Lhasa

Capital of the autonomous region of Tibet, China, at 5,000 m/16,400 ft; population (2000) 171,700. Traditional products include handicrafts and light industrial goods. The holy city of Lamaism, Lhasa was closed to Westerners until 1904, when members of a British expedition led by Col Francis E Younghusband visited the city. It was annexed with the rest of Tibet 1950–51 by China, and the spiritual and temporal head of state, the Dalai Lama, fled in 1959 after a popular uprising against Chinese rule. Monasteries have been destroyed and monks killed, and an influx of Chinese settlers has generated resentment. In 1988 and 1989 nationalist demonstrators were shot by Chinese soldiers. In the late 20th century, under Chinese administration, foreign trade was encouraged and the city developed a wider range of industry, including chemicals, electric motors, tractor assembly, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and cement.