Lhasa has been the capital of Tibet. The Chinese Government has followed the British template from Northern Ireland ( resettle Scots and Brits there to dilute the native resistance ) by resettling Han Chinese throughout the cities in Tibet and particularly in Lhasa. The native Tibetan culture has been weakened as a result - as intended. We were required to have a Han Chinese driver ( Chinese and Tibetan speaker) with our Tibetan guide ( English , Chinese and Tibetan speaker) . Amusingly , the driver did not speak English , so our guide could communicate with us candidly once he got to know us.