(ECNS) -- The Potala Palace in Lhasa, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, has opened an exhibition hall where visitors can purchase cultural products inspired by treasures housed in the complex, a UNESCO world heritage site.
Available in the new space are vivid copies of relics from long ago, such as a gilded bronze mandala of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Thangka paintings, porcelain wares, Tibetan incense, Buddhist beads, and other items.
The Potala Palace, covering 130,000 square meters, is the largest and best-preserved palatial structure in Tibet. With a history of 1,300 years, the complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with ancillary buildings, is built on Lhasa's Red Mountain.
The new exhibition hall is located at the foot of the Red Mountain inside an ancient cave.
The most popular product is a model of the Potala Palace, available in three sizes, said Liao Shiqin, head of the new exhibition space.
On the exhibition hall's opening day on Saturday, local authorities as well as management offices of the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, another ancient palace, provided free books and introduced cultural relics to visitors. Displays of traditional folk songs and dances were performed for the public.
