Standing tall on the Red Hill in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Potala Palace was originally built by Songtsen Gampo, the king of Tubo, to welcome his bride, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. After its reconstruction in the 17th century, the Potala Palace became the residence of successive Dalai Lamas and the center of the theocratic rule in Tibet. Today, this palace, the highest in the world, has become an iconic symbol of Tibet and a must-visit attraction for tourists.
During the day, the Potala Palace appears majestic, with its overlapping buildings and towering halls. However, as dusk falls, the palace transforms into a captivating and enchanting sight. With a mix of anticipation, excitement, and a touch of longing, I arrived at the square at the foot of the Potala Palace. As the sky darkened, the square also filled with visitors from all over the world.
The night sky in Lhasa is transparent, pure, and elegant. At this altitude, in the cool and mysterious night, the Potala Palace’s silhouette is clearly visible, with twinkling stars surrounding it and colorful auspicious clouds drifting by. A sense of inexplicable awe and surprise prompted me to utter a word, a word filled with poetic essence: “Heavenly Palace.”
At exactly 9 p.m., the ancient city of Lhasa is completely enveloped by the night. At this moment, the lights are in full bloom, transforming the entire square into a sea of lights, a world of radiance, illuminating the majestic Potala Palace. Accompanied by a soaring melody, the musical fountain at the southern end of the Potala Palace Square shoots water skyward, and crowds surge in from all directions to fully appreciate the captivating night view of the Potala Palace.
The night view of the Potala Palace is truly beautiful, intoxicatingly so. This stunning night scene begins to brew slowly as the night is about to fall. When the night quietly envelops the Potala Palace, the dazzling lights suddenly illuminate the sky, transforming the entire palace into a kaleidoscope of colors, resembling a beautiful scroll painting.
Various spotlights, colored lights, and the flashes from the cameras of tourists make the square even more enchanting and mesmerizing. Under the illumination of the lights, the Potala Palace appears vibrant and magnificent, with red, green, blue, dark red, pink, and purple hues intermingling and reflecting off each other, turning the entire space into a colorful world, making the Potala Palace even more beautiful.
Countless lights connect to form dancing ribbons, like the floating silk ribbons of fairies or the dancing fire dragons. The beautiful and charming Potala Palace becomes a fairy-tale world, even more dazzling and colorful, even more enchanting. This fairy-tale world transforms the azure, clear, and hill-hugging Potala Palace, with its alternating colors, into a captivating scroll painting.
The lights are the main melody in this dark night. Against the backdrop of the colorful lights, the red and white contrasting main building, with its distinctive Tibetan architectural style, appears even more resplendent, making one feel as if they have entered heaven. The Potala Palace is the perfect embodiment of Tibetan architectural art and a place of constant pilgrimage for Tibetans. Everyone who comes here will have a naturally arising sense of reverence.
At night, the Potala Palace sheds its daytime grandeur and majesty. Enveloped in a luminous glow, it resembles a gentle face behind a soft veil, exuding a hint of shyness and a touch of charm. As I gaze upon it, I recall stories about the Potala Palace, from Princess Wencheng, who married into Tibet from afar, to the lovelorn lama Tsangyang Gyatso. Within this ancient fortress, where politics and religion intertwined, there were once legendary tales of love.
In the crisp air, strains of heavenly music drift from afar, gently rippling across the Potala Palace Square in the night. Looking up at the Potala Palace atop the Red Hill, I am reminded of a famous poetic verse: “That day, I turned all the prayer wheels, not for transcendence, but to touch your fingertips. That year, I prostrated on the mountain path, not to seek an audience, but to embrace your warmth.”
At this very moment, the fountain in the square, accompanied by enchanting music, boldly spouts water columns of various shapes, and the moist mist spreads across the square, bringing a refreshing delight to the people. They leisurely admire the ever-changing dance of the musical fountain, while the moving melodies of “The Heaven Road” and “Liberated Serfs Sing” that reflect Tibet rise and fall in their ears.
Amidst the melodious music, the rich and colorful spray patterns and the lighting effects transform into lotus shapes one moment and soar into the night sky the next, scattering down colorful water droplets like stars. In the square, the beautiful music, the dancing water curtains, the colorful light beams, and the magnificent musical fountain paint a dazzling scroll for Lhasa’s night.
This sea of light and world of lamps present a three-dimensional beauty with varying heights and clear layers, shining with seven-colored radiance, a feast for the eyes. The designers of the Potala Palace Square are truly ingenious. They use water as their brush, light as their ink, and music as their notes, leveraging the scattering and refraction of light to outline a night at the Potala Palace that is both fantastical and poetic.
Gazing at the enchanting play of light and shadow, listening to the melodious music, I wander aimlessly in the square. Looking up at the Potala Palace, a sense of sacredness wells up in my heart. I linger in the square, feeling the harmony between nationalities, the harmony of human existence, and the harmony of spirit and nature. Here, I experience the beauty of the Potala Palace, like a mirage, as if it were a fairyland on earth.
I am accustomed to the dazzling neon lights of Shanghai’s nightscape, with its clusters of brilliance, overflowing colors, and intermingling illuminations from countless homes. However, the night view of the Potala Palace truly touches the heart. Its beauty is soul-stirring and deeply moving. In this moment, as I gaze upon the wondrous scene before me, I forget the troubles of living in a concrete jungle.
Immersed in the night view of the Potala Palace, the colorful and crystal-clear lights deeply captivate my gaze. Against the deep blue night sky, nestled among the silent, surrounding mountains, the Potala Palace is the most eye-catching and sacred visual focal point in the darkness, shining like a stunning night pearl under the starry sky of the plateau, so dazzling and so enchanting.
The night view of the Potala Palace is a beautiful sight on the snowy plateau. The entire Potala Palace is brilliantly lit, like twinkling stars in the sky, gorgeous and beautiful. Beautiful Tibet, beautiful Potala Palace, beautiful Potala Palace Square.
