Lhasa

Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies on the Lhasa River’s north bank in a valley of the Himalayas. Rising atop Red Mountain at an altitude of 3,700m, the red-and-white Potala Palace once served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama.

The 5th Dalai Lama unified Tibet and moved the center of administration to Lhasa in 1642. Lhasa was occupied twice in the last century, first by the British and then by the Chinese.

In January 1904, a British expeditionary force invaded and captured Lhasa during the British expedition to Tibet. Then, in October 1951 the Chinese People’s Liberation Army marched into Lhasa with red flags in their hands to occupy the city once again.