The book is divided into three parts, comprising an introduction to Tibet, its folklore and its culture. The major contents include descriptions of Tibet's holy mountains and lakes,its history, religious practices, unique festivals, language, arts and crafts, as well as those aspects associated with the development of life, such as the ecological environment,economy, education, medicare and transportation.
Table of Contents
partⅠ Overview
1.Tibet
2.Tibetans
3.Location
4.Natural Overview
5.Mountains
6.Qomolangma
7.Rivers
8.Yarlung Zangbo River
9.Lakes
10.Nam Co
11.Yamzhog Yumco
12.Holy Mountains and Lakes
13.Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon
14.Lhasa
15.History
Tubo Kingdom
Period of SⅢplit
Jurisdiction over Tibet by the Central Governments of Successive Dynasties
16.Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng
17.Environmental Protection
18.Education
19.Traditional Economy
20.Transportation
21.Qinghai—Tibet Railway
22.Posts and Telecommunications
23.Finance and Insurance Industry
24.Medical and Health Services
25.Social Security System
Part Ⅱ Tibetan Culture
1.Language
2.Myths
3.King Gesar
4.Traditional Folk H ouses
5.Barkhor Street
6.Norbu Lingka
7.Butter Sculpture
8.Grotto Art
9.Rock Carvings at Yaowang Mountain
10.Thangka
11.Murals
12.Tibetan Opera
13.Masks
14.Songs and Dances
15.Tibetan Calendar
16.Tibetan Medicine
Part Ⅲ Religions
1.Overview
2.Bon Religion
3.Tibetan Buddhism
4.Dalai and Panchen Lamas
5.Reincamation of Living Buddha
6.System of Drawing a Lot from the Golden Um to Determine the Reincarnated Soul Boy of a Deceased Living Buddha
7.Potala Palace
8.Jokhang Monastery
9.Ramoche Monastery
10.Zhaibung Monastery
11.Tashilhungpo Monastery
12.Sakya Monastery
13.Mani Stone
14.Prayer Flags
15. Chacha
16.Prayer and Prayer Wheels
17.Pilgrimage
18.Burning Aromatic Plants
Part Ⅳ Folklore
1.Worship of White Color
2. Costumes
3.Hada Scarves
4.Tibetan Knives
5.Tibetan Carpets
6.Yaks
7.Highland Barley
8.Zanba
9.Butter and Buttered Tea
10.Tibetan Names
11 .Marriage Customs
12.Etiquette and Customs
13.Customs and Taboos
14.Celestial Burial
15.Festivals
16.Tibetan New Year's Day
17.Grand Summons Ceremony
18.Sagya Dawa Festival
19.Shoton Festival
20.Ongkor Festival
21.Horse Race Fair
22.Traditional Sports
Carrying Stones
' Elephant' Tug—of—war
Yak Race
Sample Pages Preview
Natural Overview
The Qinghai—Tibet Plateau is the largest in size and the highest in elevation， hence its popular name as the "Roof of the World" or the "Third Pole".Tibet forms a major part of the Qinghai—Tibet Plateau， and is surrounded by the Himalayas， Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges.It has an average elevation of over 4，000 meters.Tibet is full of high mountains， gullies， glaciers， rocks and Gobi desert. The climatic variations running from southeast to northwest include tropical， subtropical，plateau temperate， plateau sub—frigid and plateau frigid zones.There is a local saying that "there are four seasons within one mountain" and the "weather changes in a 5—km area" reflecting the diversity. Landforms can be generally divided into Himalayan Mountainous Area， Southern Tibet Valley， northern Tibetan Plateau and Eastern Tibet High Mountain Valley.
Because of high altitude， rarefied air， moisture， low dust conrent and low latitude， Tibet is a Chinese region with the largest amount of solar radiation， and also enjoys the longest annual amount of sunshine.Both the annual average temperature and the highest temperature in Lhasa and Xigaze are 10—15 degrees Centigrade lower than Chongqing， Wuhan and Shanghai.
