And this inflow of capital has saved many failing Tibetan businesses from bankruptcy, he says.

Investors from East China's Zhejiang Province have revived a formerly closed brick kiln in the suburbs of Lhasa. Today, the Qingda Building Material Supplies Co employs 40 locals, and sells flooring and tiles to China's inland provinces, as well as to Nepal and India.

It gave 22-year-old Lhazhoin a job - three years after she graduated from a local secondary school. And today, she's making 1,500 yuan ($200) a month working as a cashier.

Editor: Cindy