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The majority of Tibet's
population of 1,890,000 are
Tibetans. Tibet is so thinly
populated that it averages out
1.6 8 persons per square
kilometers. About 90% of the
people live on farming and
husbandry. Farmers live in the
valleys of Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra)
and its major tributaries Kyichu
and Nuuang-chu. this area
produces barely, wheat, peas and
rape-seed, the great northern
grassland which
occupies a good half of Tibet is
the home of nomads, yaks and
sheep. Nomads have no fixed
abodes, and keep roaming along
fine pasture together with all
their belongings-tents and
Livestock. The remaining
population, approximately 10%,
live in towns earning their
living mainly On business and
handicraft, and many are factory
workers and government
officials.
Ideology of people in this land
differs greatly from any other
nationality both at home in
china and in the world. Religion
seems almost everything. Many
live for the next life, rather
than for the present. They
accumulate deeds of virtue and
pray for the final
liberation-enlightenment. Lips
and hands of the elders are
never at still, either busied in
murmuring of the six syllable
mantric prayer OM Ma Ni Pad Me
Hum (Hail the Jewel in the
Lotus) or in rotation of hand
prayer wheels, or counting of
the prayer beads. Pious pilgrims
from every corner of Tibet day
to day gather at jokhang Temple
and bharkor Street offering
donations and praying heart and
soul for their own Selves, for
their friends, and for their
friends' friends.
Frequent visitors to Tibet can
make out folks from different
regions judging by costumes and
dalects. Floks from agricultural
regions dress in woolen
home-woven gowns, and those from
the grassland clad in sheepskin.
men folk from chamdo wear huge
tassels of black or red silk
which were used in old days for
protection in fight, while the
Lhasa residents are more stylish
and modrn. Dialects in tibetan
are in variety, but mainly can
be categorized into four: Lhasa.,
Tsang (Shigatse and Gyantse),
Chamdo and Amdo. |
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