Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Author: Wang Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: On that clear evening, I finally climbed up the Yarlung Tsangpo River 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, losing its profound sense of mystery, and here it feels like any provincial city in inland China. But even as a modern steel dragon brings great hope and change to this sacred city, ancient and modern still intertwine and coexist on this land. Go visit the old town around Jokhang Street, that’s the real Lhasa. "Lhasa" in Tibetan means "sacred land" or "Buddha’s land." For a long time, Lhasa has been the political, economic, cultural, and religious center of Tibet. The splendid and magnificent Potala Palace is a symbol of 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 designated as one of the first 24 historically and culturally famous cities announced by the state. Lhasa was formerly known as "Rasa." In Tibetan, "goat" is called "re," and "earth" is called "sa." Legend has it that in the 7th century, when Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty married into the Tubo, the area was still a stretch of grassy sand. Later, goats were used to carry soil to fill the pits for building the Jokhang Temple and the smaller Jokhang Temple. After the temples were completed, more monks and pilgrims came, and many inns and residential houses were built around the Jokhang Temple, gradually forming the prototype of the old town centered around the Jokhang Temple. Meanwhile, Songtsen Gampo also expanded the palace on Red Mountain (now the Potala Palace). As a result, palaces were 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 most people’s impression, Lhasa is composed of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Street, the Jokhang Temple, the Sera Monastery, the Drepung Monastery, and the Lhasa River. But Tibetans believe that in a strict sense, "Lhasa" refers to the Jokhang Temple and the Jokhang Street built around 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 city of Lhasa. The new city of Lhasa, centered around the Potala Palace and Jokhang Street, extends north to the Sera Monastery and west to the Duulong Deqen County. Looking across Lhasa from a distance, the Post Office Building, News Building, Lhasa Hotel, Tibet Hotel, and various buildings are scattered and interwoven, stretching endlessly. Standing atop 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 might instinctively follow the footsteps of the Tibetans, following them...