The number of Internet users in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has increased to 846 since Tibet opened Internet service in March 1998.

According to sources with the Lhasa telecom bureau, 60 percent of the Internet users are individuals, most of them young people.

The other users are government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and private companies, the sources added.

Less than two years ago, most Tibetans were unfamiliar with words such as "download" and "e-mail," but now more and more people are becoming used to these new words of the information age.

At the beginning of the year, the Lhasa telecom bureau offered a free registration service, attracting 192 new Internet users in only 15 days.

"I feel I am closer to the rest of the country and the world since I went on line," one young Tibetan man said.

Tibet's tourism department now has a website dedicated to travel routes and programs for people interested in visiting this mysterious land.

Along with the Internet service provided by the telecom bureau, a computer network on Chinese education and science was also established recently at Tibet University, aimed at providing more information for Internet users. (Xinhua)