You may want to stay in Tibet for seven years, but classes at Tibet University will bring you a degree of confidence in a new language skill within a few semesters. By studying in the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, you will have access to an ancient Buddhist culture as well as a grasp of the language of the governing Chinese Tibetan community.With business opportunities flourishing in Tibet following widespread immigration and investment from the lowlands of China, the Lhasa of the future will have links not only to China and the imagination of the West, but also to Tibet's western neighbours, India and Nepal.

Long since a hidden away Buddhist sanctuary, Tibet is now accessible by train from western China and even Beijing. Living at over 3500 metres above sea level takes some getting used to, but has the advantage that you are literally on the top of the world. Major highways now run to Sichuan, Xinjiang and Qinghai providing a link to the Chinese cities of the north west of China. Visit some of the even more remote western towns to complete your sense of understanding of the mysterious Tibet. It's worth trying to make your trip coincide with one of Tibet's main festivals. New Year is an excellent time to be in Lhasa. Saga Dawa, another of Tibet's major events, is also a good time to be in Lhasa or Mount Kailash.

The Tibetan economy consists of subsistence agriculture, or the growing of enough food to live off of.Livestock are also raised but mainly in the Tibetan Plateau, among them are sheep, cattle, goats, camels, yaks and horses. Handicrafts, including Tibetan hats, jewellery clothing, quilts, fabrics and carpets are important generators of income for the people in Tibet.Traditionally, goods for trade, particularly foreign trade, were carried by yaks or horse. A new project underway is the construction of a dam on the Lhasa River, which has nurtured Tibetan civilization for centuries. The dam will provide electricity to much of central Tibet, and is part of the infrastructural development funded by the Beijing central government.

With a way of life that stayed the same for centuries, Tibet is so high up and far away that few visitors ever reached its borders until last century. Interrupting the ancient peace of the Buddhist mountain kingdom came first the British and Indian traders. Coupled with their interest was that of China and Russia who asserted their influence and sovereignty over the region. Now, as an autonomous province of China, religious Tibet has entered the modern world, and is trying with the help of its allies to keep apace with developments of the rest of the country.

The School of Arts in Tibet University, in which international students can study Chinese, is one of the oldest schools in the university and has excellent teaching records in many distinguished areas.