Potala Palace


Potala Palace, the architectural wonder in the center of Lhasa, is the symbol of that sacred land.

The palace stands up so high that it resembles a magnificent castle in the heaven. It is standing atop a cliff more than 3700 meters above sea level, covering an area of 360,000 square meters. It has 13 stories, and is 117 meters high.
The walls of the Palace are over one meter in thickness, the thickest sections being five meters. They are pointed with huge colorful murals, which make it beautiful and lively.

Potala Palace is famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks. It makes itself a good example of the ancient Tibetan culture and architecture.
Potala Palace is of stone and wood structure. The upper structure of the place is of wood, the roofs of the main buildings are in traditional Han architectural style with upturned eaves, tinkling bells at each corner and gilded yellow tiles. Sunlight Hall in Potala Palace is flooded with sunlight throughout the year.

The Potala Palace consists of two sections: the Red Palace in the center, with seven golden roofs on its flat top, is renowned for its religious status, gorgeous stupas and precious culture relics. And the White Palace on both side, comprising halls, temples and courtyards, serves as the living quarters of Dalai Lama.

In its rooms, there are tens of thousands of Buddha figures, different in sizes and complex in designs, look vivid and lovely. And there also stored the world treasure - the gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the Chinese emperors and a lot of priceless antiques. You will be amazed by the colorful sculptures and paintings. The Potala Palace deserves the title of art gallery and museum. It is a symbol of the wisdom and power of the Tibetan people.

As the political and religious center of Tibet for more than 300 years, Potala Palace also treasures many culture relics such as delicate murals, holy sculptures, rare sutras, and precious vessels. All of these are important for people to understand and research the history of Tibet.