Publications
Research on Urban Functional Zone Identification and Spatial Interaction Characteristics in Lhasa Based on Ride-Hailing Trajectory Data
A new method combining ride-hailing trajectory data with Point of Interest (POI) data reveals that Lhasa's urban functional zones exhibit a 'highly composite core, relatively differentiated periphery' pattern. The study identified eight distinct functional zone types, including commercial-residential mixed and science-education-culture areas, with residential regions forming the base and the core area featuring multi-functional agglomeration. The spatial interaction network demonstrates small-world effects and a lognormal degree distribution, highlighting key hubs like Lhasa Station and the Potala Palace. Four functionally coupled communities were detected, forming a 'core leading, two wings supporting' center-subcenter spatial organization pattern. This approach offers a novel perspective for understanding plateau city structures and planning.
Lhasella potala Zhou, Da, Zahradnik & Bai 2025, sp. nov.
A new beetle species, Lhasella potala, has been discovered within the wooden structures of the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lhasa, China. This species is characterized by its distinctive antennomeres V and VII, which are enlarged and strongly serrated, setting it apart from other known Ptinidae beetles. The discovery highlights the ecological significance of historic wooden structures as habitats for biodiversity. Researchers described the species' morphology, including its reddish-brown body with yellowish-brown pubescence, long and slim legs, and sexual dimorphism in antennae. The study also documented the larvae's role in degrading wood, contributing to our understanding of beetle-wood interactions in culturally significant sites.
Power of Publishing in Early Modern Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan woodblock publishing reached its peak during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, significantly shaping the religious and political landscapes of Tibet, Mongolia, and China. This 'golden age' of Tibetan printing was driven by Mahayana Buddhist ideas and facilitated the circulation of books for scholarship, exchange, ritual, and diverse reading practices. The study traces the publication and dissemination of Tibetan texts from the Potala Palace in Lhasa to cosmopolitan Qing Beijing and monastic colleges along the Sino-Tibetan borderlands, demonstrating its enduring influence into the twentieth century.
The Power of Publishing in Early Modern Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan woodblock publishing flourished during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, marking a 'golden age' that significantly influenced Tibetan Buddhist culture, religion, and politics across Tibet, Mongolia, and China. This study reveals how the publication and dissemination of Tibetan books, initiated under the Fifth Dalai Lama's Potala Palace in Lhasa, played a pivotal role in shaping religious and political landscapes well into the twentieth century. The research traces the circulation of these texts through cosmopolitan Qing Beijing and monastic colleges along the Sino-Tibetan borderlands, demonstrating their multifaceted use in scholarship, ritual, and various reading practices. Mahāyāna Buddhist ideas are identified as a key driver behind this publishing boom, highlighting the profound impact of textual exchange on early modern Tibetan Buddhist societies.
Urban Infrastructure Development and Its Contribution to World Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Xizang Autonomous Region
A strong positive correlation exists between urban infrastructure development and tourism growth at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Lhasa, with paved road length (r = 0.92) and public transport capacity (r = 0.85) being the most significant contributors. Analysis of data from 2015–2024 reveals that 89% of tourism variation is explained by infrastructure improvements, which have boosted Lhasa's economy and international standing. However, rapid urbanization poses risks to cultural authenticity, underscoring the need for balanced development aligned with UNESCO’s sustainable tourism policies. The study provides empirical evidence for developing nations facing similar challenges, though it calls for further qualitative research on visitor impacts and local perceptions to strengthen conservation strategies.
Spatial-temporal behaviour of hikers in the southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: insights from volunteered geographic information
Hikers exhibit distinct spatial-temporal behaviors compared to traditional tourists, with significant implications for sustainable tourism planning and management. A study analyzing the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites—revealed that hikers differ markedly in travel duration, mode, and destination preferences. Researchers leveraged volunteered geographic information (VGI) alongside seasonal intensity indices, kernel density analysis, line density analysis, and K-means clustering to map these patterns. The findings highlight critical insights for regional tourism development, particularly in balancing conservation with visitor engagement in this ecologically and culturally rich area.
Tourism at the roof of the world: young hosts assess tourism community futures in Lhasa, Tibet
Young Tibetan 'post-80s' youth prioritize environmental preservation, cultural appreciation, and open-minded tourism policies for Lhasa's future. This study reveals their nuanced perceptions of tourism assets—ranging from heritage sites to local customs—and identifies four distinct groups with varying levels of support for tourism as a livelihood choice. Using social representations theory and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, the research integrates emic and etic approaches through photo-elicitation interviews, focus groups, and surveys, offering insights into community-level aspirations in a non-Western urban context. Findings highlight the influence of cultural values, institutional arrangements, and vulnerability on tourism perceptions, while contrasting urban and suburban youth preferences for community-based development over external investment.
Quantitative Assessment of Spatial Pattern of Geodiversity in the Tibetan Plateau
Areas of very high geodiversity on the Tibetan Plateau—including the Pamir Plateau, Mt. Kunlun, and the Lhasa region—correlate with international tourist destinations such as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks. This study quantifies geodiversity across 1145 areas using 96 abiotic units in six geo-groups (hydrology, pedology, landform, elevation, geology, and geosites), revealing that zones with high geodiversity hold significant potential for geotourism development. The research employs a normalized geodiversity index to assess spatial patterns, offering new insights for geoconservation planning in China.
Resplendent Innovations
A sophisticated integration of political and religious power through advanced fire-gilding techniques was achieved during the Qianlong reign (1736–1795) at the Qing Imperial Workshops. The study reveals how Tibetan-style sisa forging, rubia cordifolia burnishing, and multi-layered gilding were innovated, blending Nepalese, Tibetan, and Xinjiang craftsmanship to produce resplendent brass roof tiles and gilded artifacts. This technological advancement, managed by the Imperial Household Department, required meticulous control of gold and copper resources, as well as skilled labor, while re-enacting Tibetan religious culture in imperial centers like Chengde to culturally bind Mongol subjects to China. The research highlights the multicultural exchange underpinning these innovations and the strict financial oversight exercised through the Bullion Vaults, which logged substantial tribute gold far exceeding European counterparts.
The Potala Palace in Tibet
The Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and symbolic center of Buddhism in Lhasa, Tibet, exemplifies the deep interconnection between architecture, culture, and spirituality. Research reveals that its design—from color palette to room layouts—reflects Tibetan Buddhist traditions while also serving as a microcosm for broader societal influences. The palace's economic significance further cements its role in Tibetan society, blending historical heritage with contemporary cultural practices.
Through the eyes of the Potala Palace: Difficult heritage and memory in Tibet
China's management of the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and symbol of Tibetan culture, serves as a tool for state-led narratives that undermine Tibetan identity. The study reveals how the palace, once a spiritual center, has been stripped of its religious significance and repurposed for tourism under Chinese control. This transformation, facilitated by heritage management strategies, alters collective memory and suppresses Tibetan culture. The research highlights the tension between cultural preservation and political appropriation, demonstrating how global recognition like UNESCO listing can be exploited to enforce state narratives over local heritage.
Introduction. Rule by Incarnation
Tibet, known as the 'roof of the world,' is a high-altitude region that has historically dominated Asia's political and religious landscape. Lhasa, home to the Potala Palace and seat of the Dalai Lama’s government, served as Tibet’s central hub in these domains. The study examines Tibetan Buddhism’s influence on governance, referencing Max Weber’s theoretical framework, while questioning the historicity of Thonmi Sambhota, a key figure in Tibetan tradition due to the absence of contemporary records. It also highlights the Karmapa sect’s significant political role in Tibet. The research combines geographical analysis with historical and sociopolitical insights, offering a multifaceted view of Tibet’s cultural and administrative heritage.
Tibet im 18. Jahrhundert. Wo lag die Macht und wer war der Herrscher?
A key insight from this study is that the Dalai Lama's role as a sacral ruler, embodying both political authority and religious salvation, was crucial in stabilizing Tibet's governance during the 18th century. The research reveals how the Dalai Lama unified conflicting social and ideological differences through his dual function as a reincarnated figure of salvation and an earthly emanation of Avalokites´vara, while also legitimizing foreign rule by integrating it into a priest-patron framework. The study employs historical analysis to explore Tibet's hierarchical structure, highlighting the tension between Buddhist moral principles and political action, which was managed through narrative unity and institutional consolidation, such as the establishment of central monasteries and pilgrimage sites.
The Grand Lama and His Evolution as the Priestgod of Lhasa
This historical analysis reveals the evolution of the Grand Lama's role as both a spiritual and political figurehead in Lhasa, Tibet, highlighting his transition from a patron of art and learning to an oppressive ruler. The study examines the early history and legends surrounding the Priest-kingship in Tibet, focusing on the first Sovereign Dalai Lama, Lobzang-the-Eloquent, who built the Potala Palace but ruled with authoritarianism. It also explores the turbulent political dynamics of the time, including the imprisonment of the sacred Dalai Lama and the murder of a Regent by Chinese Ambans in 1750. The research approach combines historical records and traditional legends to provide insight into the complex interplay between religion, politics, and power in Tibet during this period.
Some Folios of the Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāra and Dvādaśadaṇḍakanāmāṣṭaśatavimalīkaraṇā in the Kurita Collection
A recent discovery of Sanskrit birch-bark manuscripts from ancient Greater Gāndhāra, dating between 679–770 CE with high probability, has revealed previously unknown folios of two Mahāyāna scriptures: the Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāra and the Dvādaśadaṇḍakanāmāṣṭaśatavimalīkaraṇā. These fragments, identified among hundreds in the Kurita Collection, provide critical insights into early Buddhist textual traditions. The study compared these manuscripts with known texts, including a 1999 Potala Palace manuscript of the Śraddhābalādhānāvatāramudrāsūtra, confirming their affiliation with a broader group of scriptures. Additionally, it highlighted errors in an earlier edition of the Dvādaśadaṇḍakanāmāṣṭaśatavimalīkaraṇā by Dutt, based on Tibetan and Chinese translations.
On the Relationships among the Sanskrit Text of the Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra and Its Parallel Chinese Translations and the Tibetan Translation:
A Sanskrit manuscript of the Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra, preserved at the Potala Palace in Lhasa, reveals that while its content closely aligns with three parallel translations (Chinese by Xuanzang and Fahu, and Tibetan), they likely do not share a common source. Comparative analysis of chapter divisions and thematic elements suggests Xuanzang’s translation diverges significantly from the other versions, which appear more closely related. This finding challenges assumptions about direct textual lineage among these translations.
Asset-based community development as applied to tourism in Tibet
A pioneering tourism study demonstrates the feasibility of using asset-based community development (ABCD) as a strategy for poverty alleviation, particularly in politically sensitive regions like Tibet. The research, conducted in Lhasa, identified five key tourism assets—including world heritage sites and underdeveloped local resources such as traditional Tibetan yards and medicines—that hold significant potential for sustainable development. Through mixed-methods approaches, including photo-elicitation interviews and surveys, the study mapped community perceptions of asset value, development challenges, and desirability, revealing nuanced insights into local priorities. This work not only advances theoretical frameworks for community-based tourism but also provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of integrating emic perspectives in marginalized environments.
Continents in Collision: Kashmir, Ladakh, Zanskar
The formation of the Himalaya is intricately linked to the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates, particularly evident along the Indus suture zone. This study sheds light on the geological processes shaping the western Himalaya, focusing on regions like Ladakh, Zanskar, and Zangla—ancient Buddhist kingdoms with unique geological exposures due to their arid climate and rain shadow effects. The research leverages historical context, including the political landscape of the region post-1950, to explore these remote areas, which remained largely inaccessible until recent decades. By examining the geology of Ladakh, a former part of southwestern Tibet annexed during British rule, the study provides insights into the tectonic and climatic forces that have sculpted this critical zone of continental collision.
The Potala Palace: Remembering to Forget in Contemporary Tibet
The Potala Palace, an iconic Tibetan structure, has undergone a significant transformation from its role as the residence of the Dalai Lamas and the administrative heart of Tibetan Buddhism to becoming a symbol of state-led 'organised forgetting' under Chinese rule. Unlike the Taj Mahal, which commemorates the absent through deliberate design, the Potala's monumental status emerged post-1959 after the 14th Dalai Lama's exile, making it a painful reminder of his absence for many Tibetans. This study argues that contemporary monumentalisation in Tibet serves a state agenda rather than memory, contrasting the palace's immovability with the Dalai Lama's global mobility as a symbol of the Tibetan cause.
Study on the Pyrolysis Kinetics Characteristics of the Wood from the Ancient Buildings
Research reveals that the pyrolysis behavior of wood from the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Lhasa, China, varies significantly among three species: Pinus koraiensis, hemlock, and spruce. The study found that Pinus koraiensis lignin has the highest degradation activation energy (218 kJ/mol), making it the most resistant to thermal breakdown, followed by spruce (188 kJ/mol) and hemlock (146 kJ/mol). This ranking suggests a clear hierarchy in thermal stability among these woods, with Pinus koraiensis being the hardest to degrade. The findings were derived using thermogravimetric analysis combined with the Kissinger method, offering insights into the preservation challenges of ancient wooden structures under thermal stress.
Study on the Thermal Properties of the Wood from the Ancient Buildings
Thermal degradation of wood from the Potala Palace occurs differently under air and nitrogen atmospheres. In air, three distinct stages were observed: moisture loss, degradation of hemicelluloses, celluloses, and lignin, followed by oxidation of charred residues. However, in nitrogen, only two stages appeared due to the absence of oxygen, preventing further oxidation. This study used thermogravimetric analysis to reveal these differences, providing insights into the thermal stability and preservation challenges of ancient wooden structures.
Detection of Delamination in Wall Paintings by Ground Penetrating Radar
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) emerges as a powerful tool for detecting delamination in wall paintings, particularly in culturally significant sites like the Potala Palace. Delamination, a prevalent issue causing separation between plaster and support surfaces, poses severe threats to the integrity of ancient murals, often leading to surface cracks or complete paint loss. This study highlights GPR's effectiveness in identifying such structural weaknesses, which affect over 75% of wall paintings in Tibetan heritage sites due to environmental degradation, biological factors, and material aging. By analyzing electromagnetic wave behavior through different media, the research provides a non-invasive method for conservationists to assess and monitor delamination risks without physical damage.
Sightline-based GIS model for building height control
A GIS-based model introduces view path and target path to dynamically calculate building height limits, addressing the limitations of traditional fixed viewpoint methods. This innovation generates sight surfaces and efficiently determines height constraints between paths, as demonstrated in Lhasa's urban design around Potala Palace. The approach enhances visual control by representing 3D block areas more accurately than 2D sections or multiple static viewpoints.
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