The Shoton Festival has begun in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Visitors from all over the world have converged on the capital region's Lhasa to join in the grand celebration.

The grand opening of the festival at the Potala Palace, the Buddha Exhibition at the Drepung and Sera Monasteries, and Tibetan Opera at Lhasa's Summer Palace. There are so many to see that the day feels simply not long enough.

A Chinese tourist said, "I've never seen a tangka this delicate. It's amazing."

A Japanese tourist said, "Nothing is like this in Japan, I'm moved."

Juliet is from New Zealand. Using her camera, she records a Tibetan Opera performance at Norbulingka, the summer palace.

A New Zealand tourist said, "It's an amazing opportunity to see it."

As the second most important festival, next only to the Tibetan New Year, the Shoton Festival is also nicknamed Lhasa's "business card." Apart from cultural events, the cuisine here also draws the crowds.

Mr. Zhang Tourist from Hunan Province, said, "I am a gourmet food lover."

Before the festival began, Local tourism officials organized promotion events in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Thanks to their hard-work, almost all hotel rooms in Lhasa are running at full occupancy.
 

• August 12th, 2010