For
centuries the mysterious Buddhist Kingdom of Xizang (Tibet), locked away in the Himalayas
has exercised fascination on countless adventurers and traders willing to
reach Lhasa.Xizang (Tibet) covers an area of 1.2 million square kilometers and has a population of 2.32 million, of whom 95 percent are Tibetans. It is the highest plateau in the world, with an average elevation of 4,000 metres above sea level, Lhasa, the capital city of Xizang (Tibet), is the holy city of Tibetan Buddhism and the Potala Palace is its sacred palace. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Buddhists come to worship here.
The judicial system was based on that developed by Emperor Songtsan Gambo (seventh century), Lama Jangchub Graltsen (fourteenth century), the Fifth Dalai Lama (seventeenth century) and the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (twentieth century), and was administered by a magistrate appointed by the Government. Dalai is " Mongolian for "ocean" , Lama is Tibetan for "spiritual teachers", hence the translation is "Ocean of Wisdom".
The Tibetan race is a major member of the Chinese family. Proof can be found by tracing the historical changes. China is a unified country with 56 nationalities. As a major member of this big family, the Tibetans are found in large numbers throughout the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, most parts of Qinghai Province, southern Gansu Province, northwest Sichuan Province and northwest Yunnan Province. Support from the rest of China has fired the enthusiasm of the Tibetan masses for construction and they have greater confidence in the future of a socialist Xizang (Tibet). The Tibetan people are now working hard and efficiently to greet the bright future.