Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town

It is reported that the construction of Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town was started recently, which means local Tibetans and visitors can pay a visit to the Ancient Town across the Lhasa River to experience the local folk customs and explore the Tibetan architectural culture in the near future.

The Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town under construction is located on the southern bank of Lhasa River. An investment around 3 to 4 billion Chinese yuan will be invested into the construction of Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town, and the whole project is expected to be completed in 2017. Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town is a Tibetan cultural tourism garden planned in 2012. The total planning area of this ancient town is 8.14 square kilometers. Faces the downtown of Lhasa City across the Lhasa River, the Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town will be decorated with rich natural landscapes and profound Tibetan culture.

The Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town is planned to be constructed into a cultural tourism site with full Tibetan culture. It should be noted that the Shoton Festival culture will also be integrated into the decoration of the ancient town. Visitors will have the chance to experience the Shoton Festival atmosphere in this ancient town in the future. A series of basic service facilities will be equipped in the ancient town to attract the visitors, including the Tibetan style guesthouses and handicrafts streets. Architectural characteristics of the constructions in different regions on Tibet Plateau will be presented in Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town, which means visitors could see constructions with typical style which was only available in Shannan, Nagqu, Nyingchi, Shigatse, Ngari and Qamdo at this ancient town in the near future.

As we all known, sightseeing is the main purpose for tourists visiting Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Norbu Lingka and some other scenic spots in Lhasa. Be different from those spots, Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town under construction will allow tourists to experience the traditional Tibetan culture. Some traditional celebration ceremonies are expected to be held during the Tibetan festivals. In a word, Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town allows visitors to study the Tibetan culture closely, and certainly the Tibetan culture will be spread in this way smoothly.

Shoton Festival is the most noted traditional Tibetan festival. It would always be celebrated in the summer. Grand ceremonies would be held to celebrate this festival, among which the Buddha Exhibition Ceremony in Drepung Monastery attracts the most pilgrims and visitors. The construction of Lhasa Shoton Ancient Town aims at introducing the Shoton Festival culture to visitors from different corners of the world. Some festival related ceremonies allow visitors to join in and experience the festal atmosphere personally.