Potala Palace
Otherwise known as "the Dalai Lama's place". Or at least it was for the 5th through 13th Dalai Lama. Presently, us non-Buddhist, non-Tibetan tourists can wander through here, but the 14th Dalai Lama is in exile in India and unable to return. By the way, even at night, pilgrims are walking the large circle route around this palace, twirling their prayer wheels and praying as they go. This palace represents the end of a long journey for many Buddhist pilgrims who travel long distances across Tibet to pray and give offerings here.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
