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Lhasa, China
Lhasa is rightly one of the most featured and dreamt-about cities in the world. This is not only because of its remoteness, its high altitude at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) means limited accessibility, but also because of its impressive heritage of over a thousand years of cultural and spiritual history that has helped to create the romantic and mysterious Tibetan religion.
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| Lhasa, the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1,300 years. It is the political, economic, cultural and transport center of the region. Lhasa covers an area of close to 30,000 square km. It has a downtown of 544 square km and a population of 400,000; 140,000 of its people live in the downtown area. Lhasa is home to the Tibetan, Han, and Hui peoples, as well as many other ethnic groups, but the Tibetan ethnic group makes up 87 percent of the total population. |
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| Lhasa History |
Lhasa lies in the Tibet autonomous region. It is the metropolis of it, 29 thousand square kilometers in area, with a population is 367 thousand.
The northern part of Lhasa is higher than the southern part. The middle southern part is the plain, the topography there is very even. It is the plateau monsoon climate in the temperate zone. It has an average annual temperature of 7.5, and an average annual precipitation of 454mm. There are so many animals and some kinds of fish in Lhasa. The mineral resources are very abundant. There is copper, iron, Au, granite, marble and plaster, etc.
Agriculture here is very important. Mainly, there is wheat, highland barley, tomatoes, cucumber and so on. In the animal husbandry, cow bleeding is in the first place. Lhasa is famous for its agricultural machine, power, leather, food and motor-car reparation and concrete. The national handicraft is famous too.
Highway is the main transportation here. And the planes here can take you to Chengdu and many other cities in China.
Lhasa is the cultural historical city in China. In Tang Dynasty, Tufan took here as its capital. There are a lot of ancient temples, Such as Budala Palace, Dazhao Temple, Zhebeng Temple and so on. Otherwise, the Yangba Well in Dangxiong Prefecture is famous for its hot fount, warm fount and boiling fount, etc. And also, there is the biggest lake in the world, that is Namucuo Lake.
The traditional specialties are carpet, jewelry, highland barley wine, snow-lotus and Zang flowers.
Before the mid-seventh century when Lhasa, later a central town of Tibetan region, was yet to come into being, the area called Wotang was a marshy land of wildness, frequented by antelopes. On one bright summer day, Songtsan Gampo, leader of the Tubo tribe that had risen to power in the Yarlung River Valley, was struck by the perilous position of an area flanked by two steep mountains, while bathing in the Lhasa River, and decided that this was to be the home of his kingdom. This ambitious Tibetan king moved the center of his rule to Wotang and ordered the construction of his residence on the hilltop of Potala. In 641 A.D., Songtsan Gampo who by this time had conquered the whole Tibetan region wedded Princess Wencheng of the Imperial Tang Court. When the princess arrived, she became convinced that Lake Wotang was a devil's heart to be overpowered by the construction of a grand temple after filling up the lake with earth. The princess further suggested that the earth be carried by white goats. This imposing grand temple became a symbol of the kingdom. The temple, later known as Jokhang, was initially named Lhasa, "the Sacred Land" in Tibetan. Over the centuries, Lhasa became a political and religious center of Tibet. Administrative orders were issued from the myriad of imposing palaces; the great temples and monasteries were home to omnipotent liturgical establishment and witnessed the rise of many religious leaders and endless religious ceremonies. The faithful composed the population of the town and Lhasa became a true "Mecca" of Tibet.
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Lhasa Tips
Lhasa has beautiful scenery. The Lhasa River, known as the "merry blue waves," runs through the snow-covered peaks and gullies of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, extending 315 km. The river empties into the Yarlung Zangbo River at Quxu, forming a scenic wonder that features blue and white water waves.
The ancient city of Lhasa stands by the Lhasa River. Inside the city towers the Potala Palace. The city features a combination of traditional and modern things, including prayer wheels and computers.
Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters and sits at 91'06E and 29'36N, the center of the Tibet Plateau. Blessed with flat land and mild weather, Lhasa is free of frigid winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual average daily temperature of 8 degrees C (43 degrees F). It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, much more than all other cities in this regard, giving the city its title of "sunlit city."
Lhasa enjoys an annual precipitation of 500 mm. It rains mainly in July, August and September. The rainy seasons in the summer and fall are the best seasons of the year, when it rains mostly at night, and is sunny in the daytime.
Lhasa Touist Sights List
Potala Palace :- The world famous Potala Palace is located on "Moburi (Red) Mountain", to the west of old Lhasa. It is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts. The Palace is widely known for the precious sculptures, murals, scripture, Buddha figures, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry treasured up, they are of great cultural and artistic value. In 1994, the Potala Palace was declared the United Nations World Cultural Heritage site.It was originally built in the 640's, during the reign of King Songtsan Gampo.
Jokhang Temple :- Monastery is a prime seat of the Gelugpa (Yellow) of the Tibetan Buddhism. It was original built in 647 AD. It is said the site was chosen personally by the wife of King Songtsan Gampo, the Tang Princess Wen Cheng. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet, China and Nepal and thus features different architectural styles.
Bakhor Street :- Bakhor, also named as Baghor, is the oldest street in Lhasa. In the past, it was only a circumambulation circuit, “a saint road ” in the eyes of Tibetan. Now it’s also a shopping center with nation characteristics. It’s an old district with colorful Tibetan features. Tibetan houses line the street, and the ground is paved with man-made flagstones, preserving the ancient look. In the street, you can find satisfactory souvenirs, and experience the mysterious “one step one kowtow” faith to religion.
Sera Monastery :- The Sera Monastery is the representative monastery of the Gelugpa of the Tibetan Buddhism. It lies on the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain in the northern suburbs of Lhasa. The monastery was built by SagyaYexei, one of the disciples of Tsongkhapa who was the founder of Gelugpa of the Tibet Buddhism in 1419. It is one of the six main monasteries of the Gelugpa of the Tibetan Buddhism. As one of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is here that the monks “famous daily debates” take place.
NorbuLingka :- NorbuLingka is named the Summer Palace, located west of Lhasa. The beautiful garden was first built in the middle 18th century. That’s where they deal with affairs and hold religious activities. The garden covers an area of 46 acres, with 370 rooms of different sizes. In the garden people worship Buddha, spend their holiday, and study the Tibetan-style palaces.
Ganden Monastery :- Ganden monastery is the greatest and the oldest of the six Gelug Sect’s monasteries, which is called one of “the three principal monasteries” (the other two are Dreprung Monastery and Sera Monastery). At its peak, it had a registration of more than 4,000 monks.
Dreprung Monastery :- Drepung Monastery lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse, clustered round by the black mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight. Built in 1416, it is considered as one of the largest monasteries in the six principle monasteries of Gelu Sect in China.
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| Getting There
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It's the most convenient to take a bus from Chongqing to Dazu. It just takes 2 hours to arrive there. There are tens of buses in the Chongqing West Bus StationDazu County is located 2-3 hours northwest of Chongqing city. Buses (45 RMB) depart from Chenjiaping Long Distance Bus Station every 40 minutes from about 7 am. These drop you off at the long distance bus station in Dazu where you must transfer to a local bus (3 RMB) or taxi to take you the final 15km out to Baodingshan or Beishan. On weekends there may be special tourist buses that can take you directly to the rock carving sites. The last buses returning to the city depart around 5:30 pm. I recommend leaving Chongqing early (around 8), explore Beishan first, then head over to Baodingshan to have lunch and walk around before catching a bus back to Chongqing.
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