Chapter 6 4. Experience Lhasa

Lhasa is such a magical and charming city, where you can squander your emotions, imagination and passion. Lhasa means "Holy Land" or "Buddhist Land" in Tibetan.Lhasa City is located on the north bank of the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River, at an altitude of 3,650 meters. It is an ancient city with a history of more than 1,300 years. It has long been the political, economic, cultural and religious center of Tibet.It was an early morning after the rain, the first time I entered the strange city of Lhasa. Looking around, I saw a straight asphalt road lined with businesses and restaurants, and a lot of traffic. It was no different from any modern city in the inland.However, the ever-blue sky, the Tibetan-style buildings with ethnic characteristics that often come into view, and the Tibetans wearing Tibetan robes and holding prayer wheels will make people feel that you are indeed in a foreign land.

The holy temple in the hearts of the Tibetan people - the Potala Palace When the first sun shone on the holy city in the early morning, the sound of the trumpets could be faintly heard in the ear, which was the Potala Palace calling for guests from afar.Ignoring the fatigue of the long-distance travel, I took a taxi from the Balangxue Hotel where I was staying, and arrived at the Potala Square in a short while.Standing on the square, looking up at the magnificent building standing on the top of the Red Mountain, is this the Potala Palace, which is regarded as a holy temple by the Tibetan people?Is this the Potala Palace that I dream of?Suddenly, a kind of broadness and depth that cannot be described in words shocked my heart.After passing through the long corridor, you can buy a ticket for 40 yuan. According to Tibetan religious habits, walk clockwise from the right side, and you will enter this huge palace composed of red and white buildings. "Potala" is a transliteration of the Sanskrit "Putuoluo", which means Mount Putuo, the holy place of Buddhism.The Potala Palace was first built in 645 A.D. It is said that Songtsan Gampo built it to marry Princess Wencheng. There were thousands of rooms in the palace, but it was destroyed by war and natural disasters. Only the Fawang Cave and Pabala Palace remained. Kang (Avalokitesvara Hall).The Potala Palace seen now was rebuilt in 1645 by the Fifth Dalai Lama after realizing the unity of politics and religion.

The architectural pattern of the Potala Palace is very complicated, and I was confused as soon as I entered the door. Fortunately, I met a Hong Kong and Macau tour group and followed the tour guide to find out my location.After entering the Potala Palace, you will enter the White House after passing through a large square called "Deyangxia". This is the palace where successive Dalai Lamas handle government affairs and daily life.The hall is full of colorful murals, Thangkas, Buddha statues, offerings, and all kinds of jeweled decorations, which are dazzling.After carefully appreciating the murals depicting the story of Songtsan Gampo's marriage to Princess Tang Wencheng, he walked into the largest hall in the White House, the East Hall (Tsochin Hall), where successive Dalai Lamas engaged in important political activities.In the hall, there is a horizontal plaque of "Zhenxi Suijiang" bestowed on the fifth Dalai Lama by Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty. It is a pity that photography is not allowed in the hall, otherwise it is really necessary to take a good photo.

Red Palace Golden Dome Group of Potala Palace After leaving the White House, passing through a roof, you enter another important part of the Potala Palace - the Red Palace where successive Dalai Lamas engaged in religious activities.In the Red Palace, there are eight spiritual pagodas that preserve the bodies of the fifth, seventh and thirteenth Dalai Lamas.These pagodas have different shapes and structures, but they are all encased in gold and inlaid with a large number of rare and rare treasures.The most magnificent of these are the stupas of the 5th Dalai Lama and the 13th Dalai Lama. It would be vulgar to describe these stupas by any weight of gold, jewelry type, or number.But there is no stupa here of Tsangyang Gyatso, the sixth Dalai Lama, a famous scholar and poet with a suave personality. , and his whereabouts are still a mystery.After visiting the Red Palace with a pious heart, climb to the highest point of the Potala Palace - the Golden Roof of the Red Palace.Under the blue sky, the scorching sun and the golden dome complement each other, forming a magnificent picture.Looking at the Potala Square and Yaowang Mountain from a distance, I can't help but sigh in my heart, the richness of the Potala Palace's rare treasures, the broadness of Tibetan Buddhism, and the profound heritage of Tibetan culture, how can it be a visit like a tour or two? What can be understood?

In Lhasa, my favorite place to go shopping is Barkhor Street, which is a circular street that surrounds the Jokhang Temple and is full of Tibetan life.My first impression of Barkhor Street is: Unlike the Potala Palace, which represents the ruling class, the Barkhor Street surrounding the Jokhang Temple will always belong to ordinary people.On the roundabout, the bustling stream of people walking clockwise seems to never stop.The number of small shops and small stalls gathered on Barkhor Street is unmatched by any other place.The stalls of the local Tibetans not only sell pulu, wooden bowls, Tibetan blankets and other daily necessities of the Tibetan people; The handicrafts are all dizzying and addictive.From time to time, you can also find shops opened by Nepalese and Indians. In the shops, pictures of the king and queen are hung in heroic postures, items with national characteristics are displayed, and local songs are played on the tape recorders.When shopping on Barkhor Street, you have to be ruthless and try your best to bargain hard, otherwise, you will be cheated afterwards, and the tofu will be the price of meat.Although I have patronized the stalls on Barkhor Street countless times, I feel that the price has not been reached after each purchase.After walking around for a long time, sometimes you will find that in the neighborhood, there are secluded alleys, winding roads, palaces surrounded by stone houses, and back buildings next to ancient temples; it seems to have returned to the familiar Jiangnan ancient town.Wandering in the flow of people on Barkhor Street will make you truly feel a kind of exotic prosperity.

During the nearly ten days of staying in Lhasa, what I experienced was an idyllic lifestyle.Especially in the afternoon, sitting in the open-air restaurant of Balangxue Hotel, drinking Tibetan sweet tea and chatting with strangers, it seems to be living in a carefree childhood.I like Balangxue, a Tibetan-style hotel located on Beijing East Road. The bed costs 25 yuan, provides 24-hour hot water for bathing and free laundry, plus the warm and thoughtful service of the Tibetan waiters. attractive.Every morning, I go to the front desk to drink the buttered tea from the waiter Nima. It is the best buttered tea I have drunk during my entire trip in Tibet.Nima, a straightforward and enthusiastic middle-aged Tibetan woman, whenever I praised the delicious butter tea she made, she always smiled honestly and kept adding butter tea to my bowl.When I was about to leave Balangxue Hotel and travel to Ali, I kept a pack of books bought in Lhasa with her.Seeing me, I seemed a little worried; I was so anxious that Nima said: "Even if I die, someone will return the book to you properly."

Dalai Lama's Summer Palace - Norbulingka On a sunny afternoon, stroll alone in the "treasure garden" of Norbulingka, and experience the leisure life of the Dalai Lamas of the past generations; at night, the delicacies at the night market on Dosenge Road will make you linger again.Inadvertently walked into a Tibetan restaurant and found that in addition to drinking sweet tea, you can also eat Western food, and even in a cafe called "Snowland" in Barkhor Street, you can also eat authentic flavors made by Nepalese chefs gourmet food.Of course, if you have the courage, you can learn from Tibetans to make tsampa by hand.In a Tibetan restaurant called "Tashi Dajie" on Beijing East Road, I once bought 5 liters of highland barley sprinkles for 5 yuan, and treated every guest in the restaurant to drink.

Lhasa is such a magical and charming city, where you can squander your emotions, imagination and passion.