Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, which is considered to be the center of politics, economy and cultural, communication as well as tourism. It is located in the northern bank of Kyichu River, the main tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo River. It is 3,658 high in altitude. The city has jurisdiction over 7 counties and one district with an area of 300,000 square kilometers.

Lhasa means "holy land" in Tibetan language. The history of city dates back to the 7th century AD, when the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo conquered many tribes, united Tibet, transferred the capital from Yarlung to Lhasa, and established Tubo Regime. The 11th century had seen the Buddhism spreading widely and Lhasa became the center for many eminent and learned monks to preach the religion. In the time of the 7th Dalai Lama, a very famous palace, Norbulingkha, 2 kilometers away from the Potala Palace, was built. From then on, the ancient section of Lhasa city was formed, with Potala Palace as its center, Barkhor Street and Norbulingka Palace on both sides.

Lhasa is one of the most charming cities in the country. The grand Potala, the blue sky, the clear water and the fresh air all add charm to the city. People of 31 nationalities live in the city and Tibetans take up 87% of the total population.


Potala Palace
The Potala Palace, is the most valuable storehouse in Tibet. It is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts. In 1994, the Potala Palace was declared the United Nations World Cultural Heritage site.

The Potala Palace is 3,756.5 meters above sea level, covering an area of over 360,000 square meters (about 32 acres), measuring 360 meters from east to west and 270 meters from south to north. It has 13 stories, and is 117 meters high. The walls of the Palace are over one meter in thickness, the thickest sections being five meters.

The stone-and-wood-structured Potala Palace consists of the White Palace and Red Palace. The White Palace, comprising halls, temples and courtyards, serves as the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. The Red Palace includes various chambers for worshipping Buddha and chambers housing the eight stupa that contain the remains of fifth through thirteenth Dalai Lama. All the stupas are covered with gold foil. The most magnificent stupa belongs to the fifth Dalai Lama. It is 14.85 meters tall and inlaid with pearl and jade.

Known as a historical and cultural museum of Tibetan Buddhism, the Potala Palace houses many artifacts of ancient Tibet, such as frescos, stupas and images of Buddha. People feel amazing about the colorful sculptures and paintings there.

Jokhang Monastery
The Jokhang Monastery, an example of the earliest architecture in Tibet, can claim to be the center around which the city of Lhasa developed. Jokhang is the spiritual center of Tibet, the Holy of Holies, the destination of millions of Tibetan pilgrims. Unlike the lofty Potala, the Jokhang has intimate, human proportions, bustling with worshippers and redolent with mystery.

Built in 648, the Jokhang Monastery expanded to the present scale in the 17th century after several renovations. It was built in Tang Dynasty architectural style with characteristics of Nepalese and Indian architecture. The main hall is supported by 20 large wooden columns. There are elegant relief sculptures of human beings, birds and animals carved on the bucket-arch beams. A golden statue of the young Buddha Sakyamuni at age 12 brought to Tibet by Princess Wen Cheng from Chang'an, capital of the Tang Dynasty, is enshrined in the center. The statutes of Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng and Princess Chizun, another wife of the Tibetan King are enshrined in side halls.

Every year, the Great Prayer Festival will be held in this monastery. The rites of Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas' initiation into lamahood are also held in the monastery.

On November 30, 2000, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee listed the Jokhang Monastery on the World Heritage List as a part of the historical assemblage of the Potala Palace.

Drepung Monastery
On the slope of the Wuze Hill in Genbei five kilometers northwest of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery was built in 1416 and is the largest of the monastery of the Gelug Sect.

Drepung Monastery is of great historical importance not only in that it produced some of Tibet's most renowned spiritual leaders, but also in that it always enjoyed significant political influence. This was the case not only when the Dalai Lama ruled from the monastery itself but also afterwards, when the official residence was moved to the Potala Palace.

Every year in early August, Tibetans celebrate their major festival - Shoton, the Yogurt Festival. The most important event of this festival - Giant Buddha Show is held in Drepung Monastery.

Notwithstanding the paucity of its current monastic population, the continued preservation of Drepung's architectural structures make it one of Tibet's most important cultural legacies.

Sera Monastery
Located at the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain in the northern suburb of Lhasa, it is one of the three grand monasteries of the Gelupa sect.

It was built by Sagya Yeshes, one of the eight disciples of Zongkapa in 1419. Sagya Yeshes went to Beijing twice. In 1409, the Ming emperor sent someone to Tibet to invite Zongkapa to Beijing to propagate Buddhism, but Zongkapa couldn;t go to Beijing due to his advanced age, so he sent his student Sagya Yeshes to Beijing and Sagya Yeshes was given the title of "the Great Mercy Prince of Dharma". After the establishment of the monastery, Sagya Yeshes went to Beijing again and also spread Buddhism in Mongolia. He was given the title of "Master of the state", and was presented with a lot of gifts by the Ming emperor, such as a scripture written in gold, paintings and statues etc. These treasures are still remaining in Sera monastery.

Sera is famous for its "Buddhism Scriptures Debating": monks can be seen preparing for monastic exam by staging mock debates in the ritual way. Some sit cross-legged under the trees, while others run from group to group giving vigorous hand-claps to end a statement or make a point. Master and dignitaries sit on the raised tiers when a real exam takes place.

Norbulingka
Situated in the western suburbs of Lhasa, Norbulingka Park was built in the middle of the 18th century during the reign of the 7th Dalai Lama and served as the Summer Palace of Dalai Lamas where they handle political affairs, practiced religious activities and spent holidays. Traditionally the Dalai Lamas would leave the Potala Palace every spring and spend the summer in Norbulingka.

Though it is called New Summer Palace, it is a very traditional architecture except for its interior modern facilities. In the palace there are many splendid murals painted by a Fourteenth Dalai Lama's painter.

Lingka in Tibetan means a beautiful place with trees and lawns, and Norbu means treasure. In addition to its beautiful environment, Norbulingka boasts many palaces, pavilions, various kinds of flowers as well as a lake and a zoo.

During the Shotun Festival (yogurt festival) which starts on July 1 of the Tibetan calendar, the park is crowded with people who come to sing, dance and picnic for the celebration.

In December 2001, Norbulingka Park was entered into the World Heritage List as a part of the historical assemblage of Potala Palace.

Barkhor Street
Barkhor refers to Lhasa's pilgrimage circuit, a quadrangle of streets that surrounds the Jokhang and some of the old buildings adjoining it. It is an area unrivalled in Tibet for its fascinating combination of deep religiosity and push-and-shove market economics. Barkhor is both the spiritual heart of the holy city and the main commercial district for Tibetans.

Barkhor, the sacred pilgrim path, is also a market place where shaggy nomads, traders, robed monks and chanting pilgrims join together. Shops and stalls, clustering, sell printed scriptures, cloth prayer flags and other religious vessels, jewelry, Tibetan knives, ancient coins and etc.

Barkhor is the road which pilgrims tramped out around Jokhang Temple through centuries. Buddhist pilgrims walk or progress by body-lengths along the street clockwise every day into deep night. They comprise most of Lhasa's floating population. Careful visitors may find there are 4 columns, on which colorful scripture streamers are hung flying over the street.

Yangpachen
Covering an area of about 150,000 square meters, Yambajan, 87 kilometers away from Lhasa, is situated in the basin at the foot of Nyainqentanglha Mountains to the northwest of Lhasa.

Yambajan, world-famous for its spectacular phenomenon of hot springs boiling on the cold plateau, features all kinds of hot springs including highest-temperature hot springs, boiling springs and geysers as well as common hot springs, the area of which totals more than 7,000 square meters.

While the surrounding area was barren and extremely cold, Yangpachen is green with grass and highland barley growing abundantly. Steam emitting from the springs covers the small town. Now it has a thermoelectricity plant, green houses and hot spring bathrooms, attracting more and more tourists.

The hot spring in Yambajan, which contains high content of sulfureted hydrogen, is therapeutic to many chronic diseases. The bathing place is an open-air swimming pool. The hot spring, the temperature of which is too high, needs to be cooled in two open-air cisterns before it is available for bathing. With the snow-capped mountains in the distance, it is really an enjoyment to have a hot-spring bath in the swimming pool. Especially in winter, it is very pleasant and romantic to enjoy the heavy snowfall by bathing in the hot spring.

Namtso Lake
Lake Namtso is located in Nagqu Prefecture, about 260 kilometers from Lhasa City and 60 kilometers from Damxung County.

Lake Namtso means "holy lake" in the Tibetan language. With over 30 kilometers from north to south and over 70 kilometers from east to west, Lake Namtso covers a total area of more than 1,900 square kilometers, being the second largest salt lake in China. At an elevation of 4,718 meters, it is also the highest-altitude salt lake in the world, the furthest depth being more than 33 meters.

Mani stone mounds can be found everywhere along the Namtso Lake. Every Tibetan Buddhist throws a stone on every mound he or she comes across. To throw a stone represents to recite the scriptures once. With the elapse of time, separate stone mounds have joined together to form a grand sight of Mani wall, which is over one hundred meters long and about one meter high.

Surrounded by vast grassland, the lake looks like a huge mirror. With the clear blue sky over the dark blue lake, white snow, green grass, colorful wild flowers and herdsman's ox-hair tents make a beautiful and appealing natural landscape. Regarded as a holy lake by pious Buddhists, the lake attracts pilgrims from as far as India and Nepal.