The Day in Lhasa

Procession at Sunup

As the sun rises, pilgrims, one after another, come from various directions and gradually form a procession around the Potala Palace. Undeniably, in the short term, this daily procession has been reduced due to the negative impact of the tragedy that occurred on March 14th in Lhasa. Notwithstanding, today it seems everything has returned to normal.

Breathing in the plateau’s fresh air while walking the pilgrimage path and holding their rotating prayer wheels, the pilgrims are light-hearted, especially the elderly. At dawn this view is one of the most picturesque in Lhasa. On seeing the pilgrims, accompanied by a beautiful dog, the onlookers must feel unbearably envious.

Into this picture comes Namla (a Tibetan lady in her 60’s) who is the key figure amongst those pilgrims, since she has performed this pilgrimage for over ten years. She believes that this ritual is one of her daily duties. Before setting off, she always collects the first water from her family’s water fountain for the family altar, while reciting the six syllables of the universal mantra (OM MANI PADME HUM). As a pious Buddhist, this is her way to show her devotion to Buddha. She says: “Whenever there are any religious activities in the city of Lhasa or even in outlying areas, I always go with my fellow pilgrims to join in worship.” As usual, after the pilgrimage, Namla calls on her fellows to sit in a teashop enjoying sweet tea while chatting or playing Mahjong.

The Pilgrims to the Potala Palace

Since the re-opening of the Potala Palace on March 26th, the palace is receiving crowds of pilgrims and visitors every day. Changpa Kalzang, the director of the Administrative and Managerial Office of the Potala Palace, informs me that the daily increase in the number of the pilgrims and visitors has recently reached into the hundreds.

Namgyel and Sangmo have been living in Lhasa for over 30 years. In the morning the couple ascended the steps of the Potala Palace to worship the Buddhas inside the palace. Though they both felt a little bit short of breath, they commented: “A pious Buddhist should not retreat from hardship on a pilgrimage.”

Because of the tragedy in Lhasa, the Barkor Street (one of the iconic areas of Lhasa City) has yet to resume its previous popularity. However Tibetan businessman Tsewang, who has been in business here for six years, argues: “It wouldn’t take long, and business will soon be raising the roof as it did before.”

In fact, the Barkor Street is increasingly returning to normal. As you pass through, you can easily overhear the calls to buyers from ethnic Tibetan vendors as well as ethnic Hui businessmen, and then follows the bargaining of the elderly with only small amounts of money. Of course, it is not hard to observe the contentment in the facial expression of tourists after they have made their purchases from the markets. The whole street is increasingly engulfed with both a religious as well as a commercial atmosphere.

Business Booming in Teashops

By noon, teashops in the sunlit city, whether big or small, are enjoying good business. Glancing into these famous teashops in Lhasa, the “Revolution Sweet Tea Shop”, the “Old Farmer’s Healthy Jelly Bean Shop”, and the “Agyal Sweet Tea Shop”, are filled with people and have no space left.

The words “relaxation and entertainment” seem to have become the holy grail of the lives of these people. Tashi is a freelance worker and enjoys his relaxation time. He is used to enjoying himself by sitting down for cups of sweet tea everyday. He says: “I am used to visiting teashops every day for years. If I miss my daily visit to teashops, I always feel something is missing.”

Amongst the “tea-holics”, some are businessmen who usually make a brief visit to grab cups of tea while intermittently picking up their phones and talking endless business. Others are middleclass salaried employees taking the chance to escape work, enjoy a chat and of course, the tea. Apart from those, we can also see several humbly dressed persons, covered with dirt; repeatedly filling their cups from their thermos that is filled with sweet tea.

Apparently, business in these teashops did not, by and large, suffer from any negative impact after the tragedy of March 14th.

Traffi c Jam of Lhasa

When afternoon comes, occasionally the downtown of Lhasa experiences traffic jams since the city now has a high rate of private car ownership. In particular, before returning to work in the afternoon, almost every crossing is clogged with traffic― which really frustrates those drivers who are on their way to work. Therefore, the smart Lhasa person automatically leaves 20 minutes to half an hour ahead so that he/she can arrive on time. Nevertheless, this is only a new phenomenon in the last one or two years in this city.

Dawa Tsering, who lives in the residential area of Kalzang, says: “Before and after work the traffic at the crossings in the downtown area of Lhasa really bothered me at first and made me late for work. But I have grown used to it now.”

The most busy street in Lhasa may be Dekyi Street with plenty of restaurants, offering Chinese, Tibetan and even western food. Unfortunately, recent road maintenance of this street, more or less, interrupts the business of those restaurants.

Nonetheless, when dusk falls, some people still could not help driving their cars along the unmade road to reach the right restaurant. They might have a hot pot or even a hot pizza.

The Night Sparkles with Colorful Lights

Soon the night comes and every corner of the city is sparkling with colorful lights. The people living here eagerly gather to begin their nightlife.

Lhasa is replete with colorful nightlife. In the aftermath of the Lhasa riots tragedy, though some restaurants and entertainment amenities in the eastern and northern Lhasa remain unopened, those in the western city; the bars, the dancing and singing halls are open for business.

“Having fun in a bar has been my relaxation since I graduated from university. Even when the situation in Lhasa was so tense, I still liked to go with my friends to visit several of the bars,” said by Dargye, a young Tibetan who has been working in Lhasa for four years.

In recent years, bars in Lhasa are popular places to hear the music produced by new Tibetan Rock and Roll groups. But sometimes, bars also play European and American music to attract visitors.

By midnight, the city resumes its serenity. While the Potala Palace is solemnly looking down on the city, the stone monuments of Tang and Tubo close to the Jokhang Monastery support it in safeguarding the people of Lhasa as they fall into sweet dreams.