Snow City, Potala Palace

“Xue” means below, specifically referring to the villages and towns in front of the castle on the mountain. Xuecheng refers to the general name of all the buildings in front of the Potala Palace. It is an important part of the overall building complex of the Potala Palace. Its history is as long as that of the Potala Palace. Xuecheng is 317 meters long from east to west, 170 meters wide from north to south, and covers an area of ​​50,000 square meters. From 2002 to 2006, the state invested heavily in the maintenance and protection of the 22 existing buildings, with a total area of ​​33,470 square meters. From the perspective of its historical buildings and ancillary functions, it mainly includes three categories. The first category is the office buildings and their ancillary buildings of the former Tibetan local government; the second category is the residences of monks, nobles and officials; the third category is the residences of some low-level staff, craftsmen, serfs, and corresponding service facilities. Based on the use function and protection and utilization value of the original buildings, most of them are currently open to the public in the form of original display, restored display, dynamic display and special exhibitions, and the Potala Palace Treasure House and Visitor Service Center are also set up.