Chagpori Aussichtsplattform

The Chagpori Viewing Platform sits on the slopes of the Medicine King Hill, southwest of the Potala Palace, and is the single most celebrated vantage point for viewing and photographing the palace. From this terrace the Potala is seen in its full breadth and symmetry, framed by the hillside and the open sky of the Lhasa valley, and the angle has become the canonical image of the monument reproduced in publications and on currency around the world.

At sunrise and sunset, the platform is lined with photographers and travelers who arrive early to claim a position and wait for the light to do its work. At dawn, the first rays strike the white walls of the palace while the valley below remains in shadow, and the building seems to glow against the dark sky for a few minutes before the sun climbs higher. At dusk, the same walls take on a warmer tone as the light fails, and the silhouette of the Red Hill against the darkening sky carries a different but equally compelling mood.

The angle of view from the platform is so favorable that almost any photograph composed from here will succeed, which is why the viewpoint is so heavily used. The wide foreground of the slope, the gentle curve of the Beijing Road below, and the rise of the Red Hill beyond combine into a composition that frames the Potala without distraction, and the elevated position gives a sense of the three-dimensional form of the palace that is lost from the square in front.

For visitors to Lhasa, the short climb to the Chagpori Viewing Platform is one of the most rewarding small efforts the city offers. Arriving at sunrise gives the most dramatic light, but the viewpoint is worth a stop at any time of day, and it fits naturally into a walking circuit that includes the Potala, the square, and the lanes of the old city below.