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The Tibetans， an ethnic group living closest to the sun， are spoiled by the sunshine. The endearing blushes on their faces seem to be the imprints given by the God who dotes on this land. Tibetans live on the plateau， a holy land beyond the reach of mortals， which has given birth to lives and civilization. Being not the least bit tainted by the secular world and common customs till now， this piece of land is praised as “the purest land in the world”. Daocheng， the last Shangri-La， is a place to get close to Tibetan culture.
A free and religious group
Tibetan people believe in Mahayana Buddhism， which has absorbed some ritual and content from the beliefs of indigenous Tibetans and evolved into the “Tibetan Buddhism”. Living Buddhas and eminent monks are honored by the Tibetan people as “sages”， known as “Lama” in the Tibetan language. That’s why the Tibetan Buddhism is also referred to as “Lamaism”. Buddhism was spread from India to Tibet from the 7th century， enjoying a history of over 1，300 years. From the 13th century to the middle of the 16th century， Buddhism was increasingly prevalent with frequent Buddhist activities and Buddhist temples extending all over Tibet， among which the most famous ones are Ganden Monastery， Drepung Monastery， Sera Monastery， Tashilhungpo Monastery and the Potala Palace.
When greeting the guests， the Tibetans dip their fingers in the liquor and flip three times before they grab some highland barley in the grain bucket and disperse them into the air for three times. On a banquet， the host would raise a wine glass and take a sip which is followed by a gulp. Only when the host finishes the first glass of drink， could guests be free to drink. During the tea time， the guests should not pick up the tea until the host present it before them with both hands， otherwise， it is considered impolite. The dinning etiquettes include： do not eat with your mouth full； do not make a noise when chewing the food or drink； and do not go across dishes to pick up food. When making the dish， a lock of white hair is left on the tail， a symbol for good fortune.
Voice of Tibetans
The Tibetan people have created a splendid culture in literature， music， dance， painting， sculpture， architecture， etc. As early as around the 12th and 13th century， there were monographs on Tibetan folk music， such as On Tibetan Music. With distinctive features and a wide range of varieties， the traditional Tibetan music falls into three categories： folk music， religious music and court music. The folk music can be divided into folk songs， dance music， rap music， local opera music and instrumental music， with distinct music styles and various music types in U-Tsang， Kham and Amdo， the three dialect areas of Tibet. Tibetan costumes， man’s or woman’s， are well preserved with distinct styles in different regions. They are characterized by long sleeves， wide waist and wide lapel. Women usually wear a robe with long sleeves in winter and a sleeveless gown in summer， which go with a patterned blouse in different colors and a colorized apron tied to the waist in front. The Tibetan people attach particular importance to “Khata”， the most precious gift. When celebrations come， guests arrive from afar， people go visiting the elders or bid their farewells， Khata is presented to show respect.
A taste of local life
Most of the Tibetans usually have three meals a day， but it may come to four or five to six meals a day when the farming season comes or they are intensively involved in the labor. Their staple food is called “tsampa”， namely， roasted barley flour. In the pasturing area in particular， people rarely eat other food stuffs apart from the tsampa， which is mixed with strong tea， milk tea， butter， cheese and sugar while eating. Besides， tsampa is also easy to store and carry， and convenient to eat. In the Tibetan areas， people with sheepskin pockets can be found everywhere.
Among many a traditional Tibetan food， butter tea is the beverage that the Tibetans could not live without every day. Usually， they would drink a few cups of them in the morning before going to work. When paying a visit to the Tibetan’s house， you will probably be treated with the butter tea， which is to be enjoyed in line with a set of rules. Generally， the tea is not to be drunk off， but to be tasted. It is refilled before it gets empty. Drink it off before you leave. If you could not finish it， leave the rest for the host to refill it. This is the dietary habit of Tibetans.
The most representative Tibetan building is the pillbox-like house， which is mostly made of stone and wood. It appears to be dignified and solid with a rustic and boorish style. Built on the hillsides， its outer walls converge upward， with its inside walls remain vertical. The pillbox-like house usually has two layers， whose rooms are divided by pillars. The ground floor is used for breeding livestock and storage， with low floor height； the second floor is the residence， big rooms as living room， bedroom and kitchen， small rooms for storage and staircases； and if there is a third floor， it is often used as a hall.
A free and religious group
Tibetan people believe in Mahayana Buddhism， which has absorbed some ritual and content from the beliefs of indigenous Tibetans and evolved into the “Tibetan Buddhism”. Living Buddhas and eminent monks are honored by the Tibetan people as “sages”， known as “Lama” in the Tibetan language. That’s why the Tibetan Buddhism is also referred to as “Lamaism”. Buddhism was spread from India to Tibet from the 7th century， enjoying a history of over 1，300 years. From the 13th century to the middle of the 16th century， Buddhism was increasingly prevalent with frequent Buddhist activities and Buddhist temples extending all over Tibet， among which the most famous ones are Ganden Monastery， Drepung Monastery， Sera Monastery， Tashilhungpo Monastery and the Potala Palace.
When greeting the guests， the Tibetans dip their fingers in the liquor and flip three times before they grab some highland barley in the grain bucket and disperse them into the air for three times. On a banquet， the host would raise a wine glass and take a sip which is followed by a gulp. Only when the host finishes the first glass of drink， could guests be free to drink. During the tea time， the guests should not pick up the tea until the host present it before them with both hands， otherwise， it is considered impolite. The dinning etiquettes include： do not eat with your mouth full； do not make a noise when chewing the food or drink； and do not go across dishes to pick up food. When making the dish， a lock of white hair is left on the tail， a symbol for good fortune.
Voice of Tibetans
The Tibetan people have created a splendid culture in literature， music， dance， painting， sculpture， architecture， etc. As early as around the 12th and 13th century， there were monographs on Tibetan folk music， such as On Tibetan Music. With distinctive features and a wide range of varieties， the traditional Tibetan music falls into three categories： folk music， religious music and court music. The folk music can be divided into folk songs， dance music， rap music， local opera music and instrumental music， with distinct music styles and various music types in U-Tsang， Kham and Amdo， the three dialect areas of Tibet. Tibetan costumes， man’s or woman’s， are well preserved with distinct styles in different regions. They are characterized by long sleeves， wide waist and wide lapel. Women usually wear a robe with long sleeves in winter and a sleeveless gown in summer， which go with a patterned blouse in different colors and a colorized apron tied to the waist in front. The Tibetan people attach particular importance to “Khata”， the most precious gift. When celebrations come， guests arrive from afar， people go visiting the elders or bid their farewells， Khata is presented to show respect.
A taste of local life
Most of the Tibetans usually have three meals a day， but it may come to four or five to six meals a day when the farming season comes or they are intensively involved in the labor. Their staple food is called “tsampa”， namely， roasted barley flour. In the pasturing area in particular， people rarely eat other food stuffs apart from the tsampa， which is mixed with strong tea， milk tea， butter， cheese and sugar while eating. Besides， tsampa is also easy to store and carry， and convenient to eat. In the Tibetan areas， people with sheepskin pockets can be found everywhere.
Among many a traditional Tibetan food， butter tea is the beverage that the Tibetans could not live without every day. Usually， they would drink a few cups of them in the morning before going to work. When paying a visit to the Tibetan’s house， you will probably be treated with the butter tea， which is to be enjoyed in line with a set of rules. Generally， the tea is not to be drunk off， but to be tasted. It is refilled before it gets empty. Drink it off before you leave. If you could not finish it， leave the rest for the host to refill it. This is the dietary habit of Tibetans.
The most representative Tibetan building is the pillbox-like house， which is mostly made of stone and wood. It appears to be dignified and solid with a rustic and boorish style. Built on the hillsides， its outer walls converge upward， with its inside walls remain vertical. The pillbox-like house usually has two layers， whose rooms are divided by pillars. The ground floor is used for breeding livestock and storage， with low floor height； the second floor is the residence， big rooms as living room， bedroom and kitchen， small rooms for storage and staircases； and if there is a third floor， it is often used as a hall.