China accuses the exiled Dalai Lama of inciting protests and riots that erupted in Lhasa and then across wider Tibet in March, in a bid to undermine the Beijing Olympics, which open on August 8. The Dalai Lama denies the charges.
The Beijing Games torch has never been far from controversy, and never more so than in its run through the streets of this 3,650-metre (12,000 feet) high city.
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Lhasa was under lockdown with police and troops every few metres along the relay streets, closely watching the groups of residents chosen to cheer on the torch. Shops were shut.
At the start of the relay, groups of students -- Tibetan and Han Chinese -- waved Olympic banners, the Chinese national flag, and the hammer and sickle banner of the ruling Communist Party.
The Olympic torch: Peace and controversy
"We are convinced that the Beijing Olympic Games' torch relay in Lhasa will further inflame the patriotic spirit of the people," Lhasa's Communist Party boss Qin Yizhi said at the opening ceremony, adding it would also help "smash the scheming of the Dalai Lama clique".
Image: Tibetan entertainers prepare for a performance at the ending of the ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games torch relay.
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