Potala Palace

China Tibet Train, Train to Tibet Official Website

Pictures: Potala Palace

Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the Red Palace. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

The infamous Potala Palace. Once a place of worship, now one big museum. Admission costs 100RMB, and rumour has it that due to its popularity, the admission will be going up to 200 RMB. You must book tickets in advance.

Around the Potala Palace is a very active place, especially early in the morning where Tibetans from all over make a pilgrimage.

Tibetan Monks.

Prayer wheels.

The World's Highest Railway

The Beijing-Lhasa train will run at a speed of 160 km per hour on the plain, but will slow down at 120 km per hour when it reaches the Qinghai-Tibet section.

The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072 m above sea level the world's highest rail track. More than 960 km, or over 80% of the railway, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m. There are 675 bridges, totaling 159.88 km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost.

Train T27 from Beijing to Lhasa takes 47 hours 28 minutes, covering 4,064 km (2,500 miles), departs at 21:30 from Beijing West, and arrives in Lhasa at 20:58 on the third day.

It is reported that the useful tips for plateau travel will be printed on the back of the ticket and passengers who want to go to Lhasa should fill in a "health registration card", which should be hand into the trainman when getting onto the train. Besides, no smoking is required on the train.

According to the stipulation of the Ministry of Railways, the Qingzang Railway (Qinghai-Tibet Railway) is not allowed to hold passengers over strength. All the trains to Lhasa require one ticket for one seat/berth. No standing-room-only ticket is on sale.

In addition to Beijing, some other Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, will also launch direct railway passenger transportation to Lhasa as of July 1 2007, Zhang said.