Lhasa Carpet Factory

Lhasa Carpet Factory is a factory located near the University of Tibet. It produces traditional Tibetan rugs that are exported worldwide through Guangzhou. Although the actual weaving and finishing is done by hand using old-style vertical looms many of the stages of the process are now mechanised and the dyeing is not done at the factory. It is a modern factory, the largest manufacturer of rugs throughout Tibet employing some 300 workers. Traditionally Tibetan women were the weavers and the men the spinners but both work on the rugs today.

The rugs manufactured in Lhasa are typically smaller with bold designs and bright colors and a deep even, pile about 60 knots per square inch. Rug weaving is an ancient craft in Tibet but because it was not for sacred purposes, it is not considered an art. As a result, there are no rugs verifiable earlier than 1800. The factory is now an important tourist attraction in the holy city.