Exploring Lhasa — The Large Performance of Princess Wencheng
The large-scale performance of Princess Wencheng is located on a small mountain outside Lhasa. In addition to the open-air seats and stage, the stage uses the natural landscape of mountains and rivers as a backdrop. Some of the large scenes are truly impressive.
I was not interested in such man-made events, but during my travels in Lhasa, I met a girl, and we agreed to go see the performance together. While taking photos at Yaowang Mountain, I came across a place selling discounted tickets. After asking, I didn’t feel they were very cheap. Later, while strolling down Beijing Middle Road, I saw several places selling discounted tickets. After inquiring at two of them, I found a relatively cheaper one. Unfortunately, it was a long time ago, and I can no longer find the business card.
Since the Princess Wencheng performance is not in the city center, when buying tickets, you usually discuss the price of the transport and the meeting time and location with the intermediary.
In the evening, we were taken to the performance venue, and a very large performance space was revealed before us.
There were not many people at the performance that day, and we didn’t have to strictly follow the seating arrangement. We were able to move closer to the front.
Lhasa’s weather is famously changeable, so it’s advisable to wear more clothes when watching a performance at night. Although we were dressed warmly with multiple layers and rainproof jackets, it still got colder as the performance went on. It even rained lightly during the performance, but luckily it wasn’t heavy. (You can rent a cotton jacket at the venue for 30 yuan.)
First Act: The Charm of the Tang Dynasty
This performance shows the scene where Emperor Taizong of Tang agrees to marry Princess Wencheng to the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. The construction of the imperial palace is quite spectacular, and the entire stage is bathed in a golden and magnificent light.
Second Act: The Sound of Heaven and Earth
This act depicts Princess Wencheng’s emotional journey as she leaves Chang’an and embarks on a long journey. It emphasizes her thoughts and feelings during this journey.
Third Act: Tibetan Dance Beauty
This act tells the story of Princess Wencheng carrying the 12-year-old statue of Sakyamuni and heading to Tibet, eagerly awaiting her meeting with Songtsen Gampo. This segment showcases the unique characteristics of Tibetan dance.
Fourth Act: The God of the Plateau
This segment tells how the Tibetan people praise Songtsen Gampo as the god of the plateau and regard Princess Wencheng as the messenger of peace and happiness. The scene where horses gallop in the mountainside is particularly memorable. This was my favorite part of the performance.
Fifth Act: Tibetan and Han Harmony
This act concludes the performance, showing the successful marriage of Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng, which is also the climax of the entire performance.
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Lhasa Experience — The Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery is located on the western outskirts of Lhasa, at the foot of Mount Gepuwozi. Together with Ganden Monastery and Sera Monastery, it is known as one of the three major monasteries in Lhasa. Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet.
Due to its distance from the city center, after taking public transport, I noticed that there weren’t many people at the entrance of the monastery.
Initially, I thought of hiring a guide to learn more about the monastery’s structure and Buddhist knowledge, but I felt that the cost was too high. I didn’t see any tour groups and couldn’t join any guided tours. After some hesitation, I noticed a mother and daughter resting on the stone steps. The daughter’s father was downstairs negotiating with a guide. We decided to join them and share the guide’s fee. Along the way, we still didn’t see many tourists.
The architecture of Drepung Monastery is not as vibrant as that of Jokhang Temple. The white walls are somewhat grayish, but they give a more authentic feeling.
During the tour, you need to climb steps to reach the main buildings of Drepung Monastery, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The guide, a young Tibetan man, spoke decent Chinese and didn’t find the climb tiring. I, after hiking in Yading, didn’t experience much altitude sickness and climbed the stairs with no issue. However, the mother and daughter had poor physical stamina and needed to rest frequently. Altitude sickness really tests people’s bodies.
The paintings on the walls mostly relate to religious themes, and each painting tells a touching story.
The main hall of Drepung Monastery, located at its center, can accommodate over 6,000 monks. Inside, there are 192 giant wooden pillars, making it the largest religious hall in Tibet. It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama lived here before being enshrined by the Qing Dynasty.
The main building of Drepung Monastery, Ganden Pawo, is located on the left side of the monastery and is an independent building complex that once served as the political center of Tibet (later moved to the Potala Palace).
Many tourists like to visit Sera Monastery to watch the debate on Buddhist teachings. Actually, Drepung Monastery also has debates, usually from 2:30 PM to 4 PM, but it’s not held every day. During the tour, we heard the noisy sounds of a debate on the other side of the monastery, but we didn’t manage to get there in time.
After the guide finished explaining the main areas, we said goodbye, and although I have mostly forgotten the details now, it was definitely more interesting to listen to the guide than to explore the monastery on my own.
After parting with the guide, I wandered around, taking photos. The weather was clear, and the view from the highest point of the monastery was breathtaking.
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Lhasa Experience — Sera Monastery
Along with Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery, Sera Monastery covers 115,000 square meters. Built on a mountain, it attracts many tourists due to its debate sessions held every Monday to Friday afternoon at around 3 PM. These debates are a method of studying Buddhist teachings among the monks. While other monasteries also have debates, their timing is not fixed, and they are not fully open to tourists. Thus, when it’s time for the debate, the courtyard of Sera Monastery is usually packed with onlookers.
Though I wasn’t very interested in the debates, as I couldn’t understand them, I followed a local named Xiong Xiong, who had been living in Lhasa for years, around the monastery’s circumambulation path.
We walked clockwise along the circumambulation path and passed a large rock covered with white painted ladders, symbolizing the connection to the heavens and the hope of reaching the Pure Land.
Additionally, the mountain often has colorful scriptures and paintings.
We also saw prayer stones, which are a major way for Tibetan people to pray for blessings.
As we reached a higher point on the mountain, we could see the monastery buildings below.
We climbed a small hill and were able to overlook the entire monastery and the distant Lhasa city.
Along the way, we saw several lizards, showing how dry the area is.
Birds accompanied us in the trees.
We reached a Tibetan-style building behind the monastery and guessed it was part of Sera Monastery.
There was a room built beneath a large rock, but no one was around. I had hoped to speak with the locals about who lived there.
At the top of the mountain, we found a small cave where holy water was stored. Local people often come here with large bottles to fill up and take home.
On the way, we saw a giant stone painting, and nearby stood a tall wall where a giant Thangka is hung during the Shoton Festival, which must be a magnificent sight.
From various angles, the view of the monastery offered a unique charm.
Tips: It’s suggested to consult locals for the exact times of the debate.
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Exploring Lhasa — Following Locals to Visit Temples
Through a carpooling tour along the northern route of Ali, I met Xiong Xiong, who had been living in Lhasa for several years. He was once a backpacker but decided to stay in Lhasa because of a girl.
After returning from Ali, he offered to take me to explore some monasteries around Lhasa. We set off on his not-so-reliable electric motorcycle for a bumpy day trip in the outskirts of Lhasa.
As we rode through the countryside, I lost track of direction, but I could see that the villages were full of simple, local residents, with mist swirling in the mountains and beautiful scenery.
Pabonka Palace
We first arrived at Pabonka Palace. Pabonka, in Tibetan, means “Great Stone,” and this palace was built by Songtsen Gampo on a giant stone 20 meters high, where he practiced in the early days. Princess Wencheng also once lived here.
The description at the entrance reads: The foundation of the palace is shaped like a turtle, called the “Heavenly Turtle Stone”… In the northwest corner, there are twenty-one statues of Tara, as well as Buddha statues of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, all said to have naturally formed from the stone. These “naturally formed” Buddha images looked a bit too unrealistic, and I strongly suspected they were crafted by Songtsen Gampo to attract followers.
Behind the mountain, we could see a giant celestial burial platform, which is still in use today. People can watch the ceremony live. Celestial burial is a common Tibetan funeral custom. After keeping the body at home for 3-5 days, it is brought to the celestial burial platform, where vultures will come to feast on the body. It is said that vultures fighting over the body indicates the person’s soul is taken to the heavens. Xiong Xiong had witnessed a celestial burial once and described it as very bloody. Personally, I didn’t want to see it.
On the back mountain, there was a large white stone where people were playing.
The visit to Pabonka Palace was completely free, with very few tourists and little commercial atmosphere. This is the kind of tour I enjoyed.
Qusang Monastery
After that, we drove to Qusang Monastery, but I don’t remember much about the temple itself.
I only remember using a very ventilated toilet built by a local. I also remember having a meal at a teahouse near the temple, where the locals looked at us with curiosity, and we greeted them with friendly smiles. Tibetan noodles, yak meat dumplings, and sweet tea cost just 25 yuan for two people, and the taste was really good. It seems I still love the simplest street stalls.
Finally, we bounced our way to Lalu Wetland. Although the entire wetland is fenced off and people can’t walk in, we could still take photos with the wetland in the foreground, with the Potala Palace as the backdrop.
While walking around the wetland, I passed a local village where I was deeply drawn to the walls made of cow dung.
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Goodbye Tibet — 42 Hours of Fun on the Train
No matter how long the trip is, there’s always a time to say goodbye.
Upon arriving at Lhasa train station, I was overwhelmed by the crowd. It had been a while since I had seen so many people. A bottle of drink disappeared from my backpack, so I quickly carried it in front of me, staying vigilant.
After a lot of effort, I finally squeezed onto the train. Some people in the carriage kept swapping beds, and eventually, six girls ended up in the same area. It became quite lively with all the talking and laughing.
Initially, I was really looking forward to the 42-hour train ride and the scenic views along the way, but after a month in Tibet, I found the views quite dull.
The first day’s scenery from Lhasa was actually nice, but unfortunately, it was rainy, and once the clouds cleared, there wasn’t much to see.
At night, a huge round moon accompanied us on our journey.
At Xining station, the yogurt became a highlight of the journey. Everyone was talking about how good it tasted, and everyone rushed to buy it. I bought two flavors, and they were indeed delicious. Some people even bought a whole box to take home.
At Lanzhou station, a lady from the carriage bought huge chicken legs for everyone. They were very tasty. This was also one of the famous snacks along the way.
It felt like Tibet had brought people closer together. Everyone quickly became familiar with each other. With no scenery left to enjoy, we decided to play poker under the lights.
Back in Beijing, I sat in a taxi, feeling dizzy, and once I got home, I slept for several days. This is probably what’s called “drunk on oxygen.”
