THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY CITY IN THE WORLD 



961 



roofs of the palace of the Dalai Lama 

 on the hill Potala, contrasted with the 

 rugged tops of the Medical Hill, appar- 

 ently floating in the air, form a grand 

 and brilliant sight, that can hardly fail 

 to gladden the heart of the weary ex- 

 plorer. Further on, after passing by the 

 extensive Dupon Monastery and the 

 Great Oracle (see page 960), he arrives 

 at the back of Potala Hill (see page 963), 

 and is brought face to face with the Med- 

 ical and the Millstone Hills (see pages 

 965 and 985). 



Contrary to Oriental custom, the city 

 of Lhasa has no wall. A broad highway 

 is built around the city instead. Lhasa 

 is 2 miles long and a little less than i 

 mile wide. Its north and east sides are 

 open, while the Ki River protects the 

 southern part, with Potala and Medical 

 Hills guarding the west side. 



The city gate (see page 964) , decorated 

 with pagodas, opens between these two 

 hills. The pagodas are built of white 

 stone, with golden domes. These em- 

 blems of Lamaism are made even more 

 magnificent by the reflection seen in the 

 water. Indeed, any pilgrim can but feel 

 satisfied, not to say sanctified, by gazing 

 upon such a splendid and beautiful vision 

 before entering the "Happiest Western 

 World.'; 



Nothing impresses the traveler more, 

 as he first enters the city, than the palace 

 of Dalai Lama (see pages 962 and 963). 

 The ancient Vatican of Lhasa stands on 

 the left, venerable and majestic, ever 

 ready to welcome those who come to 

 worship within its walls. 



The western part of the city is practi- 

 cally uninhabited. One has to travel 

 another mile before he finds himself in 

 the city proper, the part of Lhasa which 

 has long attracted the attention of ad- 

 venturers. 



The main streets of Lhasa are gener- 

 ally wide and fairly smooth. There is 

 no heavy traflic in Tibet. Carts and car- 

 riages are beyond the natives' imagina- 

 tion. Every one travels on foot. The 

 yak and the horse are the only two means 

 of conveyance. One can easily see why 

 the streets are generally so even. Only 

 the Dalai Lama and the two Ambans ride 



in sedan-chairs. Other people are not 

 allowed to enjoy this privilege. 



The houses are usually built of stone 

 and are two or three stories high. The 

 outside looks clean, with its whitewash, 

 but the inside is dark and dirty to the 

 last degree. Rich and poor are all alike 

 in this respect. 



To my surprise and disgust, I found 

 that the first floor of every house is al- 

 ways occupied by a yak stable. Hence 

 every visitor is first welcomed by the yak 

 stable, with its disagreeable odor con- 

 stantly pouring out. 



Like the Jewish style of building, all 

 the houses have flat roofs, which are ac- 

 cessible by small doors. A peculiarity 

 of Tibetan houses is that they have no 

 chimneys. The windows serve the dou- 

 ble purpose of letting the light come m 

 and the smoke out. The walls are thus 

 made very dark with soot. 



the; palace: of the daIvAi lama 



Most prominent and important of ait 

 the buildings in the city of Lhasa is un- 

 doubtedly the palace of Dalai Lama. It 

 is a fortified palace located on the Potala 

 Hill, at the western end of the city. It 

 is about 4,000 feet high and 1,000 feet 

 long, containing 490 rooms and 1,333 

 windows. The entire structure is built 

 of stone, whitewashed on the outside, 

 except the upper half of the middle por- 

 tion, which is painted crimson. All the 

 eaves of the roof and the copings of the 

 zigzag-shaped steps are also crimson. 



The Living Buddha occupies the cen- 

 tral section of the upper part, while the 

 rest is divided into lecture and prayer 

 halls, executive department, treasury, 

 granary, and bed-rooms for 350 Lamas. 

 A sacred part of the palace is reserved 

 for the topes, or tombs, of former Liv- 

 ing Buddhas. 



Below, in front, is a large paved arena 

 which serves as the dancing ground. 

 Outside of the arena are many buildings 

 for printing prayers, casting bronze im- 

 ages, manufacturing incense, keeping 

 cattle, slaughter - houses, stores, etc. 

 Stone walls, with barracks and garrison 

 on the top, protect the front, left, and 

 rieht sides. 



