The rickshaw appeared for the first time in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, in the 1980s. It soon found favor from local residents and tourists for its low cost and convenience.

The Lhasa Rickshaw Company has 550 carters, of whom, 300 are Tibetans.

Tebu, a Tibetan carter, said, "I work from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday and earn more than 1,000 yuan a month. Life is wonderful. "

Many travelers prefer taking rickshaw, which they regard as an important way to get to know Tibet.

Asked whether it is hard to drive a rickshaw at the highest altitude on earth where breathing is difficult as a result of low oxygen, a carter from Sichuan Province said, "I am accustomed to it."

As of April 2000, all the rickshaws in Tibet adopted a unified pattern: green-colored double-seat, silver awning with blue frame.

(People's Daily 05/06/2001)