What Else to Do & See in Lhasa

Beside the regular sightseeing, what else can one do and see in Lhasa? Tons! Tibet travel expert, Tony from Tibet Ctrip Travel Service Team with 15 years of experience in arranging Tibet tours for foreign travellers, shares here with you some tips of what else to do and see in Lhasa besides the usual sightseeing as a tourist.

1. Barkhor Bazaar in Lhasa

Located in the old town of Lhasa City, Tibet, Barkhor Bazaar is a very ancient round street surrounding Jokhang Temple. As a symbol of Lhasa, it is also a must-see place for visitors. It's said that in 647, the first Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650) built the Jokhang Temple. Due to its magnificence, it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. As a result, a trodden path appeared. That is the origin of Barkhor Bazaar. Today even still many pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark. Some pilgrims progress by making body-length prostration.

Barkhor Bazaar was full of shops and stands selling all kinds of Tibetan souvenirs and products, such as prayer wheels, traditional Tibetan clothes, Tibetan knives, Tibetan medicine and Thangka, etc. It is a lot of fun to browse around.

2. Enjoy Sweet Tea in A Local Tea House in Lhasa

Sweet tea to Tibetans is just like coffee to Westerners. Most Tibetans get used to making a sip of sweet tea in the morning and their dinners are paired by sweet tea either, and some of them even don’t drink water but only sweet tea. In Lhasa, the sweet tea house is not merely ordinary tea house, in a large sense it’s a place for information collection, socializing, moreover it also serves as the local news forum. As the most popular Tibetan beverage and one of staple foods, sweet tea means “Qabadi” in Tibetan is made of black tea, mixing with milk and sugar, serving as refreshment. The fact that Tibetans are keen on sweet tea generates numbers of sweet tea houses in Lhasa. People in Lhasa always kill their leisure time in sweet tea houses. Though a panorama view in sweet tea houses, we can see: senior citizens are discussing family issues, echoed by laughter; groups of young men are playing Xiu, a traditional Tibetan dicing game, in which players can “kill” each other, lingering around excitement.

3. Clubbing at Langma Hall at Night in Lhasa

Langma halls are regarded as the Tibetan style dance halls, which is full of Tibetan traditional flavor. When you are in Lhasa, your nightlife can not miss the Tibetan singing and dancing shows. It is definitely worthwhile to watch. The singing and dancing shows in Tibet are generally called Langma Hall. Drinking beer, listening to music, tripping the light fantastic, chatting with Tibetans, all will make you be on the top of the world. During the performance, you can take part in the elegant and beautiful Tibetan dance. The Langma Hall in Lhasa usually starts from 10:30 pm and continues until 3 am. Everyone toast to each other and chat with the joy, each table is filled with beer. You will be immediately familiar with others.

4. Princess Wencheng Music Show at Night in Lhasa

Princess Wencheng Drama is definitely a must-see and unique experience for Tibetan tourists. As a huge outdoor live-action performance, it truly presents the Chinese and Tibetan history and culture through the story that Princess Wencheng of Tang Dynasty married Tubo King Songtsen Gambo 1,300 year ago. Premiered in 2013, now the drama is a widely circulated legendary epic, revivifing an original look of Tang Dynasty and Ancient Tibet by integration of drama, music, dance and modern choreography.

Time: Monday – Sunday 21:30-23:00
Frequency: About 180 scenes every year
Ticket Full Price: 380/480/580/880/1280 CNY
Address: Princess Wencheng Theatre, China Tibetan Culture and Tourist Creative Park, Cijiaolin Village, Chengguan District, Lhasa, Tibet, China.

Tony, a local Tibetan travel agent TCTS, author of this release, is a professional travel agent based in Lhasa, Tibet and in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, who related this information in order to spread awareness of Tibet and its people.