Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous
Region, is situated in the central Tibet. It is the provincial heart of politics,
economy, culture, religion and transportation. This ancient city, with a history
of over 1,300 years, was liberated peacefully in 1951. With an altitude around 3,500
m, it is located on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The city is sunny all year round, so
the city is reputed as a "city of sunshine".
Although newcomers alsways feel dizzy due to the high altitude on Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau, they will always be inebriated by the bright and grandiose sight on the
plateau, and shocked by the cultural relics from thousands of years ago and the
awe-inspiring religious atmosphere. Lhasa has many scenic and historical sites,
including the famous Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple which are already well-known
both at home and abroad. Besides, there are other scenic spots, such as Tomb of
Tibetan Kings, Chubu Monastery, Qugong site, Tibetan Revolution Exhibition Hall
and Little Jokhang Temple, etc.
Potala Palace
The magnificent Potala Palace, with its massive grante walls, is a world-famous
palatial architecture complex. The main building has 13 stories and is about 117
m tall. It was inscribed on the world cultural heritage list by UNESCO.
There are divine stupas of Dalai Lamas, among which the stups for 13th Dalai Lama
is the tallest, being gilded with 943.5 kg of gold and inlaid with various jewels.
The 13th Dalai Lama's statue is cast with 50.3 kg of silver.
Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Temple, situated in center of Lhasa, was built in 7th century and was the
first temple built by Songtsen Gampo to commemorate the arrival of Princess Wencheng
of Tang Dynasty. It is famous for its exquisite architecture and vivid nural paintings,
and is a holy place for Buddhist pilgrimage in Tibet.
Do you know?
In 641 AD, Songtsen Gampo, the Chieftain of Tubo having unified the whole Tibetan
region, wedded Princess Wencheng of Imperial Tang Court. After the princess arrived,
she suggested building a temple with earth carried by a white goat and filled in
the lake. Therefore people called the original temple (the present day Jokhang Temple)
as "Resa", meaning "goat carring earth" in Tibetan. Later, "Resa was translated
as "Luoxie", and it gradually changed into "Lhasa". In the past thousand years,
Lhasa became Tibet's political and religious center several times, and it really
matches the name of "holy place".
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