Journey to the West: Chapter 12 – The Sichuan-Tibet Highway Ends, the Sky Road Soars; Gazing Over the Plateau, Suddenly Joy and Sorrow Shrink
All photos in the article were taken by the author of 'Black and White Impressions,' copyright reserved. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited!
The previous chapter told of the misfortune-turned-fortune in Baxoi, mainly recounting the mental journey of traveling between Baxoi and Lhasa. Two months after the accident, I touched a steering wheel again, so for the over 800-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet Highway from Baxoi to Lhasa, I traveled by bus and plane (going back and forth several times). I missed some scenic spots from Baxoi to Pome, such as Laigu Glacier, Midui Glacier, and others. But the sights from Pome to Lhasa—such as the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Namcha Barwa Peak, Lamo Latso Lake, Samye Monastery, and Mila Pass—I had visited and written about two years ago. Plus I had seen many other glaciers along the self-driving route, so I didn't feel that anything was missing. In this chapter, I'll share some of the scenery I glimpsed here and there over those sixty days.
Baxoi is a small county town in southeastern Qamdo. In the Tibetan language, it means 'the village at the foot of the warrior mountain.' To its southwest lie the Hengduan Mountains, and to its northeast flows the Nujiang River. Compared to the vast surrounding mountains, it seems barely worth a mention.
(Aerial view of Bangda, northeast of Baxoi, from the plane)
In fact, it's not just Baxoi—all the towns and cities in Tibet, even big ones like Lhasa, occupy only a tiny fraction of the immense plateau. This is even truer of Ngari in western Tibet, the 'roof of the world's roof,' where uninhabited zones dominate. I had a small taste of this while driving. In inland areas, villages, towns, or cities usually appear every ten or twenty kilometers. Even where no buildings are visible, there are signs of human presence like crops or cornfields. But in Tibet and Xinjiang, it is common to find stretches several dozen or even several hundred kilometers without a trace of people. Living every day amid bustling streets and surging crowds in the city, we easily fall into the illusion that the whole world is like this. In reality, far larger areas of the earth are desolate mountains like the uninhabited lands of Ngari.
(Aerial view of Lhasa and the surrounding high mountains from the plane)
So sometimes, when you step out of your own life and visit different places, you realize that the world is huge and you are very small—your happiness and pain are also very small.
(From a higher vantage point, human traces disappear entirely)
Perhaps only after seeing silent desolation can we better discover the beauty of the human world. Baxoi in spring is a quiet yet thriving little town.
In the town, red flowers and green willows set each other off:
On the square, winding bridges and red pavilions cast reflections on clear ripples:
Under nightfall, light and shadow intermingle, joyous gorchom circle dances fill the air:
National Highway 318 runs right through the county. Many self-driving tourists may not stop here but head straight for Dora Sacred Mountain on the outskirts or Rakwa Lake 90 kilometers to the south.
Dora Sacred Mountain lies four kilometers east of Baxoi County. It is a sacred mountain of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The mountain is divided into an outer, middle, and inner circuit, covering a total area of twelve square kilometers, not too large. For many travelers entering Tibet who want to experience local circumambulation, Dora Sacred Mountain is a great choice.
(In the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, there are a few self-driving RVs)
(Tibetans circumambulating and a corridor of prayer wheels)
Stone carvings and statues can be seen all over Dora Sacred Mountain, with the statue of Shakyamuni being the most exquisite. There are also lotus seats, Bodhi stupas, and prayer halls. Rocks across the mountainside are carved with the six-syllable mantra, with unnamed flowers standing quietly beside them, giving off a simple, weathered feel.
Legend says that Dora Sacred Mountain was where Guru Rinpoche practiced. On the stones scattered across the mountain, one can clearly see Buddha images and scriptures, said to be manifestations of Guru Rinpoche's thoughts and inner power during his cave meditation here.
According to Tibetan historical records, during the persecution of Buddhism by Langdarma in the 9th century, some surviving eminent monks fled to present-day Baxoi. In a dream, they received instructions from the protector goddess White Tara, saying that this place was an auspicious site at the foot of Mount Rigyi, atop a divine turtle bearing a lotus. With a stone monkey guarding the front and a sacred pig making offerings at the back, it was the perfect place to restore strength and fulfill great aspirations. So they turned it into a sacred place for spiritual cultivation and prayer.
Rakwa Lake is another unmissable wonder in Baxoi, located in Rakwa Township southwest of Baima Town, the county seat. It is praised as the 'Jade Pool of the Southwest' and the 'Jiuzhaigou of the Plateau.' Indeed, the color of the lake varies with depth and distance, a bit like Jiuzhaigou!
Sacred mountains and holy lakes in Tibet are always accompanied by ancient legends, and Rakwa Lake is no exception. It is said that when Princess Wencheng was traveling far away to marry Songtsen Gampo, she looked at the landscape here and was overcome with homesickness, shedding tears that moved Rakwa Lake, turning its waters blue.
Approaching Rakwa Lake, the water becomes crystal clear, reflecting the distant snowy mountains, forests, blue sky, and white clouds, presenting a scene of tranquil beauty.
Next to Rakwa Lake lies a grassland called 'Rana Grassland.' Nestled by mountain and water, with herds of cattle and horses, it combines vast, unbridled majesty with bucolic warmth, making one linger and forget to leave.
Now let's move to Lhasa.
If you want to see Lhasa's famous sights like the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Ramoche Temple, Barkhor Street, or Norbulingka, you might be disappointed. But you can open the 'China Travel Map' for detailed accounts of those places. This time, we'll explore Sera Monastery, famous for its debating monks, the Tibet Museum, and some lesser-known yet enchanting spots.
First, I want to share a few little-known photography locations for capturing the Potala Palace.
For friends visiting Lhasa for the first time, the Potala Palace is an absolute must-see. Besides going inside to experience the mysterious ancient world of Tibetan Buddhism, taking photos from every possible angle outside is essential. Most tourists choose two spots: the top of the White Stupa diagonally opposite the palace, and the Potala Palace Square across the road.
Some friends, to capture the palace's reflection, will pour a bottle of mineral water on the ground and crouch down to find the right angle. So you often see people 'kneeling' toward the Potala Palace in the square. Actually, that's not necessary. In one corner of the square, there is a small park with a lake and trees, where you can capture not only the reflection but also the graceful branches as decoration, especially stunning at night. The best spot is a corner of the park, easy to find—just look for where the most photographers cluster!
Also, every evening, the Potala Palace Square has a musical fountain that accompanies grand gorchom circle dancing. Quite a few people gather around the fountain; some have ulterior motives. They wait for the gaps between songs when the water falls, then immediately rush to the water's edge with their equipment to snap photos of the Potala—the water on the ground becomes a natural mirror. Some photographers get so absorbed that they don't notice when the fountain starts again and get soaked... So at night, you can see this peculiar sight around the Potala: a large crowd surging forward and retreating like the tide, in rhythm with the music.
Most people only know to shoot the front of the Potala Palace, but its sides and back can yield unique and excellent shots. Below are photos taken from either side of the palace:
Behind the Potala Palace lies Zongjiao Lukhang Park, a popular place for Lhasa residents' morning exercises and evening strolls, and another great spot to photograph the palace.
The park has a lake, with green trees lining the shore and red pleasure boats floating on the water. The shimmering ripples blur the reflection and soften the palace's solemnity, giving it a uniquely intimate and gentle beauty.
I need to say a bit more about Zongjiao Lukhang Park. In Tibetan, 'Zongjiao' means 'behind the palace,' and 'Lukhang' means 'Lu shrine.' Lu deities are a class of underground and water spirits in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon religion; 'Lu' is often mistranslated as 'dragon god' and then wrongly taken as the Dragon King we know. Hence, the lake is called 'Dragon King Pond' in Chinese. It was formed in the 17th century when large amounts of earth were dug here during the expansion of the Potala Palace, and water accumulated into a pond. Later, buildings, sculptures, and willows were added around the lake, gradually turning it into today's park.
(Art installation in Zongjiao Lukhang Park – 'Zhang Daren Flower,' built to commemorate Zhang Yintang, a Qing Dynasty official stationed in Tibet who punished corrupt officials, promoted education, and did many good things for the local people)
This is the liveliest park in Lhasa. On ordinary mornings, middle-aged and elderly people dance Tibetan dances here. On weekends, it's even more lively, with young people and children gathering in groups to perform distinctive dances like Tibetan tap dance and sleeve-swinging dance. If you stay in Lhasa for a week or two and come here to dance along a few times, you can become quite a 'master' of Tibetan dance too. I learned some tap dance steps from the aunts and uncles here—a lot of fun.
During major festivals, the park also hosts Tibetan opera performances. I happened to catch one called 'Nangsa Woenbu,' which is based on the tragic story of a peasant girl named Nangsa from Gyantse region, blending history and legend. Frankly, even knowing the general storyline, I couldn't understand it at all. Tibetan operas are extremely long, from morning until afternoon, and most of the time is spent circling the stage in a ritualistic manner. The men wear somewhat frightening exaggerated masks, and the music, vocal style, and movements are full of mysterious, ancient ritual feelings—so I could only say I experienced something novel.
Like our Peking Opera, Tibetan opera is an ancient traditional Tibetan drama (actually predating Peking Opera). So it involves many stylized performances. Without knowing Tibetan or having relevant background knowledge, it's hard to appreciate. But I saw quite a crowd of local Tibetan viewers, including many young people. It seems Tibetan opera is more popular within its cultural circle than Peking Opera is in its own.
Another spot for beautiful Potala Palace photography is Nanshan Park, located on the south bank of the Lhasa River, a bit far from the city center. It's convenient to ride a small electric bike there, passing the small island of Xianzu on the Lhasa River to arrive.
Nanshan Park gets its name from the mountain directly south of the Potala Palace, also called Pongchu Ecological Park. It is an ecological garden integrating leisure, sightseeing, and entertainment—still under construction. Existing sights include the Potala Mirror Lake, Stacked Rocks and Rinsing Stream, and Deep Bamboo Forest. In the future, there will be an animal corridor, Green Shadow Tea House, and more. Unexpectedly, you can see peacocks in Lhasa, and in the future there will even be elephants!
(Stacked Rocks and Rinsing Stream, and Forest Waterfall)
The 'Potala Mirror Lake' here is a major scenic spot. Many promotional photos of the Potala Palace with its reflection are taken here. In winter, when it snows, the reflection is even more romantic. In summer, the red, green, and white colors interplay beautifully.
(Winter view of Potala Mirror Lake, image from the internet)
Speaking of the Lhasa River, there is also a Riverside Park along its banks. When the weather is good, strolling along the river lets you feel the gentler side of this sunlit plateau city.
Next, let's visit two museums in Lhasa: the Tibet Museum and the Yak Museum.
The Tibet Museum is at the southeast corner of Norbulingka. Two years ago when I was in Lhasa, I wanted to visit but found it closed for maintenance. This time when I first arrived, it was still under maintenance. Later it opened, so I hurried over, afraid it might close again suddenly.
(Not far from the museum stands the Monument to the Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways)
The Tibet Museum is slightly smaller than other provincial museums I've visited, and surprisingly, its display of Tibetan history and culture is very brief. It mainly focuses on the period before and after the abolition of serfdom in Tibet in the early years of New China. No wonder it is also called the 'Tibet Million Serfs Liberation Memorial Hall.'
Before 1959, Tibet still had a serf system, meaning there were people of lowly status as slaves, which was rare in human civilization after entering the 20th century. Tibet's serfdom was a feudal theocracy, where the three major estate-holders—officials, nobles, and high-ranking monastic lamas—owned all the means of production and also the persons of the vast serf class. A TV drama called 'The Dust Settles' depicts that social condition.
The lives of the oppressed serfs and slaves were extremely dark and cruel. They were treated as 'talking livestock' and 'walking tools,' with no personal freedom, and could be put to death by their masters with brutal torture at any moment.
(Slave child traded as property for a donkey)
(Slave child stuffed into a box and pressed into a corner)
At that time, the local Tibetan government and major monasteries all had their own courts and prisons. Estate owners also had private prisons on their manors, where they could carry out barbaric punishments such as eye-gouging, ear-cutting, hand-severing, foot-chopping, hamstringing, and drowning, wantonly harming serfs.
Some monasteries even killed slaves, making ritual implements from human bones, skin, and skulls. A letter exchanged among high monastery officials recorded: 'To chant sutras and pray for longevity for the Dalai Lama, all members of the Lower Tantric College need to perform the ritual of the Fifteen Fierce Dispelling. To properly complete this rite, we need wet intestines, two heads, various kinds of blood, and a whole human skin for the offering that day. Please send them immediately.'
(Ritual objects made from human bones, skin, and skulls)
Some slaves who committed faults but were spared death were banished to the wild mountains, yet without any possessions, they ultimately starved or froze to death.
While exploited slaves lived in constant fear, the exploiting slave-owners lived in abundant comfort—a shocking contrast.
Even more terrifying, the vast numbers of slaves were so brainwashed by religion that they accepted their misery and didn't think to resist. Therefore, abolishing serfdom was not a simple institutional revolution; it required changes in propaganda, education, and many other aspects. In the end, the reactionary and backward system was bound to perish. After some twists, resistance, and even rebellions, on March 28, 1959, serfdom finally became history in Tibet, and the liberated serfs sang!
I think: class emerges alongside surplus value in human society. As long as humans can obtain more resources than needed for survival, class will always exist. Even if we realize a 'communist' society in the future, and even if everyone's material life is equally abundant, spiritual differences will certainly exist, and such differences will inevitably give rise to new class divisions. But the direction of human civilization should be to eliminate any distinction of high and low among classes, leaving only differences in kind. For example, my class is called 'art,' yours is called 'adventure,' his is called 'technology,' and no one envies or leads another, there is only mutual reference and inspiration. Only then can we have a truly harmonious world.
But the reality now is that most people take 'money' as the sole standard. In this situation, even though we are well-fed and well-clothed, and don't have to worry about our lives, spiritually, how much better off are we than those freezing, starving, freedomless slaves?
Next, let's visit the Tibet Yak Museum.
The Tibet Yak Museum is in Liuwu New District. It is the only museum in China dedicated to yak and yak culture. We all know that the yak is the 'boat of the plateau,' a means of transport and a loyal companion for plateau dwellers. In Tibetan areas, there is even a saying: 'Without the yak, there would be no Tibetan people; wherever there are Tibetans, there are yaks.' This shows the yak's place in the hearts of Tibetan people.
The museum displays a painting called 'Tibetan,' half of which is a human face, half a yak face, expressing the deep bond between yak and Tibetan. This painting is quite famous in Tibetan areas and can be seen in many places.
The museum is divided into three sections: the yak in nature and science, the yak in history and culture, and the yak in spirit and art. It details the origin and domestication of yaks, the Tibetan culture co-created by yaks and Tibetans, and yak culture in works of art. It showcases the yak spirit of simplicity, loyalty, compassion, resilience, bravery, and devotion to duty—a great place to learn about yaks and Tibetan culture.
(Artworks: yak bone painting, yak eye, yak carving, etc.)
(Tibetan nomadic life is inseparable from the yak; even the boats for crossing rivers are made of yak hide)
The Liuwu New District, where the Yak Museum is located, is modern and bustling, with architectural designs similar to inland cities, completely different from the richly colored Tibetan-style buildings in other parts of Lhasa.
Finally, let's visit Sera Monastery.
Sera Monastery is one of the six main monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Together with Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery, it is known as one of the Three Great Monasteries of Lhasa. Its full name is 'Sera Jokhang Monastery.' Located at the foot of Sera Utse Mountain in northern Lhasa, surrounded by willow groves and numerous smaller nunneries and monasteries, it has been a place where eminent monks and living Buddhas give teachings since ancient times.
Sera is the last built of the three great monasteries, completed in the ninth year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty (1434). The monastery has three major colleges: Jebk, Meba, and Ngaba. At its peak, it housed over 8,000 monks. The monastery preserves more than ten thousand vajra Buddha statues, and the walls of the main hall and the college prayer halls are covered with original large colorful murals. The many halls and temples in Sera were not built according to a single plan but expanded over successive generations to reach the present scale. So the overall layout is not pre-planned, yet the buildings are dense but not cramped, mixed but not chaotic, adapted to local conditions, showing the style of a great Gelug monastery—a veritable 'religious city.'
Debating is a major highlight of Sera Monastery. Every afternoon at a fixed time, red-robed lamas gather in the forest courtyard for debates. The crowd of spectators is large, but the engaged debaters are completely unaffected.
Debating is a learning method for the lamas. Participants often use various hand gestures to emphasize their arguments: clapping hands means urging the opponent to answer quickly, and pulling prayer beads means invoking the Buddha's power to vanquish the opponent.
I think debate is an excellent method for training thinking and expression. I don't understand why ancient Tibetan Buddhism can incorporate it into its teaching system, while our mainstream modern education treats it only as a hobby. You see, instantly expressing views with your mouth on the spot, versus writing them down after deep thought with a pen, is like sprinting 100 meters versus running a marathon—they are two completely different abilities, and the former is more frequently used in daily life. Education and reality are a bit disconnected; that's really the case!
Sera Monastery leans against Sera Mountain, where believers often circumambulate the mountain and stupas. On the mountain are mysterious mantra carvings in Tibetan script and Buddhist images, giving this barren mountain a sacred feel.
Climbing to the top of Sera Mountain, you can overlook the whole monastery and gaze at the cityscape of Lhasa. The distant Potala Palace is clearly visible, and even more striking are the range upon range of green hills.
On the way up the mountain, I encountered many stray dogs and yaks. They showed no aggression and were very relaxed. I saw a Tibetan granny feeding a stray dog mouth-to-mouth. With such kindness, how could the dogs still be fearful or wary of people?
And a wounded sparrow in the corner, at the last moments of its life, was held in the palm of another Tibetan granny, comforted by her warm breath...
Besides the above, Lhasa has many more places worth visiting, such as the only wealth temple in all Tibet—Zaki Monastery. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the temple's gate is packed with an endless stream of men and women seeking wealth, peace, and health.
The temple enshrines the Tibetan wealth deity, Zaki Lhamo. Her image is a fearsome black face with a protruding tongue. If you see a tongue-sticking deity image hanging on walls in Tibetan hotels or shops, that's Zaki Lhamo. Legend says she was once a kind and beautiful woman who was poisoned by schemers, dying and turning into this fearsome face. This female wealth deity likes to drink alcohol, so before entering the temple, it's best to buy some baijiu—it might just bring you rolling fortune.
The recently opened Tibetandu Altar City is also worth a visit, especially when there are festival activities. Here you might see some performances or exhibitions. The Tibetandu Altar City combines Han, Tibetan, and Nepali architectural styles. Inside, there are sculptures and scenes reflecting Tibetan culture, with novel layout and rich scenery—it's a new landmark of Lhasa.
Moreover, feeling the bustling marketplace atmosphere of Lhasa at Chonskang Market, or listening to music and drinking in the bars of Barkhor Street or the Tibetan nightlife district, are all great experiences.
At the Lhasa Chapter of the Chinese Youth Own Alliance, I even received a Sichuan-Tibet Highway self-driving certificate—a small encouragement for myself.
If there's one thing that was less than satisfying, it was the three meals a day. Below are pictures of Tibetan noodles and 'chow mein.' The Tibetan noodles are okay if the meat is well cooked. But this 'chow mein'... it's clearly a stewed noodle dish, why call it chow mein? I thought the waiter had brought the wrong thing. Later I learned: in Lhasa Tibetan restaurants, that's what chow mein is like!
My two-month 'culinary' journey finally came to an end. In early July, the lawsuit was settled, my car was repaired, and I could hit the road again.
Next stop—Holy Elephant Gate.
