But its occupants have changed.

Chijang, a living Buddha who taught the 14th Dalai Lama Buddhist scriptures, was the first to live in the courtyard, which was built back in 1953, close to the incense-filled Johkang Monastery in downtown Lhasa.

Chijang left the residence in 1959, leaving behind him a cultural heritage that draws flocks of visitors today.

Blue-eyed, fair-haired foreign tourists are frequently seen in central Lhasa. "Chijang yard?" they often ask in faltering Chinese.

Meido, 52, has lived in the courtyard for 30 straight years. The local government always consults him before carrying out any maintenance work.

"In most cases they just repair the walls or replace damaged wood," he recalled, "The original layout has not ever been changed."

The antique wooden floor in Chijang's former bedroom is in sharp relief against the modern sofa and household appliances of its present resident.

"I wanted very much to change the floor, but my mother said it's part of the past and we have to leave it as it is," said Yuzhen, a teenage girl.

Yuzhen's satchel lay on the sofa. "I was not allowed even to hammer a tiny nail into the wall," she said.

The room opposite Yuzhen's is where Chijang used to chant scriptures. It still has its original earthen floor and wooden doorstep, both polished from years of visitors.

Yuzhen's neighbor, Quzhen, has unusually long chimneys so that the smoke will not discolor the two adjacent houses, where the living Buddha used to perform the sacred "head-touching" ceremony and store Buddhist scriptures.

"The government has spent more than 400,000 yuan (US$48,000) to retain the original look," said Baizhen, a cleaner, "We have every reason to keep the yard spic-and-span."

According to Baizhen, Chijang Lharang is not the only well-preserved Tibetan style courtyard in downtown Lhasa. "To name just a few, we've also got Akang, Bhangdadcang, Lhangkhanu, Pala and Ma'am Lhang," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2002)