Lhasa, the capital and political, economic, cultural, and communications center of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies 3,700 meters above sea level and is considered the highest city in the world. Here in the mid-7th Century, Songtsan Gambo, chief of the Tubo Tribe, unified Tibet and founded the Tubo Kingdom. Some 1,300 years have passed, and along with China's reforms and social progress, Lhasa has become one of the most intriguing cities in the world, drawing visitors from many nations.

Lhasa has long been known worldwide as the "sunlight city." Today, besides radiant sunshine in daytime, in the evening modern lamps come on to illuminate the city, producing a scenic and fancifully colorful nightscape.

At 9 p.m., when inland cities are already covered by the curtain of night, the rays of sun falling on Lhasa have only just begun to fade. The Youth Road, a commercial street specializing in clothing of varied brands and grades, is still crowded with prospective customers. At midnight, when most people in China's inland areas have fallen asleep, the stores on Youth Road remain open and active.

The Langma Hall is a cultural and recreational establishment with Tibetan characteristics. In Tibetan language "Langma" means "royal-court music," which was only available to the aristocrats of the past. Today it is now a part of daily recreation for ordinary people. When night falls, many Lhasa citizens gather at the Langma Hall to enjoy traditional ethnic song and dance over beers. As Tibet accelerated its opening to the outside world, Langma Hall introduced pop songs from China's inland artists and classic music from foreign countries.

"Singing here is a job full of fun," said a young Tibetan singer who regularly performs at the hall. His neck is hung with more than 10 pieces of hada (white silk scarf), a token of respect presented by his fans. "I am bored when I stay at home, so I come here to perform every night."

Strolling through Lhasa at night, the glittering neon lights cast a multi-hued glow to the streets, producing a fairyland-like effect. Teahouses, dance halls, clubs and restaurants scattered around this not-very-large city offer diverse choices for Chinese and foreigners alike. Many are drawn to do business here, and some simply stop to stay for a few nights while traveling. In recent years, along with the rapid development of urban construction and service industries, Lhasa has attracted a growing number of investors and tourists, and the colorful nightlife has played an important role in the city's improving business environment.

Since he moved to Lhasa to open a business, Fang Hai, from Zhejiang Province, has frequented the New Start Bar in the western suburbs. He spends many evenings here sipping a beer or two, listening to music and chatting with friends. This, he explains, helps him relax after a long day of work. Before coming to Tibet, he thought life here might be dull and boring. But he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the cultural and recreational life in Lhasa rivals that of the inland areas.

In spite of its location far from China's developed coastal regions, Lhasa is an international city. Each year countless tourists from abroad visit the intriguing land of Tibet, and some even settle in Lhasa to do business, thus bringing new commercial culture to the city.

Fred, a native of the Netherlands, runs a Western-style restaurant on East Beijing Road in Lhasa. Nightly the restaurant is crowded with travelers from different nations, who come to enjoy genuine Western food and Western wines. Chinese tourists also patronize the restaurant to taste exotic food and practice their English in conversations with Westerners.

Late at night, the younger citizens of Lhasa launch off on their activities. The Tibet Labor Union Amusement City, near the Potala Palace Square, attracts the crowds with its well-equipped table-tennis hall, billiard hall, and other recreational facilities.

According to Zhaxi Pingtso, who has worked for over 30 years in Lhasa, in the past Lhasa citizens would simply stay at home, because power outages often occurred. Things changed after 1989, when the Central Government made a large investment and constructed the Yamzhog Yumco Lake Pumped-Storage Power Station, the largest hydroelectric power station in Tibet. Thanks to now abundant electric power, the recreational industry of Lhasa grew by leaps and bounds, and the Lhasa's nightlife became active and colorful.