A truly exhilarating taste of tea and unity

He says it was a pity that some shops and restaurants, including the Woser Gamchung Tea House, were closed at the time because of the New Year celebrations.

"Still, I had the best yak milk at another tea house. It tasted quite smooth."

Zhang says he was impressed by the people's optimism. "They were so into dancing and singing together, and they always wanted to share the joy and blessings with us."

The harmonious atmosphere of Barkhor Bazaar binds people of different ethnic groups and those of different cultural backgrounds, among them Ratna Kumar, the Nepali owner of the Syamukapu Nepali Shop, which sells Buddhist statues.

Ratna Kumar says his family opened the shop on Barkhor Bazaar about 140 years ago. Born in Kathmandu, he came to Lhasa when he was 28 to take over the family business. He says he planned to stay for three years and has ended up staying for four decades and starting family in Lhasa after marrying a Tibetan woman.

"When I first arrived in Lhasa, and I visited Barkhor Bazaar and the Potala Palace, there were not many people and only few tourists," he says.

Customers to his shop at the time were primarily local residents and monks, but now he welcomes visitors from across China and abroad.

"Lhasa has become my home now. I like my home on Barkhor Bazaar a lot. I like what I have experienced here in the past 40 years."

Xu Meng, an urban planner at the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, says Barkhor has set an example for the integration of different ethnic groups and cultures, especially since the Tang Dynasty.