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Lhasa, Tibet sits on the roof of the world, 12,000 feet above sea level, in the shadow of the Himalaya Mountains. For centuries Tibet was controlled by Buddhist Lamas. In 1951, Mao's armies moved into Tibet and forged it into a region of China. Lhasa has since become China's westernmost urban area, a city of 400,000 people with prostitution, polluting traffic, trucks crowded roads, and satellite links to the Shanghai stock exchange. Yet its rich Buddhist traditions still remain vital, primarily at the 1,300 year old Jokhang, Tibet's holiest temple, which stands below a roof guarded by stone lions.
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Asia
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