Old Lhasa

Among Asian languages, Tibetan is second only to Chinese in the depth of its historical record, with texts dating back as far as the eighth and ninth centuries, written in an alphabetic script that preserves the contemporaneous phonological features of the language. The Classical Tibetan Language is the first comprehensive description of the Tibetan language and is distinctive in that it treats the classical Tibetan language on its own terms rather than by means of descriptive categories appropriate to other languages, as has traditionally been the case. Beyer presents the language as a medium of literary expression with great range, power, subtlety, and humor, not as an abstract object. He also deals comprehensively with a wide variety of linguistic phenomena as they are actually encountered in the classical texts, with numerous examples of idioms, common locutions, translation devices, neologisms, and dialectal variations.

This book looks at a particular type of indigenous architecture that has developed in the city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The focus is on the vernacular residential architecture in the form of the historic Lhasa Town House, as it was built and lived in from the mid-17th to mid-20th century. The book defines the Lhasa House as a distinct variety of traditional Tibetan architecture by providing a technical analysis and discussing the cultural framework and the development of a typology. (Series: HABITAT - INTERNATIONAL: Articles on International Urban Development / Schriften zur internationalen Stadtentwicklung - Vol. 18)

This book provides an excellent framework to analyse the experience of a wide variety of successful initiatives across the world and draws attention to critical issues that practitioners need to think about when designing poverty reduction interventions and scaling up. Bill Tod, Regional MDG Adviser, SNV Asia With its wide regional coverage, and frank discussions of issues and problems encountered in designing projects that directly tackle poverty, this will be a very useful reference book for NGOs, INGOs, and also for multilateral institutions. Johanna Boestel, Country Economist, Asian Development Bank, Sri Lanka Resident Mission We are now at the midpoint for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the objective of halving poverty by 2015. Despite commendable efforts and much progress, up to 750 million people are still living in absolute poverty. To lift these people out of poverty, macro-economic policies must be complemented by targeted and local level poverty reduction. This book looks at twenty of the most innovative case studies of poverty reduction and Millennium Development Goal localization from fifteen countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam - covering diverse issues ranging from housing and tourism to socio-economic empowerment of women, health insurance and markets for livestock produce. Many of the cases started as small scale interventions by NGOs, donors or government pilots but now they are being scaled up to form part of national policy or replicated across their respective countries. Yet why do some work while others do not? What are the stumbling blocks and how can they be overcome? And what lessons and principles are there for replicating and scaling up poverty reduction initiatives worldwide? This book tackles these questions and more, and presents a wealth of knowledge, evidence and ideas for all practitioners and researchers working to reduce poverty at the local level while aiming to achieve a global impact. Published with UNDP

This book focuses on the balance between protecting human rights and protecting world heritage sites. It concerns itself with the idea that the management of heritage properties worldwide may fail to adequately respect traditional entitlements and rights of individuals and communities living within or being affected by changes in the use of these spaces. It also explores the concept that the international heritage field has limited knowledge and awareness of this challenge. The volume argues that the dilemmas in question result from different conceptualisations of the key terms of 'rights', 'heritage' and 'community' among different groups and across political and cultural boundaries. In so far as 'culture' is what enables us to read the meanings involved, the ultimate questions are those that ask whose power is contested when one meaning is ‘fixed’ and the heritage of one group of humans is given the right to have its symbolic representation enjoyed and protected. The included case studies give vivid examples of this. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Heritage Studies.

The book China - Go - West Strategy. Development or Subjugation? The Economic Impact of Modernization on Tibetan Culture and Society is based on field research to investigate the economic impact of the China - GO - West - Strategy on Tibetan culture and society. There is a scientific consideration of three modernization projects in the context of the China - GO - West Strategy: Modernization of the Old Lhasa / Qinghai - Tibet - Railway / Dams - Yarlung Tsangpo River. These three modernization projects are described and analyzed under the scientific perspective of Development Studies and Economic. This is complemented by qualified interviews with Chinese and Tibetan people. For the first time, this field research allows a comprehensive scientific perspective on the economic, cultural and social effects of the China - GO - West - Strategy in Tibet.

This new, thoroughly updated edition of Bradt's Tibet encompasses the wider region of ethnic Tibet with more detailed coverage of the Amdo and Kham regions than is found in other guides. It also includes essential information on new border openings and is particularly strong on map data, which is extremely difficult to find in Tibet itself, including new theme maps covering a range of topics, from Tibetan regions to the Three Parallel Rivers UN World Heritage Sites, sacred landscapes, permafrost and major river sources. Bradt's Tibet benefits from years of consistent research. Michael Buckley has been visiting and researching Tibet for more than 30 years and has a raft of books to his name. Thanks to his knowledge and expertise, Bradt's Tibet offers a more extensive language appendix than is found in other guidebooks, plus essential guidelines on cultural etiquette (including a special section on hand gestures to use), local customs and travelling with minimum impact on Tibet's culture and environment. There is also an appendix on fauna and an extensive list of recommended further resources, including books, music, films and even virtual reality Exploring ethnic Tibet independently is a challenge. The 'land of snows' possesses the world's highest peaks (including Everest) and its deepest gorges as well as some of the wildest and roughest road routes in high Asia. Bradt's Tibet provides all the practical information you need to explore ethnic Tibet independently, whether motoring, mountain-biking or trekking. Tibet has always fascinated travellers and armchair travellers because it is so difficult to access due to its remoteness and extreme altitude. Now, under Chinese rule, Tibet is a sensitive destination for Westerners. Visitors needs all the information that they can lay their hands on-and this guidebook provides plenty. With flight routes and rail access to Tibet expanding, and new border crossings opening, Michael Buckley and Bradt's Tibet provide all of the information you need to make the most of a trip.