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 The
Lhoba are a hospitable people. When a guest
arrives, he is offered wine. The host takes
the first sip of wine – a custom that originated
from their tradition of showing that the wine
was not poisonous. The guest must eat everything
set before him lest he seem impolite.
According to Chinese government sources, life
has been better for the Lhoba since Communism
began. Prior to that, the people were illiterate,
but now they use the Tibetan script. Before
that time, Lhoba society had a noble class (maide)
and a slave class (nieba). Epidemic diseases
decreased the population, but now health and
medical services have improved. Many still suffer from health problems, however. In recent years, the Lhoba have learned advanced, intensive farming
methods, increasing their economy.
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