Potala Palace starts annual facelift

The 1,300-year-old Potala Palace started its annual facelift on Wednesday.

It usually takes about a dozen days to paint the palace in preparation for the forthcoming "Lhabab Duchen," which is believed to be the day the Buddha descended from the heavens and is one of four annual festivals celebrating important events in his life. 　

Workers, local residents and volunteers painted the walls with a traditional formula of milk, honey, sugar and lime, which have a distinctive sweet smell. This protects the exterior of the palace from decay and deterioration. 　

"The annual facelift of the Potala Palace is very auspicious. After the whitewash, everyone would be blessed with good luck. It's just like putting a new Buddhist robe on the Guanyin Bodhisattva. It represents a promising day." a local resident said.