Tibet has a variety of architectural styles, mainly including the Potala Palace, Diaofang and counting house .
The Potala Palace is located on the Maburi Mountain (Red Mountain) northwest of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and is an outstanding representative of Tibetan architecture. The Potala Palace was built under the auspices of Songtsen Gampo, the 33th Tibetan king of Tubo, in 631, and after several expansions, it has formed the current scale. The Potala Palace covers a total area of more than 360,000 square meters, with a total construction area of more than 130,000 square meters. The main building is 117 meters high and has 13 floors. It integrates many functions such as a palace, a spiritual pagoda hall, a Buddhist hall, an administrative office, a school for monks and officials, and a monastery. The Potala Palace is designed and built according to the layout of the Buddhist altar city, and the main project includes two major systems: the White House is the administration and living place of the Dalai Lama, and the Red Palace is the place of religious activities and the shrine of the Dalai Lama. The Potala Palace is not only the winter palace of the Dalai Lama, but also the center of theocratic rule of the local rulers of Tibet in the past, and major religious and political ceremonies are held here. In 1994, the Potala Palace was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Diaofang is a typical form of Tibetan inhabitation, commonly found in the southern Tibet Valley. Diaofang is usually made of stone or earth and looks like a blockhouse, hence the name. Diaofang generally has three to four layers, thick under the wall and thin on the top, large under the shape and small on the top, and the building plane is mostly square or curved. The design of the diaofang takes into account the needs of cold, wind and shock protection. At the same time, the influence of climate and geographical environment on production and life is solved by opening the damper, setting the patio and skylight.
The counting house is a common form of living in the pastoral areas of northern Tibet, usually used for nomadic life. The structure of the account house is simple, easy to disassemble and carry, and ADAPTS to the life style of frequent migration of herdsmen.
These buildings not only reflect the lifestyle and cultural characteristics of the Tibetan people, but also demonstrate their adaptability and creativity in different environments.
Tibetan architecture embodies the rich experience created and accumulated by the Tibetan people in the long-term production and practice. Tibetan architecture can be divided into two categories in form: monastic architecture and civil architecture.
