Lhasa
Lhasa is the gate way to one of the most fascinating places on earth. Despite the imposition of over 100,000 Chinese migrants to the city, Lhasa remains the heart and soul of Tibet. Tibetan culture and religion are so intertwined as to be inseperable, and most of the tourist sites of Lhasa are religious in nature. Because of its remoteness and the hostile attitudes of its clergy to foreigners, Lhasa became known as the Forbidden City. Except for a few pilgrims and missionaries, the first visit by Europeans occurred in 1904, when a British expedition led by Sir Francis Edward Younghusband entered the city. Lhasa was occupied by the Chinese Communists in 1951. The 14th Dalai Lama fled in 1959 during an abortive Tibetan revolt against Chinese domination. Many religious edifices and treasures were damaged in the late 1960s during the Cultural Revolution.
