the plateau makes up one quarter of china's land mass. the tibet autonomous region spreads across the southeastern

portion of the plateau. in the center is lhasa. its name is tibetan for sacred place. rapid development has brought dramatic change to the city over the pasten yrs. development has radedly changed the local environment and the way residents live and work. many people have moved here from outside the region to take advantage of new opportunities.

in this episode, we'll offer a rare inside glimpse of this ancit tibetan capital. lhasa lies more than 3500 meters above sea level in the heart to have tibet autonomous region. it plays a central role in tibetan buddhism and was once the capital of tibet. the breathtaking potala palace is a world heritage site. the pal laz has an area of 1300 square meet es and some say it has 2,000 rooms. it used to be the home of the dalai lama, the country's former

spirl eventual and political leader. nearly 13 million tourists visited the region in 2013. 90% of them were from other parts of china. special permission to enter the region. with such permission is not easily guaranteed. the influence of chinese tourists has led to shopping centers and hotels. lhasa's population has increased to in the past decade to over 500,000. a majority of the residents are from other provinces.

along with the potala palace, there's another must see destination in lhasa. it's jokhang temple in the center of the ancient city.

this image of the temple was taken 12 years ago. people are lying flat on the ground. it's an act of worship. the temple was built in the middle of the 7th century. many consider it a home. pilgrims come from far away. these days, visitors must under go a check of their body and belongings before entering. officials say this is to screen out people who might engage in disruptive behavior.

it remains a center of tibetan worship, but it's packed with tourists. this is a street that surrounds the temple. it, too, has changed. it was once the only market for residents and pilgrims visiting the tele.

the route was filled with street vendors and shops, as well as daily necessities. it was lined with traditional tibetan buildings. while some lie on the ground, others walk around a carrying objects in a clockwise direction. the street vendors were not included in a plan. the walls were decorated with china's national flag.

k recently, it's become a fad for tourists to have their picture taken dressed in traditional tibetan attire. one store has been operated for 30 years. this family run enterprise sells jewelry and religious items decorated with corral. most of the customers are chinese people visiting lhasa for work or pleasure. business has been very good. three years ago, the shop began selling out of some items during tourist season.

in the end, this shopper negotiated a discount on the necklace.

there's more space in front of the shops now, but business isn't as limited. the street vendors were moved to a location 15 minutes away. in an l-shaped building in a newly renovated street. they sell clothing, souvenirs and food. from above, it looks a bit like the old days.

the shops sell the same items found in bar cory. few tour u.is visit.

some shopkeepers are considering switching to selling every day necessities. 2014 was a special year of pilgrimage for tibetan buddhists. the streets are filled with programs. shopping as a religious goods store. he visited lhasa for the first time 12 years ago and was taken by its charm. he converted to tibetan buddhism. he made a pilgrimage from his home in beijing.

the buddhist monk, considers his mentor, passed away. he came here to learn so words from a fellow follower. he'll inscribe the characters on the prayer flag he'll carry on his pilgrimage.

at his hotel, he decided to write down the characters he just learned. for him, buddhism offers a calm oasis in the midst of his busy life.

but some younger chinese consider tibetan traditions cool and fashionable. he hopes they'll come to appreciate the values that underlie tibetan buddhism. one man found success after moving to lhasa 20 years ago. the now operates ten companies. business materials, trading and restaurants.

after a ten-minute drive across the river and towards the train station, we spot a large development zone.

office buildings, banks and shopping centers are being constructed one after the other. a a site measuring 134,000 square meters will be b the center of lhasa with the latest facilities. beijing allotted $540 billion in

its 12th five-year plan. it is planned along the river that runs south from lhasa. a two level bridge will run for 3,000 meters to a commercial complex on the other side. the two-year project should be completed in 2014.

many of the laborers are from elsewhere in china. so many ethnic han chinese have migrated here for work, that they are now in the majority. the growing han population is changing the weighty bitans eat.

vegetable vendors often wind their way through the streets of lhasa. tibetans mainly only ate vegetables that had to be grown at high altitudes, such as cabbage and raddic. now, they can get a ul kinds of pro deuce. one tibetan man is trying to get people to try a staple called naked barly. farmers modify regular barley so it can be grown up to 45 meters. people here take pride in this agricultural accomplishment.

local farmers now grow watermelons and cucumbers in greenhouses. the naked barley promoter is creating new recipes and offering them as a restaurant he runs. he also makes traditional cheesecake and dishes he studied while in beijing. his top selling item is naked barley bread. ♪

he dreams of one day selling this bread in other parts of china. in 2006, a railway line connected lhasa to the province in western china, bringing even more development to tibet. in august 2014, another mine opened. it stretches west from lhasa.

the fare is between $6.50 and $28 u.s. that's a bit pricey for locals. but the train was crowded. stations were built along the 5150 kilometer line.

traditional ways of life are being swept up with a wave of economic development. what kind of future awaits people here? that question has yet to be answered.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's thursday, december 4th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. executives of a japanese auto parts maker takata have taken issue with demands for a recall. their defective airbags have been linked to injuries and deaths. one of the affected car companies, honda, has decided to act on its own. a series of accidents prompted the recall of about 8 million cars in the southern u.s. takata executives said warm and humid conditions could cause the airbags to explode and spray