西藏an people are perhaps China's most popular and mysteriousethnic minority. They live among the world'shighestmountains on a vast beautiful西藏an plateau.
The西藏an ancestorsonce had a powerful empire about 1,400 years ago, and after that, Tibetan people vied for control of Central Asia with Han Chinese and Mongols.
Now, there are about 7,000,000西藏an people, and they are one of the biggest ofChina's 55 ethnic groups. Tibetan people don't only live in西藏. They also live in several Chinese provinces west and northwest of Tibet.
Tourists like to go to many西藏an areas, such asLhasa,Jiuzhaigou, andShangri-la.
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- Who are the Tibetan people
- History of Tibetan People
- Where do Tibetan People Live in China
- What Language do Tibetan People Speak
Who are the Tibetan people
The Tibetan people aremountain dwellerswho live in a vast西藏an plateaucomposed of several of the world's highest mountain ranges.
These include theHimalayanrange north of India that is the highest range in the world, theKunlun range, and theQilian mountainrange along甘肃Province.
The Himalayan Mountains includeEverestthat is the tallest mountain in the world. It has become a notable touristattraction in Tibet.Kawagebo Mountainis part of the Kunlun range and is thetallestmountain inYunnan.
History of Tibetan People
In ancient times, theancestorsof the present Tibetans lived along theYaluzangbu (Brahmaputra) River.
In the 6th century, the chieftain of the Yarlung tribe conquered several nearby tribes to become king. He was known asZanpu (king)and established the Po dynasty.
西藏an People
History of the Tibetan Imperial Age and Afterwards
In the early 7th century,Songtsan Gampo(第一个西藏王)统一整个西藏nd shifted the capital toLhasa. This empire was known in Chinese history as theTupo kingdom.
In 641, Songtsen Gampo marriedPrincess Wenchengof theTang Dynasty(618 – 907 AD), and he was granted the title of "The King of China's West."
By the reign of theemperor Ralpacan, in the opening years of the 9th century, the empire included the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, the Himalayas, and reached into the provinces of甘肃andYunnan.
During theMing Empire(1368–1644) period, theDalai Lamasbegan to rule the Tibetans. This is when they started to build thePotala Palacein Lhasa to be the palace of the Dalai Lamas and also a fortress in 1645.
Where do Tibetan People Live in China
With apopulationof about 7 million, the Tibetan people live mainly live in the西藏Autonomous Regionin southeast China and in the neighboring provinces ofQinghai,甘肃,Sichuan, andYunnan.
Their population is rapidlygrowingin China. It is thought that about 100,000 Tibetans live inIndiaandNepal.
西藏ans in Four Ancient Tibetan Regions
The land of the Tibetans is divided into the old former Tibetan provinces calledU-Tsang,Kham,Ngari,and Amdo. The center of the old Tibetan empire is U-Tsang. U-Tsang is where Lhasa and the major Tibetan towns of Tibet are.
To the east of Tibet isKham.阮山峰在头脑vily forested valleys where the headwaters of several of Asia's biggest rivers spring. Part of Kham is inYunnan.
Amdo is in the northwest, and much of it is inSichuan Province,甘肃Province, andQinghai Province.
Lhasais the capital and largest city. This is where theDalai Lamasonce lived as head of their government. The second-largest city isShigatsethat has apopulationof about 800,000 people where the Tibetans live with the Chinese.
西藏an People in Adjacent Provinces
Outside of Tibetor U-Tsang, about 1.2 million Tibetan people live in the high mountains ofSichuan. You can meet them if you visit theJiuzhaigouarea.
About 150,000 live inYunnan. About 21% ofQinghaiProvince's 7 million people are Tibetans. About half a million Tibetans live in甘肃.
High altitudebeautiful places abound in their traditional homeland areas outside of Tibet.
These places include Huanglong National Park andJiuzhaigou National Parkin Sichuan,Shangri-lain Yunnan, andQinghai Lakein Qinghai Province.
In the high mountains on the edge of the mountainous plateaus,西藏an culturemerges with and gives way to the cultures of other西藏an ethnic groupswho live in high altitudes such as theQiangwho live in the mountainous region north ofChengdunear Jiuzhaigou.
What Language do Tibetan People Speak
西藏an ethnic speak their own language, the西藏an languageis divided by scholars intofourdialects. Unlike many of the ethnic groups of China, the Tibetans have their own ethnic indigenously developed writing system.
It was developed to its present form in the 9th century. They have a body of religious and historical literature from ancient times that helps to define their culture.
Religions of Tibetan Ethnic
The mainreligion西藏人的西藏an Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhist believers must recite or chant Buddhism scriptures very often to earn karma merit.
It is thought that the greater number of prayers they can perform, the better their karmas become and the better their fates.
To increase the number of prayers they perform, they may try to turn prayer wheels as often as possible as shown in the picture.
西藏an people are praying by running the prayer wheel
They think that turning aprayer wheelis equivalent to chanting scriptures and prayers, and it is a routine job for Tibetan people.
For the same reason, theywrite prayersandchants on flagsand cloths that they hang up in the wind. It is thought that each flap in the wind makes better karma.
Every year, Tibetans will visitMount Kailashfor ayatrawhich means a pilgrimage of great moral significance in西藏an Buddhism.
Devout Tibetans prostrate themselves on the ground after every few steps in worship. Tibetan people believe that a pilgrimagewalking a circlearound the mountain and lake can wash away the sin of your whole life.
>>Read more on Mt. Kailash yatra
西藏ans prostrate themselves on the ground
西藏an Festivals
西藏anNew YearandShoton Festivalare the most important festivals for Tibetan people.>>Check more of Tibetan Festivals
Unveiling Tangka on Shoton Festiva
西藏an New Year
Also known asLosar, is the most important festival in the西藏an calendarand lasts for 2 weeks. The Tibetan calendar consists of 12 (or 13) lunar months, and Losar begins on the first day of the Tibetan year.
A number of cultural entertainment performances take place in the very Tibetan region during the festival.>>Read more of Tibetan New Year.
Shoton Festival
It celebrateseating yogurt, the Tibetan monks who end their season of meditation, the watching of Tibetan dramatic operas, and Tibetan Buddhism. It is held annually in the month ofAugustof the international calendar.
The main part of thecelebrationactivities is the Buddha exhibition inDrepung Monastery, also known asunveiling Tangka. It is a great occasion for both Tibetans and tourists.>>Readmore on Shoton Festival
Customs and Traditions of Tibetan People
Hada gift-giving: Tibetans deem Hada to be a precious gift. Hadas is strips of snow-white scarves made of yarn or silk.
It symbolizesgoodwilland respect, and it might be presented at various occasions such as festivities and the arrival and departure of guests.
Hada gift giving
Five-colored hadasare the best kind. There are made in five colors: blue, white, yellow, green, and red.
These respectively indicate sky, cloud, land, river, and Buddha dharma. Five-colored hadas are very valued gifts and are presented only on the grandest occasions such as Buddhist activities.
Presenting hada is a kind ofcommon courtesyin Tibet. They do it to show purity, loyalty, faithfulness, and respect to the receivers.
Even when people correspond with each other, they may enclose a mini hada in their letters for greeting and expressing good wishes.
What's more interesting is that when Tibetans go out, they tend to take several hadas with them in case they may need to give them to friends and relatives they encounter along the way.
>>Read more about China Customs
西藏an Ethnic Clothing
西藏an people have verycharacteristic clothes.Generally speaking, they wear ashortupper garment made of silk orclothwith long sleeves inside, a wide andloose robeoutside, and long boots of cattle hide.
西藏an People
For the convenience of work or labor, they usually expose their right shoulder or both arms by tying the pair of sleeves around their waist.
Both men and women have pigtails, but men coil up the pigtails over the head while women comb their hair into two or more pigtails and tie beautiful ornaments on them. Women prefer to wear an apron with beautiful patterns.
Visit Tibetan Ethnic Areas
The西藏an plateauarea has starkly beautiful places with alpine scenery, large stretches of high altitude tundra-like plains, and towering glacier-covered peaks.
Praying Flags
Yunnan's Kawagebo Mountain and theMeili Snow Mountains, for example, have been called the most beautiful mountains on earth. But good reliable transportation is important to travel in and enjoy these areas.
Manyminority villagesare located in remote high valleys and mountainsides where some have retained their traditional cultures and lifestyles.
西藏had for centuries remained isolated in the mountains, so many of thenative peopleare still quite traditional compared to many other ethnic minorities.
Somedon't speak Mandarinwell. They might be difficult places to access on your own. So we suggest ourprivate tour driversand vehicles can be a big help.
In the西藏an ethnic areas,there are also otherethnic groupsto see, so having a knowledgeable local guide and interpreter is important. They have local contacts and knowledge of the area and a driver.
We can take you tovisit with familiesand arrange accommodation. Ourexpert guides can translate for you too. To visit Tibet, you will need to travel with a certified travel agency such as ourselves to qualify for the mandatory西藏Entry Permit.
Here aresample itinerariesfor touring in西藏an minority areasof southwestChinaand西藏.We can modify these so you can go to the Tibetan regions that interest you the most.
- 17 Days Guilin-Sanjiang-Kaili-Kunming-Lijiang-Shangri-la
- 11天走陆路从拉萨到加德满都: From the holy city of Tibet to the mysterious Kathmandu
- 7-Day Tibet Tour including Trekking and Camping
- 5-Days Lhasa Classics and Lake Yamdrok -Tour
You can alsocontact usto create a西藏tourfor you.
