The Tibet Autonomous Region has renovated Barkhor Street, a bustling religious, tourist and commercial centre in Lhasa, to transform it into a historical site. The renovation project cost 37.6 million yuan(US $ 4.5 million).

Barkhor Street, located at the foot of the incense-coiling Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, is renowned as Tibet's largest market place. With a history of more than 1,300 years, the street has been propering upon the completion of the monastery in central Lhasa in 647. In the Barkhor Street, an inch of land is an inch of gold. Vendors from various parts of China and bordering countries have turned the street into an international market. The street was built in the 7th monastery. To supervise the project, he brought his servants and family and Songtsen Gampo and his servants.

In the city of Lhasa, Tibetans and Street by inland tourists call the two kilometre-long quadrangle street surrounding the Jokhang Monastery Barkhor Street. " Barkhor," in Tibetan means a circuit taken in a clock-wise direction.The area is unrivalled in Tibet for its fascinating combination of deep religiosity and the market economy. This is both the spiritual heart of Lhasa and the main commercial district for local people.

Early every morning, scented smoke curls up at the gate of the Jokhang Monastery. Streams of Tibetans take turns performing the kowtow at the entrance. For many elderly Tibetans living in Lhasa, coming to the monastery every day is the most important part of their lives. Built in the 7th century the Jokhang Monastery was renovated and expanded several times and has formed a 4-storey large complex. The Jokhang Monastery is the home of the most precious Buddha images in Tibet, which were brought there by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty, who was married to the great Tibetan king Songstan Gampo. In the main hall of the monastery is a set of murals showing the arrival of the Tang princess in Tibet. There are four incense burners in front of the monastery. Behind the first two are two enclosures. The larger one harbours the stump of an ancient willow tree allegedly planted by Princess Wencheng and an inscribed stele.

In 822, the Tang imperial court and the Tubo Kingdom formed an alliance aimed at keeping friendship forever. This alliance was engraved in the Han and Tibetan languages on a stone tablet, which still stands in front of the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa.

UNESCO add the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa to the List of World Heritage as an extension of the Potala Palace in December 2000.

Located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, Norbulingka ( Norbu means treasure in Tibetan, lingka means garden in Tibetan) was built in 1740s during the reign of the seventh Dalai Lama.

Later it was renovated and enlarged and became the Dalai Lama's Summer Palace. It was here that from April to September each year the Dalai would handle political affairs and hold festive celebrations. Encompassing 360,000 square metres, the park consists of three parts: the palace district, district in front of the palace and the forest district. Forests take up about half of the park. Its main buildings are Golden Palace, Sutra Hall, and the New Palace constructed inn 1954. UNESCO added Norbulingka Park to the List of World Heritage as an extension of the Potala Palace in December 2001.

Sera Monastery is one of the 'Three Great Monasteries' of the Yellow Hat Sect. Sere Monastery is located at the foot of Tatipu Hill, some 3 kilometers (about 1.86 miles) north of Potala Palace. The monastery was originally constructed in 1419 by Sakya Yeshe, one of the disciples of Tsong Khapa who was sent to meet Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on behalf of Tsong Khapa, and was entitled Dharma King of Great Mercy. Emperor Yongle also awarded him many sutras, statues of Buddha, frocks, silk, gold, and silver, by which Sakya Yeshe was able to build the Sera Monastery.

Sera, one of the three largest monasteries of Gelugpa, sits at the foothills of Tatipu. It is as prestigious as Drepung and Ganden, which both have longer histories. Sera, in Tibetan, means "Wild Rose Garden." Opulent wild rose woods once grew around it. A legend says that Tsong Khapa and his two disciples traveled in the area, spreading their religion. One day, they heard a horse whinnying underground when they were taking a walk in the rose woods. They dug up a statue of Hynagriva (a horse-headed demon-god) and Tsong Khapa began construction of a monastery to enshrine Hynagriva. However, the truth is that in 1414, Jamchen Chojey (or Sakya Yeshe), one of Tsong Khapa's disciples, visited Emperor Chengzu as Tsong Khapa's emissary. The Emperor Chengzu granted him a title of Dharma King of Great Mercy, sutras, and a set of sandalwood Arhats. In order to preserve them, Tsong Khapa instructed Jamchen Chojey to build a monastery to house the treasures. The Sera monastery was completed in 1419.

Sera is designed around a Main Assembly Hall, or Tshomchen in Tibetan, which is the grandest hall of Sera, occupying a floor space of 1,000 square meters. The four-storied hall has four chapels in which Arhats, Manjushri, Tsong Khapa, and Chenrezi are enshrined. Later, a huge Maitreya was enshrined in the hall during the reign of the Seventh Dalai Lama. The valuable Buddhist sutras that Jamchen Chojey brought back from Beijing are kept in a sutra pigeonhole adjacent to the hall.

As for back as more than 1,300 years ago in 640, Princess Wencheng ( Emperor Taizong's niece) of the Tang Dynasty came to Tibet to join in marriage with Prince Songtsan Gampo (617-650). With her help, Songtsan established administration and military systems in Tibet.

For her living quarters, a palace with 1,000 rooms was constructed on the Red Hill slope and given the name Potala, which means Avalokitasvara, a holy place of Buddhism. The original building was ruined. In the 17th century, the 5th Dalai Lama (1617-1682) gave order to have it rebuilt and since then it has served as the holy residence of the successive Dalai Lama.

The Potala Palace covers an area of 360,000 square metres, with over 2,000 rooms and 34 Buddha halls. The last large repair project in the palace was conducted in the period 1989 to 1994, when the central government allocated altogether 55 million yuan (US $ 6.65 million). After the repairs, the Potala Palace shines more brilliantly atop the Red Hill. However, as the palace is hundreds of years old, its maintenance is a constant agenda item. Repairs reinforced the major part of the palace, but the architectural complex, totalling more than 2,000 halls, and cells for regular maintenance. Major efforts need to be made to solve the problems of deformation and collapse of walls, and insect's infestation of the wooden structure, as well as the rain damage to the roofs. Without changing the original nature of the cultural relics, dfforts must be made to reinforce them, such as adding reinforcing bars in the walls and tailors were organized to repair a dozen projects, and make 500-square-metres sutra cabinets and over 200 boxes for cultural relics. Whitewashing the walls, extending 100 metres or more from top to the ground, calls for more than 50 tons of limestone and red powder.