– The Most Concentrated Tourism Spots
Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, is situated on the north bank of the Kyichu River (Brahmaputra) in the province of the U-Tsang. The city is in the middle of the Tibetan Plateau, more than 3650 meters above sea level.
Originally Lhasa was called Rasa. It was a town built by the Otang lake and was so-called because when the wind stirred the water in the lake, its waves would make the sound ‘ralasa’.
In the seventh century, at the time of King Songtsen Gampo, the lake – perhaps it was more of a marsh – was filled in, and the Jokhang Cathedral build on the site.
Thus, it first becomes the capital of Tibet during his reign. Although the king moved here from the traditional capital in the Yarlung Valley, the rulers continued to be buried in the Chonggye Valley near Yarlung for the remainder of the dynasty he inaugurated.
There are still nine sites in or around Lhasa that are associated with Songtsen Gampo. The most important of these is the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and the Ramoche Cathedrals.
Lhasa is the centre of politics, economy, culture, tourism and religion. Lhasa administers six counties and two districts.
It is a temperate semi-arid plateau monsoon climate. As it is located at the bottom of the basin and surrounded by mountains, the Lhasa is flat and mild climate, neither cold in winter nor hot. Known as the”Solar City”.
The annual sunshine hours are more than 3,000 hours and ranked top in the cities of China.
At present, the city is lovely, and it is one of the first national outstanding tourist cities. There are more than 200 places of interest and Buddhist holy sites and attractions in Lhasa.
With its unique geographical location, rich natural resources, long history, splendid culture, unique customs, numerous cultural monuments, and unique Buddhist atmosphere, Lhasa attracts more tourists both from home and abroad. As a result, the number of Tibet travellers grows every year!
Nechung Temple is only a few minutes walk from Drepung Monastery. The temple can visit either before