Norbulingka, meaning Jewel Park, was Dalai Lama's summer palace since the Seventh. Its light-hearted air makes it less demanding than most sights in Lhasa The Norbulinka is well worth a visit at festival times and public holidays. On Shoton Festival, the park is crowded with picnickers, and traditional Tibetan opera performances are also held there.

Khamsum Zilnon is a very eye-catching building behind the main gate. It was originally a Han style pavilion and later changed into a theater where the Dalai Lamas watched Tibetan opera. Tsokyil Potrang is a group of buildings on water. Dalai Lamas used to read in a hall of the palace. In 1922, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama began to build his Golden Lingka and Chensel Potrang, which is located at the back of the woods. Various flowers, grasses and trees were planted around. The palace was heavily painted with murals, which bear strong Han characteristics. Takten Migyur Potrang, meaning Eternal Palace in Tibetan, was completed in 1956 for the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Though it is called New Summer Palace, it is a very traditional architecture except for its interior modern facilities. In the palace there are many splendid murals painted by a Fourteenth Dalai Lama's painter. The topics of the murals include Tibetan officials, Sakyamuni preaching under a Bodhi tree, and Tibetan history from its founding by the Holy Monkey, the vicissitudes of Tubo Kingdom (633-844) and Tibetan Buddhism to Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama's interviews with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing. The present Dalai Lama's private apartment is also on view, remaining untouched. In a little sutra hall, there is a Dalai Lama's throne which is wrapped in gold foils and decorated with gems.

Norbu Lingka

Best time to go: Year round

Norbu Lingka means "a precious garden" in Tibetan. Located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, it was once the site of the Dalai Lamas' summer palace, a residence that allowed an escape from the summer heat, while the Potala Palace was their winter residence. Norbu Lingka lies just one kilometer to the west of the Potala.

1t was first built in the 1740s and covers an area of 36 hectares. It was once a place of bathing and rest site for the 7th Dalai Lama, who favored the peacefulness of the area and the banks shaded by many willow trees. He spent much time studying Buddhist texts here. The Qing (1644-1911) minister stationed in Tibet built the first palace here. It was during his lifetime that the tradition of a "summer retreat" began. Since then, each successive Dalai Lama moved to the park during the summer season, and carried out all religious and political affairs from there.

The 8th, 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas built their own palaces here too. Continuous expansions in the past 200-odd years have turned it a large scale and Tibetan-style palace complex and garden.

The New Summer Palace, built by the 14th Dalai Lama, is located in the center of the Norbu Lingka. This palace is filled with interesting murals and is definitely the highlight of the Norbu Lingka. Among the green trees stands the palace with carved beams, painted pillars, traditional upturned eaves, and corbel brackets. The building is surrounded by trees, with ponds, terraces, and towers nearby. This elegant palace contains many valuable objects, including gold, silver, jade, antiques, Buddhist artifacts, murals, and luxurious furniture.

On festivals and holidays, local people in their splendid attire come with food and tents to sing and dance overnight.

When the trees turn green, families come here to celebrate the Dzamling Chisang Festival. Setting up tents and camps in the woods or by the river, they sing and dance and drink Qingke barley wine and buttered tea until midnight.

Norbu Lingka was listed by the UNESCO in 2001 as a world cultural heritage site.