Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, is an ancient city with a history of over 1,300 years. The Lhasa of today how-ever, is not only famous as the "City of Sunlight," but also as the city from which one can determine the pulse of a constantly changing Tibet.

The long list of monumental changes Lhasa has witnessed over the past 40-plus years include a population increase from 30, 000 to over 370?000, urban expansion from a mere three square km to 45 square km, completion of 2. 8 million square metres of structural construction (up 11 times in the 1950s)and completion of a highway network linking the city with areas throughout the region and other parts of China.

Lhasa is now home to 500-odd schools, including colleges and universities. Tibet University has 7 departments, offering courses in 18 specialized fields and a teaching staff of over 700. Over 70 percent of the school's 2,000 students are members of either the Tibetan or other minority nationalities. The university graduates are between 500-600 students annually.

The old Lhasa lacked access to medical care, with historical documents showing that some 7,000 people died in 1925 when a smallpox epidemic spread through the city. Typhoid fever swept Lhasa in 1934 and once again in 1937,killing over 5,000 people. Fundamental equipment has been introduced and Lhasas are now served by a three level health care network. Lhasa now has over 120 hospitals and clinics, with the Lhasa Health Care Centre for women and children providing medical treatment and training ser-vices to women. Access to medical care has dramatically risen, with fifteen percent survival rate for women and children.

The original city of Lhasa was built on marshland and has no water supply or sewage systems. Streets were extremely dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days. Lhasa witnessed great changes with the introduction of the 62 aid projects funded by ar-eas in other parts of China. Roads have been expanded and the rudimentary water supply and sewage systems in place at the time have been extended by about 30km. Today's Lhasa features a comparatively clean, neat and spacious environment. Meanwhile, more and more transportation and communication are being de-veloped. In the past there were only two cars in the only two streets. But now there are more than 500 buses and more than 1, 000 taxis, covering the streets. Telephoning is more convenient. The fact that telephoning can build a world without distance, has been realized.

Tibetan traditions have been preserved despite the fact that Lhasa is on the fast-track to becoming a modern city. All kinds of goods and varieties of clothes are appearing on the streets, and traditional Tibetan clothing remains popular. In the monasteries around Lhasa butter sculptures continue to shine like blossoming flowers, and butter lamps burn both day and night and the beauti-ful?yet mysterious, modern city of Lhasa is still strongly tinged with traditional flavor.

Lhasa is becoming more beautiful. Welcome to Lhasa. I'd like to be a guide to show you around.

指导教师：史 平，谢建国