The first day of Chinese lunar new year coincided with the new year eve of the Tibetan Lunar New Year. Many residents in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, swarmed into flowers stores in downtown Lhasa.

A store owner surnamed Wu said that he bought fresh flowers valued at nearly 2,000 yuan (US$241) from wholesalers in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Ceizhen, a Tibetan girl, bought a bundle of lily and said that now many people chose flowers as best gifts for relatives and friends.

Meanwhile, residents in the world highest plateau could get easy access to fresh fruits, which were rarely seen in the past years. Frequent truck transportation linking the autonomous region with the rest of the country has made business people lower price of fruits.

While celebrating the new year, Tibetan people always wear nicest dresses. The fashion of "Tang" style of jackets is also popular in Lhasa, as in other major cities in China. Many young people quickly followed the trends which swept the whole country.

At the same time, traditional Tibetan silk clothes and leather robes were eternal favorites of the Tibetan people.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2002)