The Potala Palace combines the functions of a palace, castle and temple into one magnificent building,photo from xinhua.
Situated in the red hills of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, the Potala Palace is considered as the pearl of Tibet. It combines the functions of a palace, castle and temple into one magnificent building.
Designated by the State Council as one of the first batch of key national cultural sites in 1961, the palace later became listed on UNESCO's list of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage sites in 1994.
As one of the most attractive tourist sites in China and the most important sight in Tibet, the Potala Palace attracts tourists from all over the world. Its unique Tibetan style architecture makes it look all the more magnificent and mysterious. It is 117 meters tall with 9 floors, including the palace, many temples and a courtyard.
Additionally, the Potala Palace houses a collection of very rich historical relics, such as frescoes and over 10,000 Tang Ka (scroll paintings). Moreover, its collections contain a large number of precious Buddhist classics and records, as well as gold volumes, jade volumes, gold seals, gold and silver wares, all of which is priceless and bring great insight into Tibetan culture history.
