We called it Red Square... not sure of the official name for this new park. One of the weeks we spent in Lhasa happened to be like Chinese Spring Break. I think it was called National Week. A great number of people take this week to go on vacation, and many Chinese are starting to come to Tibet as tourists. Lhasa was much, much more crowded during National Week then at any other time during our two months there.This park is directly across from the front of the Potala, and consists mainly of a HUGE empty paved area, backed by this imposing monument to Chinese communism. Unthinkable to have put such a symbol across from the Potala, the true home of the Dalai Lama since the 1500s. During National Week the park was draped in red banners and a giant Chinese national flag hung immediately front and center to the Potala. Thus, it was dubbed Red Square.....
There were a dozen or so tourist photographers combing the Square for victims...we were happy to dress up in their "traditional Tibetan" costumes and pose for some classic Red Week shots. I believe we were charged 2 yuan for the use of the costumes... about twenty five cent.
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