Looking beyond Barkhor Street, you find that Lhasa is surrounded by mountains and ranges like the Himalayan. Visitors tired of the bustling streets of Barkhor might be eager to seek a change in the serene mountains. Indeed, many of them challenge themselves to hike those lofty and mysterious mountains.

Sensing the opportunities brought by the influx of climbers, the Tibetan Mountaineering Guide School was founded in 1999. The school uses a comprehensive system to train local Tibetans the skills and services necessary for working as guides in these mountains. Their efforts have raised the level of safety of this dangerous sport.

Here, students learn quite a few skills useful for their future careers including English, first aid and even the art of filming.

I am hiking here, 4700 meters. At base camp of Chitzi Mountain, students from China Mountaineering Guide School set up base camps here. Let’s see how they are doing.

We would’ve guessed in this far middle of nowhere, you have access to this sort of technology. Tibet has 40 to 50 tallest mountains in the world, which means a lot of foreigners. It is competitive for all the travels guide groups like China Mountaineering Guide School to provide all these staff.

Those advanced communication devices used in hiking is closely related to the booming telecom industry in Tibet. For the last 50 years it has been slowly building up. Every village is now connected to a fixed line service. In the past 10 years, mobile users increased by 282 times! And just like every other part of the world, Tibet is on line!

Yep, that’s familiar. Sitting in front the terminal and with a cup of coffee right here. If don’t look out the window, I would really feel like back in the States. It’s amazing. The world is just getting a lot smaller.

Barkhor Street not only showcases the deeply tradtional painting of thangka, but the new emerging modern artists and their contemporary visual styles.

This little gallery was opened two years ago, by a group of painters in Lhasa, called Gedun Choephel Artists Guild. Its purpose is to show their art and to advance their heady goal of reinterpreting modern Tibetan culture.

They are a group of young, modern Tibetan artists who have the same lifestyle as many of their counterparts in other corners of world. They like fast food, movies and rock and roll. They like to keep up with the times and trends, and hope people will see that Tibet is more than a place of religion. But, that does not take away their respect and value the traditional aspects of their unique cultural heritage.

Against the sunset, Barkhor Street seems less crowded than in the morning. But, that doesn’t means a day in Barkhor will come to an end. In the evening, something more fascinating and surprising comes to life on this ancient road.

After a day of walking, I am here at Naga restaurant. Food from many countries. It results from opening up of Lhasa.

Now, that dinner is finished. Where should people go? Of course the local pub. These are sure to be the highest pubs in this world. There are many to choose from on Barkhor Street. You can enjoy pop music, beers and western food here.

Lhasa is not dominated by low-pitch horns blown by the monks, religious chanting and folk music. The trend of popular music has been picked up, here on the roof of the world. The band, Zimig Gupa, made up of five amateur pop singers, performs in this club quite often. They’ve already released two albums, which are a mixture of folk music, western blues and jazz.

This was the oldest building on Barkhor Street. It’s being tired down right now. It’s too bad.

Barkhor Street is a mish-mesh of locals and foreigners, old generations and new generations, walking among each other. It is microcosm of Lhasa itself. It’s saving the past while walking into the future. I am Daniella Kuhn. Thanks for watching Rediscovering China.

Editor:Wang