Lhasa (pronounced /'la:sə/ in English, pronounced [l̥ásə] or [l̥ɜ́ːsə]; simplified Chinese: 拉萨; traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà and sometimes spelled Lasa) is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. At an altitude is 3,490 metres (11,450 ft), Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world. It is the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism and contain many religious sites such as the Jokhang, Potala and Norbulingka palaces.
Lhasa is part of a township-level prefecture, the Lhasa Prefecture, consisting of 7 small counties: Lhünzhub County, Damxung County, Nyêmo County, Qüxü County, Doilungdêqên County, Dagzê County and Maizhokunggar County.
The name Potala is possibly derived from Mount Potalaka, the mythological abode of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The Jokhang Temple was also greatly expanded around this time. Although some wooden carvings and lintels of the Jokhang Temple date to the 7th century, the oldest of Lhasa's extant buildings, such as within the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and some of the monasteries and properties in the Old Quarter date to this second flowering in Lhasa's history.
The Norbulingka summer palace and gardens to the southwest of the city were constructed in the 18th century under the 7th Dalai Lama.
The 11th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica published between 1910–1911 noted the total population of Lhasa, including the lamas in the city and vicinity was about 30,000; a census in 1854 made the figure 42,000, but it is known to have greatly decreased since. Britannica noted that within Lhasa, there were about a total of 1,500 resident Tibetan laymen and about 5,500 Tibetan women. The permanent population also included Chinese families (about 2,000). The city's residents included people from Nepal and Ladak (about 800), and a few from Bhutan, Mongolia and other places. The Britannica noted with interest that the Chinese had a crowded burial-ground at Lhasa, tended carefully after their manner and that the Nepalese supplied mechanics and metal-workers at that time.
In the first half of the 20th century, several Western explorers made celebrated journeys to the city, including William Montgomery McGovern, Francis Younghusband, Alexandra David-Néel and Heinrich Harrer. As Lhasa was the centre of Tibetan Buddhism nearly half of its population were monks.
According to one writer, the population of the city was about 10,000, with some 10,000 monks at Drepung and Sera monasteries 1959 Hugh Richardson, on the other hand, puts the population of Lhasa in 1952, before the Chinese occupation, at "some 25,000–30,000—about 45,000–50,000 if the population of the great monasteries on its outskirts be included."
The main gate to the city of Lhasa used to run through a large chorten and contained holy relics of the Buddha Mindukpa.
With the invasion of China many people fled from the city; these included the living 14th Dalai Lama who fled from the Potala Palace into exile in India in 1959 after the Lhasa uprising.
Between 1987–1989 Lhasa experienced major demonstrations, led by monks and nuns, against the Chinese Government's control of Tibet. As a result, the authorities imposed restrictions and political re-education programmes in the monasteries. Many had to go through re-education sessions with the intent of having them align with the Communist views; they were also required to denounce both the Dalai Lama and Tibetan independence. Many monks and nuns who refused to cooperate were sent to prison, while others left the monasteries and escaped to India so that they could carry on with their studies.
In the early 2000s, the city's urban population stood at about 255,000 and has increased to 373,000 at the latest estimate.
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