In mid-March, the peach and plum begin to blossom in the ancientcity of Lhasa at an altitude of over 3600 meters. And the old willows around the Potala Palace are already a sea of green.

On March 18, tourists visited at the foot of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. [Photo/Jiang Feibo]

The ticket prices for the Potala Palace will follow the off-season rates, with the No. 1 route, which includes more visiting sites, priced at 100 yuan, and the No. 2 route, which features a streamlined selection of visiting sites, priced at 50 yuan, starting from March 16. Tickets need to be booked in advance through the official online channels.

Kelsang Samten, 36, is from Mezhrogungkar County of Lhasa. He has been working as a tour guide for more than a decade after graduating from the tourism major at Xizang University.

"The Potala Palace was first built during the reign of Songtsen Gampo, the emperor of the Tubo Dynasty in the 7th century. The original structure was mostly destroyed," he explained. The current Potala Palace was rebuilt in the 17th century back of the Qing central government by the 5th Dalai Lama and was expanded over several generations of Dalai Lamas before reaching its current size.

On March 18, tourists visited the Treasure Pavilion of the Potala Palace. [Photo/Jiang Feibo]

The Potala Palace stands on Mount Hongshan overlooking the Lhasa River Valley. Climbing up on the plateau is not as easy as it is in the plains, and visitors always find themselves out of breath. In the Eastern Sunlight Hall, one can see thin layers of snow on the peaks of Baoping Mountain and south mountain across the Lhasa River through the windows. Tourists and pilgrims bustle about, while monks sit cross-legged on Tibetan-style cushions, engrossed in reading Tibetan scriptures.

Dawa Dobje, a pilgrim from Gamba County in Xigaze City, said that it was his first time to come to Lhasa for pilgrimage after the Tibetan New Year. "We drove here, and yesterday we went to the Jokhang Temple, and today we came to the Potala Palace." he said.

Kelsang Samten intruduced that there are fewer pilgrims in the spring, and the peak season for pilgrimage is during the winter when farmers and herdsmen are less busy.

On March 18, visitors and Buddhist pilgrims ascended the steps, making their way up to the Potala Palace. [Photo/Jiang Feibo]

The halls on the top of the Potala Palace are like a maze, with dim lighting, so one must constantly watch their steps. The tour guide explained, "the White Palace and the Red Palace of the Potala Palace have many windows, but most of them are kept closed, for the reason that excessive light exposure could damage the cultural relics inside the halls."

"The grandeur of the Potala Palace and the abundance of cultural relics are truly awe-inspiring," said Tang Yuan, a tourist from Guangxi. This is her first trip to Xizang, and over the next week, she plans to visit Yamdrok Lake, Namtso Lake, and go to Nyingchi to see peach blossoms.

Gelsang Samten said that he loves his job very much and earns an annual income of approximately 60,000 to 90,000 yuan.

Having worked for over ten years, Gelsang Samten has settled down in Lhasa. He said, "tour guides are a window for tourists to understand Xizang. We hope tourists can have a deeper understanding of Xizang and its culture."

Reporter: Jiang Feibo

Translator: Peng Qing, Zhi Xinghua

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli