Leaving the Potala Palace, the back door connects to a park called Zongjiaolukang. In Tibetan, "Zongjiao" means "after the palace fortress" (the palace fortress is the Potala Palace), and "Lukang" means "Temple of God".
Lu Shen is a collective term in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon Buddhism for a type of deity that resides underground and in water. "Lu Shen" is often translated as "Dragon God" in Chinese, and is mistakenly referred to as the "Dragon King" by the Han people. Therefore, in Chinese, it is commonly known as the "Dragon King Pond" in Zongjiao Lukang.
Cuojiji Lake is the main lake in Zongjiaolukang and is an artificial lake. During the expansion of the Potala Palace in the 17th century, a large amount of soil was collected from this area, resulting in a pool of water. During the reign of the Sixth Dalai Lama, this area was renovated and a loft was built on a small island in Tanzhong, following the Tibetan Buddhist ritual of the Tancheng. A five arch stone bridge with a width of over three meters and a length of over twenty meters was also erected to connect the island with the outside world. The 8th and 13th Dalai Lamas have also carried out renovations and repairs on this area.
The winter in Lhasa is not very cold either. The ice in the lake gradually melts after the sun rises, and hundreds or even thousands of ducks roam on the surface of the lake. They play and are not afraid of passersby. Some people throw duck food on the shore, and in an instant, a boiling sensation rises below the shore.
Not far from the lake, there is a willow forest with dozens of sturdy willow trees that are hundreds of years old, either crooked or coiled, with different postures. They provide shade for tourists walking on the road, blocking the sun.
The southwest corner of the park is a folk activity area. In a circular waterfront square, a group of Tibetans form a circle and dance Guozhuang dance. We curiously went to watch, and the lively atmosphere made our friends a bit eager to try. At one point, they wanted to get involved, but after watching for a while, they still stood still and laughed foolishly. I encouraged them repeatedly, but in the end, they also hesitated
Near noon, we found a place nearby where Tibetans eat and drink tea. The place resembles a large food stall, with several simple roofs made of iron sheets. A piece of open space is enclosed in the ceiling, filled with tables and chairs. Tibetans are scattered throughout it, eating and resting, drinking tea and chatting, and it is very comfortable.
In order to experience their life, we mixed in and only got a few very simple foods such as Tibetan noodles, sweet tea, butter tea, potato chips, cold noodles, Kasai, etc. There was also a fast food that we didn't know, like several small cold dishes paired with rice, but we didn't have the courage to try it for a while.
We ordered hidden noodles to make up for the psychological trauma caused by not eating real hidden noodles yesterday. Afraid of not having enough food, we ordered a casserole. It looked like Youbing (Deep-fried round and flat dough-cake), but it really tasted like Youbing (Deep-fried round and flat dough-cake). We ordered another pot of sweet tea and a portion of potato chips, and lunch was enough.
The taste of Tibetan noodles is still soft and not stringy, but this time it is Noodles in soup. The soup is made of yak bones, and tastes delicious. I put a little hot in Tibetan noodles, and the whole bowl of noodles soup was dyed red. Unexpectedly, Tibetan peppers are so hot that I drink sweet tea.
During the meal, I saw a text message from my mother on my phone asking me what kind of good food I ate during the Laba Festival? I just remembered that today is the Laba Festival. I said I ate Tibetan noodles and drank sweet tea, and shared photos with her. However, I was severely looked down upon and said that I apologize for eating recklessly during this festival.
Afterwards, I swore to have a big dinner tonight. We found a Tibetan restaurant called Yangqingcang and was amazed by a dish called roasted mushrooms. We sprinkled barley flour on the roasted mushrooms, which tasted slightly like cocoa and was extremely delicious!
The main dish is yak hotpot, which is not like the shabu shabu which is often eaten by Chinese mainland people. Instead, the dishes and meatballs are stacked neatly in the pot in advance. When the hotpot starts, the food in the pot is cooked immediately, and then it can be eaten. The dip of yak hotpot is tsamba sauce prepared for it, which tastes unique. We shrugged off our shoulders and indulged in a feast, exhausted from eating. However, there was too much meat and we couldn't finish it no matter how much we ate. In the end, we couldn't eat any more and had to pack it up and take it away.
When we left, the boss asked us which dish we liked? I said this Tibetan hotpot is very awesome! The dish shape and eating method remind me of another type of hot pot, which is Xinjiang's local hot pot. Perhaps in cold regions, especially pastoral areas, smart people would invent this hotpot eating method.