Litang - a Tibetan pearl in Sichuan

Litang is a small city located in southwest China's Sichuan province. It has a population of 47,500 people (estimated in 2001) which mainly consists of Tibetans. Litang is of great importance to Tibetan people, mainly because it is the birth place of several Buddhist front figures, including Kelzang Gyatso (the 7th Dalai Lama) and Tsultrim Gyatso (the 10th Dalai Lama). The city also has strong connections to Gesar of Ling, the hero of one of central Asia's most famous literary works, the Epic of King Gesar.

During the 1950's, Litang and its surrounding areas were important bases for the armed resistance to the Chinese occupation. In 1956, however, when the Chinese liberation army bombed the monastery of Litang, the resistance army was forced to surrender.

Litang is located at an altitude of 4,014 meters, which is 400 meters higher than Lhasa and makes Litang one of the world's highest cities. The town consists of open grassland that is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The city's main tourist attractions include thermal springs, located about 4 kilometers from the city center.

The best season to visit Litang is said to be summer, which is when the city's wildflowers are in bloom. And not only is summer the season for wildflowers, it is also the time of the year when the week-long horse festival is held.

Litang horse festival

Litang's horse festival is a summer festival held the first week of August every five years. The last festival was held in 2005, and the next one will take place in 2010.

The horse festival brings together thousands of Tibetan people as well as nomads (that are usually Tibetan herders) for a week of celebration, trTibetan ponies are used in the horse races held every five years. (Image: Radio86)ade and competition.

During the festival, Tibetan pony races test the horsemanship of the participants. The horses are small but fast and the races are held to determine who owns the best horse. The competitions are very important to the Tibetan participants as they help to ascertain their status in the society.

Apart from the horse races, the festival also includes a dancing competition, stunt performances on horses, an arts and crafts exhibition and a large trade fair.

Eight things you didn't know about Litang

1. Don't wait until you're hungry to visit a local restaurant. It's not unusual for dishes ordered at noon to arrive at supper time. Tourists are often surprised by the region's "remissness" as guests are never served in a timely manner.

2. No fluorescent lamps are used in the town: People conserve energy since electricity is scarce in the region. Lights are normally turned off in the morning - even though daybreak is not until 8 am.

3. Tourists can find the locals' way of handling business a bit stiff and mechanical. In a restaurant, for instance, a table can only be served after the previous customers have finished -- no matter how hungry the latter group may be. Also, once an order is made it cannot be changed.

4. Bread stays fresh for quite a long time in Litang. It is said that even bacteria cannot withstand the rarefaction of oxygen.

Litang residents prefer sunshine to electricity (Image: Wikipedia)5. Take-out meals are packed in paper bags. If someone packs the meal in a plastic bag, a fine of 5000 yuan might be imposed. The locals say this plateau is the last pure and unpolluted piece of land in the world and they want it to stay that way.

6. Living in a fairly isolated village, the locals enjoy examining strangers from head to toe.

7. The population in Litang speaks little or no Mandarin or English. Tourists visiting the city often have to communicate with body language.

8. Litang hairstyles are particularly impressive. The local women often have 108 braids under their ornamental headdresses, while long-haired men put their hair up using rings of coral jewelry and mastodon ivory with characteristic red or black tassels.