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Lhasa's Potala Palace

Updated: 2014-12-01 14:08:10

( Chinaculture.org )

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The Red Palace is the highest and the largest. In the middle, there is a concave balcony belt running through the upper and lower parts, along with many gilded copper-tile roofed small halls on the flat-top, which enrich the composition of the whole palace and naturally become the composition center commanding the whole situation. A dark brown wall belt runs horizontally on the upper end of the whole palace, making the outline of the structure more distinct, echoing theRedPalacein color. Below the dark brown wall belt of theRedPalaceis a white wall belt echoing the wall surface of theWhitePalace. The structure is in tacit agreement with the chevron. The middle part of the front edge, set back a bit along with the hill, is the highest point of the structure right at the peak of the hill. The outer wall is inlaid with stones, its surface clearly inclined and appearing natural and steady. All these are close to the composition texture of natural hill stones. There is no distinct demarcation between the footing of the structures and the hill, man's work and nature being in harmony and tacit agreement.

Two rows of blank windows are added to the stone walls in the lower part, under which there is a 20-meter-high wall surface that exaggerates the height of the structure. On the dark brown wall belt there are many gilded copper plates. The chin-chuang, golden treasure bottles, and golden lotus on top of the wall extend into the sky and, together with the gilded roof, glow with charming radiance under the foil of the blue sky, white clouds and snow-clad mountain. From the bottom up, the way of treatment moves from coarse to fine, from simple to complex, from solid to charming and from monotonous to rich; the color goes from plain to colorful. Together, this naturally diverts people's sight line to the heights, making the structure loftier and more imposing.

The majestic, brilliant, magnificent and uninhibitedPotalaPalacehas a strong artistic appeal and is an architectural art treasure that can be shown off to the world.

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