy product of fat abstracted from cow milk or sheep milk. Tibetan people like the ghee made of yak milk. When they make buttered tea, they mix boiled brick tea and ghee in a special can, add some salt, pour the mixed liquid into a pottery or metal teapot and finally heat up it (but not boil it). Different people have different tastes for the buttered tea. Some people like salty flavor, others prefer to light flavor. People who do manual labors, especially men, like the strong-tasted, cream-like buttered tea. Old people, children and women like light-flavored tea. People usually heat up the buttered tea because cold buttered tea is not easy to be digested and does harm to one’s stomach.

Zanba (roasted highland qingke barley flour)

The staple food of Tibetan people is Zanba, a kind of dough made with roasted highland qingke barley flour and yak butter with water. Method of making: grind the roasted Highland Barley into flour, and mix it with ghee. It is similar to parching wheat flour in northern China. People in northern China grind the wheat into flour before parching it, but Tibetan people do the opposite. They roast the Barley seeds before grinding them into flour. What’s more, Tibetan people do not remove the husk of the Barley.

When eating Zanba, Tibetan people put some ghee in a bowl, pour some boiled water into the bowl, then put some roasted flour into the water, and mix them with one hand. When mixing the tea, they press the flour slightly against the edge of the bowl with their fingers to avoid spilling the tea. After mixing all the roasted flour, the tea and the ghee until the thing gets thick, people knead it into dough balls and eat them. Tibetan people use hands instead of chopsticks or scoops when eating. This habit is a little similar to the habits of Indians, who also use hands when eating rice.

Zanba is a simple food. It is quite easy to take some Zanba when Tibetan people move about in search of pasture. When Tibetan people leave home for a long time, they always carry a Zanba bag on their waists. Whenever they are hungry, they eat some Zanba. Sometimes, they take out a wood bowl, put some Zanba, buttered tea, and salt in the bowl, mix them. Then they knead the dough into balls and eat them. It’s very convenient. Sometimes, they drink some buttered tea while eating Zanba. Sometimes, they pour Zamba and buttered tea into a leather bag named “tangu”. Then, they hold the mouth of the bag with one hand and knead the bag with the other hand. After a while, the delicious Zanba dinner is ready.

During the Tibetan New Year Festival, every family will place an auspicious wood container called Zusuqima”on the Tibetan-style cupboard. In the container are qingke, Zanba and zholma (groma food, a kind of Tibetan food), on top of which are ears of qingke wheat, wheat flowers and colored cards on which the sun, the moon and stars are drawn. When the neighbors or the relatives come to pay a New Year call, the hosts will entertain them with the food in “zhusiqima”. The guest will take some Zanba with one hand and flick in the air for three times. Then he takes some Zanba and put it in the mouth while saying “Tashi Delek” (meaning good luck and happiness) to express the best wishes.

Lhasa’s catering business is developing. Besides the Tibetan diet, other national styles of cooking including Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and Western food can all be enjoyed. Tibetan food, Sichuan cuisine, and Northern wheaten foods are most typical. The Tibetan diet is mainly made up of beef and mutton. Don’t eat too much the first time to avoid dyspepsia. If you are not used to butter tea, you can often drink sweet milk tea as an alternative. Highland barley wine is not strong, but too much will nevertheless result in deep sleep. It is recommended to eat garlic with some dishes, such as raw meat pulp. In some small restaurants, a dish and a soup cost about 10 yuan. Northwest China?s hand-pulled noodles are rather cheap, as is nourishing Thenthuk (Tibetan noodles) with bone soup at only 4 yuan.

Qingke

Qingke (highland barley) is the main ingredient of tsampa. Tsampa is barley flour, made from parched barley, un-husked and ground into fine flour, and then eaten with butter. People also make tsampa by mixing qingke flour and peas. Tsampa made from qingke is a Tibetan traditional food, served in most restaurants of Lhasa to give visitors from all over the world a taste of Tibet. At religious festivals, Tibetans will sprinkle tsampa as a sign of blessing.

Beef and Mutton

Tibetans mainly live on beef, mutton and milk products. In pastoral areas, people don’t eat vegetables. In these areas, which includes most of Tibet, the diet is monotonous and rich in fat and protein. Beef and mutton are rich in calories, which helps people living on the Roof of the World to keep warm. Tibetans have a custom of eating raw meat. If you go to a herdsman’s or a farmer’s home, you will see the air-dried beef and mutton hung inside the house or tents. The host will invariably treat you to such meat, which can only be tasted on the Plateau of Tibet.

Mashed Yak Meat
Tibetan medicines are mysterious. Mashed yak meat is a mixture of some Tibetan medicine and mashed raw beef (yak meat). Blood red and pungent, you will feel hot inside after eating it. It is said that Tibet is a place where time can stop still. People today still like to enjoy the sunshine at the foot of the Potala Palace after such a good meal, feeling rather satisfied.