Urban Life in Hong Kong and Tibet

Urban Life in Hong Kong and Tibet

Where they live

---------------

In Tibet, people in more urban areas live in houses made of either

wood or stones depending on what materials are more easily available

in a particular area. The roof is made of tree trunks which is then

covered in a thick layer of clay like the house shown below.

[IMAGE]

There are usually three or four floors with stairs made of tree trunks

on the outside. The ground floor is usually for the animals, the

second where most of the bedrooms are and the highest floor is for the

toilet so it doesn't stink the rest of the house. The furniture is

painted with bright colours and wood and waste from animals and humans

is the main source of fuel.

The people living in the more rural areas of Tibet live in tents.

There are two types of tents; black yak wool tents and white cloth

tents. To make black yak wool tents people use yak wool and tie it

into ropes and then tie the ropes together and about 200 lb of wool is

required to make a tent for a family of 5. The white cloth tents are

not as common and are good for traveling. They are quite small and are

usually covered in religious symbols like the one overleaf.

[IMAGE]

Inside both types of tents there aren't any bed just cushions and

rugs. The tents are divided into two halves. One half for the woman

and the other half for men. In the men's half there is usually a

worshipping place with statues, scriptures etc. of the Buddha.

In Hong Kong on the other hand everybody lives in tall apartment

buildings of about 40 storeys because of very limited land space and

the government have now started filling in the harbour.

[IMAGE]

How they make a living

In Tibet the most common professions are farming and yak-harding but

the government are now creating more jobs for students like railway