Lhasa receives record number of tourists

Lhasa, Tibet's capital city, received a record number of domestic and international tourists during the week-long Shoton Festival, or Yogurt Festival, the local tourism administration said Tuesday. A total of 906,400 visitors toured Lhasa from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, up 15 percent from the same period last year, the administration said in a press release. The city posted 266 million yuan (41.63 million U.S. dollars) in tourism income during the holiday week, up 8.2 percent year-on-year, according to the press release. Shoton Festival, which literally means "yogurt banquet festival," is one of the most important festivals for Tibetans. It dates back to the 11th century when it began as a religious occasion for local residents to offer yogurt to monks who had finished their meditation retreats. Around the 17th century, it evolved into an occasion featuring Buddhist rituals, Tibetan opera performances and other forms of entertainment. This year's celebrations began with the traditional "sunning of the Buddha" ceremonies, with huge Thangka paintings bearing the image of the Buddha displayed on the hillsides near the Drepung and Sera monasteries. Other celebrations included a beer festival and Tibetan opera performances at the Norbulingka, the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas, as well as horse races on the outskirts of Lhasa and trade fairs. Like all Tibetan holidays, the exact date of Shoton Festival is not fixed, but it almost always falls in August.