I came to Lhasa six years ago during my graduation trip, and I only used it as a transit point to go to Nepal. Lhasa at that time gave me a lot of shock and impressions, but limited by time and photography skills, I didn’t leave many satisfactory photos. At one time, I can finally walk here slowly and feel the profound cultural and humanistic atmosphere here.
360 degrees can't get enough of the Potala Palace
Every traveler who comes to Lhasa, the first thing after putting down his luggage is to take a look at the Potala Palace, the highest and most majestic palace in the world, and the most important symbol of Lhasa and even Tibet. Seeing her standing on the hill, exuding elegant and magnificent light, I can finally take a long breath and really confirm that I have finally come to Lhasa and Potala.
After returning to the Potala Palace 6 years later, nothing on the square has changed, that is, the ticket price has changed from 70 to 200... 6 years ago, the ticket was too expensive, so this time I can only pay a more expensive price to enter. In fact, the price is not a problem, but the current Potala Palace adopts an appointment system. If time is tight, it is recommended to sign up for a local tour group, and you can make an appointment relatively quickly. For me who did not enter the Potala Palace 6 years ago, this time It can be regarded as the fulfillment of a long-cherished wish.
Note that you must have a reservation ticket to enter the gate of the Cloth Palace, which is called a gate. You can enter a gate 2 hours in advance, and then you can visit the Treasure Hall for free. After that, follow the tour guide to enter the Erdaomen and Sandaomen, and formally enter the Bu Palace for a visit.
After entering the second door, you will start to climb the stairs. If it is the first day in Lhasa, it is recommended not to visit the cloth palace rashly. People who are not physically strong may be overwhelmed before climbing up.
The Potala Palace is mainly composed of the Red Palace and the White House. The highest Red Palace in the middle is an important place for religious ceremonies, and the surrounding White House is mainly a place for lamas. Visitors can visit part of the White House and most of the Red Palace on the east side, but they are not allowed to take pictures as long as they enter the palace.
The crimson wall of the Potala Palace is not stone, but a wall made of tamarisk branches, which is called Baimacao wall in Tibetan. It not only has a solemn and solemn decorative effect, but also because of the effect of white horse grass, it can make the wall on the top floor of the building thinner, thereby reducing the weight of the wall.
In addition to visiting the Potala Palace itself, shooting the Potala Palace is also an essential homework for every traveler who comes to Lhasa. This time we have carefully found a few shooting positions. Here I can recommend it to everyone:
⭐ The famous Yaowang Mountain is the filming location of RMB 50. Six years ago, it still required 3 RMB for tickets, but now it is free! Yaowang Mountain has three floors, the third floor is the most standard angle of RMB, but the third floor is a modern railing, and there are many people with tripods, so it is recommended to take portraits on the second floor, the red railing is Tibetan, and the people are more few.
⭐In front of the Potala Palace Square, you can pour a bottle of water to take a picture of the reflection. This is a study on Douyin. Haha, the effect is not bad, and the small flower bed on the Potala Palace Square can be used as a foreground
⭐The roof restaurant of Pingcuo Kangsang View Hotel, you can take pictures of the Potala Palace on the side, the effect is very unique!
⭐There are pools in the parks before and after the Potala Palace. You can take pictures of the reflection of the Potala Palace. The picture I took is the Dragon King Pool on the back. It is best to go in the morning when the water is relatively calm
⭐ There is a small lake in Lhasa Nanshan Park, which is a very suitable place to take pictures of the reflection of the Potala Palace. We arrived at sunset, but unfortunately no light has been shining on the Potala Palace. The local people’s suggestion is to take pictures in the morning When the time comes, you can just see the Rizhao Cloth Palace, and the water surface is calmer.
Transform into a Tibetan girl on Barkhor Street
Barkhor Street is a famous turning road in Lhasa. It is a large traditional Tibetan architectural street centered on Jokhang Temple, which is called "Holy Road" by Tibetans.
This time, my friends and I chose a more interesting way to visit Barkhor Street: rent a Tibetan suit, take pictures and experience as a local, here are some tips for everyone:
⭐There are several Tibetan clothing rental shops in Barkhor Street. Basically, they are shops that integrate makeup and hair, clothing rental, and photography. Since my friends and I can take pictures, we can also do makeup by ourselves, so in the end we just rent After wearing the Tibetan clothes and headgear, I went out to take pictures by myself. If you are a classmate who is not very good at photography and who is handicapped in makeup, you can still recommend using the service of the store. According to my observation, the effect is still good.
⭐There are many types of Tibetan clothes. I chose a red and white outfit, but it is a bit heavy. The headgear is also essential. After trying the small headgear and the gorgeous headgear, I still chose the gorgeous hanging. Although it is heavy, the effect is good! The result was that the headgear was really too heavy, and it really hurt my head in the later stage.
⭐Tibetan clothing rental is billed by the hour, because we plan to go to the Potala Palace after filming Barkhor Street, so we rented it directly for half a day (4 hours), 180/half day, plus headgear is about 240, although the price is almost It is enough to buy a set on Taobao, but the experience is still good.
There are large and small temples scattered on Barkhor Street. Prayer wheels, Tibetan door faces, and yellow walls are all good shooting backgrounds. Of course, it is also a good choice to take pictures at the entrance of Jokhang Temple.
It was already noon when the Tibetan clothes were still in the Jokhang Temple, and the people on the Jokhang Temple were very lively. Here you can see pious pilgrims kneeling at a few steps, and you can also see locals strolling in the garden, full of joy in the setting sun. It has the breath of life belonging to Lhasa.
A snow turned white Zayeba Monastery
In addition to the Potala Palace, this time I returned to Lhasa and went to another monastery I liked very much-Zhayeba Monastery.
Zhayeba Temple is 36 kilometers away from Lhasa City. It is located in Yebagou, Yeba Village, Bangdui Township, Dazi County, northeast of the Lhasa River. One of the famous temples.
Zayeba Temple is a cave temple built on the mountain. It is one of the four major meditation places in Tibetan areas. Most of the Buddhist halls are built in stone caves. There is a saying in Tibetan areas: If you arrive in Lhasa without Zayeba, it is like a newly made Tibetan robe without a collar. There are many practice caves built here, which are the places where eminent monks practiced. According to the records of Tibetan Buddhism, eminent monks of all ages, such as Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo and the first princess Mengsa, practiced Zen here. The founder of Tibetan Buddhism came from Padmasambhava from Uzhana, India also left a presence here.
We originally planned to watch the sunrise early in the morning, but it started to rain heavily after entering the Panshan Highway. After circling to the top of the mountain, the heavy rain turned into heavy snow, covering the entire mountaintop and temple. This is a very wonderful experience.
After waiting in the car for an hour, the snow finally stopped, and the snow outside the window was like a fairyland. Tibet is really a magical place.
We walked slowly towards the temple on the top of the mountain, and saw a cloud and mist drifting over from a distance. We were still lamenting how beautiful this cloud and mist was, but it floated over immediately, covering the entire mountain and the temple, and the visibility was less than 10 meters. It's too much to exaggerate...
I waited on the mountainside for a long time until the sun rose and the clouds and mist dissipated. Backed by the towering snow-capped mountains, Zayeba Temple returned to its original appearance.
In addition to its own fame, Zayeba Temple also has a glimpse of the famous Guanyin holy water. Many local people will come here to drink and fetch water. We also filled a bottle. It is really sweet and refreshing. The driver also joked that this can cure all diseases, and it will definitely be okay to cure a high anti-inflammatory. I don’t know if it’s a hint in my heart or what. Before I drank it, I was still weak when I walked two steps. Yes, Tibet is really a magical place.
Densely lingering in the mountains: Ganden Monastery
Gandan Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery are collectively known as the three major monasteries, located in the Wangur Mountain Col on the south bank of the Lhasa River in Dazi County, Tibet. Built by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, it is the first monastery of the Gelug Sect.
Ganden Monastery occupies almost the entire half of the mountain, which is quite spectacular. The murals and sculptures in the temple are exquisite, and there are many cultural relics preserved. In addition to Qianlong's armor, there are many beautifully made silk thangkas, many of which are Jiangsu embroidery in the early Ming Dynasty. Dedicated to Ganden Monastery in Lhasa.
As a temple on the top of the mountain, it took a long time to see the true face of the winding mountain road. Remember to take out the camera to take the whole picture when you are about to arrive, but you can’t take the momentum of occupying the entire mountain when you get to the front.
It was noon when we came to Ganden Monastery, and it was not very friendly to take pictures under the big top light. It was a pity to hurry up and hope to have the opportunity to take pictures under the setting sun next time. The whole temple was quiet, only lamas in twos and threes walked by, dotted with red and white temples.
The bright reds and yellows in Tibetan areas are really photogenic. With the blue sky, they are the three primary colors in harmony. The color aesthetics of Tibetan areas is really worth learning.
Reflection of Mountains, Rivers and Milky Way - Golden Pond
In Tibet, there will always be rivers and lakes that reflect mountains and blue sky everywhere, and people can't help but stop and take pictures. The golden pond near Dazi County is such a place. The reflection of the woods, mountains, blue sky and white clouds is fascinating.
You can also photograph cute cows on the small river beach.
Putting a drone, you can take pictures of a very Tibetan-style layer, which is really surprising.
Because I was so impressed with this place, I drove to take pictures of the Milky Way in the middle of the night on the last day. Although the Milky Way is not in the direction of the pond, you can take good-looking scenery on both sides. Occasionally, the lights of passing cars can illuminate the mountains and trees below, making the picture layered. The starry sky discovered by accident this time is better.
Although the Milky Way cannot be photographed in this direction of the pond, the Big Dipper and the Seven Stars can be clearly identified. Have you seen it?
No one can resist the beauty of Yanghu Lake
Yamdrok Yongcuo, Mapang Yongcuo and Namtso are also known as the three sacred lakes in Tibet. In the hearts of Tibetans, it is regarded as "the turquoise earrings scattered by the goddess". It is also the most photogenic place in my opinion. Although the road is a bit far away, I still drive to see it without hesitation.
On the way to Yanghu Lake, mountains and rivers stand tall, and rows of snow-capped mountains can be seen in the distance from different mountain passes. At the Gangbala Mountain Pass, you can overlook Yamdrok Yongcuo. When illuminated at different times, it will show different levels and extremely rich blue. There is a road along the lake not far from the laid-off Bala Snow Mountain. Walking here or camping by the lake is the best way to experience Yamdrok Yongcuo.
It's a pity that the day we came was a bit cloudy, the color of Yanghu Lake was a bit dark, and the wind was gusty, but there was still a beauty that could not be ignored.