The Tibet Autonomous Region has renovated Barkhor Street, a bustling religious, tourist and commercial centre in Lhasa, to transform it into a historical site. The renovation projeet cost 37.6 million yuan (US$ 4.5 million).
Barkhor Street, located at the foot of the incense-coiling Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, is renowned as Tibet’s largest market place. With a history of more than 1,300 years, the street has been prospering upon the completion of the monastery in central Lhasa in 647. In the Barkhor Street, an inch of land is an inch of gold. Vendors from various parts of China and bordering countries have turned the street into an international market. The street was built in the 7th century when the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo decided to construct the monastery. To supervise the project, he brought his servants and family and settled down on the spot. People then built houses on the four sides for Songtsen Gampo and his servants.
