Qinghai-Tibet Railway - China's first visual travel book themed on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Author: Wang Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: On that clear evening, I finally climbed the Medicine King Mountain opposite the Potala Palace. The magnificent Potala Palace stood tall under the golden light of the setting sun. Many tourists from inland China travel thousands of miles to this sacred city, perhaps just to experience this sacred moment. But perhaps they would feel that Lhasa shouldn’t be so modernized, from the commercialized bars and restaurants to the modern hotels and fast-food chains. It seems that Lhasa is gradually losing its history and its profound sense of mystery, making it just like any provincial city in inland China. However, even as a modern steel dragon brings great hope and changes to this sacred city, ancient and modern still intertwine and coexist on this land. Go visit the old town around Jokhang Street, and you’ll find the true Lhasa. "Lhasa" in Tibetan means "sacred land" or "Buddha land." For a long time, Lhasa has been the political, economic, cultural, and religious center of Tibet. The magnificent and magnificent Potala Palace symbolizes the supreme theocratic regime. As early as the 7th century, after Songtsen Gampo conquered neighboring tribes and unified Tibet, he moved the capital from Yarlung to Lhasa (now Lhasa) and established the Tubo Dynasty. On May 23, 1951, Tibet was peacefully liberated, and Lhasa entered a new era. In 1960, the State Council officially approved Lhasa as a prefecture-level city, and in 1982, it was included as one of the first 24 historically and culturally famous cities announced by the state. Lhasa was once called "Rasa" in ancient times. "Goat" is called "Rasa" and "earth" is called "Sa" in Tibetan. Legend has it that in the 7th century, when Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty married the Tubo, the area was still a stretch of grassy sand. Later, goats were used to carry soil to fill the pits for the construction of the Jokhang Temple and the Samye Temple. After the temples were built, more monks and pilgrims came, and many inns and residential houses were built around the Jokhang Temple, forming the prototype of the old town centered around the Jokhang Temple. At the same time, Songtsen Gampo expanded the palace on Red Mountain (now the Potala Palace). As a result, palaces were gradually built in the Lhasa Valley Plain, and the famous high-altitude city was formed. "Rasa" gradually became the "sacred land" in people’s hearts, becoming the center of religion, politics, economy, and culture in Tibet at that time. In general, Lhasa is composed of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Street, the Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and the Lhasa River. But Tibetans believe that in a strict sense, "Lhasa" refers to the Jokhang Temple and Jokhang Street surrounding it. Only when you reach the Jokhang Temple and Jokhang Street can you truly be in Lhasa. Today, the eastern part of Lhasa still retains the essence and atmosphere of the ancient Lhasa. The new Lhasa, centered around the Potala Palace and Jokhang Street, extends north to Sera Monastery and west to Duulong Deqen County. Looking across the city of Lhasa, the post office building, news building, Lhasa Hotel, Tibet Hotel, and various buildings are scattered and interwoven, stretching endlessly. Standing on the top of the Potala Palace, you can see the entire city of Lhasa, with modern buildings hidden among green trees, except for Jokhang Street, where prayer flags flutter and juniper smoke rises. When you step onto the stone-paved streets of Lhasa, which have been weathered by the winds of history and kissed by devout souls, you may find yourself instinctively following the footsteps and direction of the Tibetans. Here, following nature and time is the natural law. Tibetans, perhaps because they are closer to the sun, always wear innocent smiles; perhaps because they are closer to the gods, they often live a life of dialogue with the gods and detachment from the world. Only here can people experience the strong impact of a foreign culture, because it is filled with the awe-inspiring power of Tibetan Buddhism, depicting the continuation of life and death, emitting the temptation of extraordinary spiritual energy of ancient art, and because it has the steadfastness of human nature.