No wonder Zhang Kemeng, a tourist from Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, felt that it was a pity he missed out on authentic experience at the Woser Gamchung Tea House when he visited Lhasa earlier this year.

Zhang visited with friends in mid-February and stayed in the autonomous region for about a week.

It was his first time and he says they chose mid-February to visit because Spring Festival and the Tibetan Losar New Year both fell on Feb 10 this year, and they wanted to experience the festive atmosphere.

Zhang first joined his friends in Nyingchi city and from there, they began their journey.

After reaching Lhasa, their final destination, Zhang remained in the city for three days after his friends flew back. "Lhasa maintains a balance between modern structures and an authentic feel."

His hotel was close to Barkhor Bazaar, and he spent time there every day.

"One of the most fruitful experiences I had was a guided tour of the Jokhang Temple. I booked a two-person tour with a guy from Beijing. Our guide not only told us everything about the temple, but also elaborated on the history of Xizang, its culture and religion, and great historical figures. It was a very informative threehour tour."