It was said before the sky and the earth was separated a long time ago, the whole world was in total darkness. People living at the foot of Mt. Nyainqntanglha were suffering. One day, a golden phoenix flied to the area, determined to create brightness by sacrificing itself. It threw one of its bright eyes onto the ground. A fairy caught the eye, and a bright lamp rose in the air after. Snow capped peaks of Mt. Nyainqntanglha thereafter and grassland like huge carpet emerged, bringing happiness into Tibetans’. However, a greedy man near Yangpachen coveted the lamp. He took a wizard’s idea to turn his hatred into an arrow to shoot the lamp. The lamp broke and the broken pieces dropped to the ground turning into hot springs and burnt the man to his death. People said that the hot springs were the fairy’s tears.
The town lies on high and cold plateau. However, people approaching will see some hot springs emitting smokes to the sky. While the surrounding area was barred and extremely cold, Yangpachen is covered with green grass and highland barley grow exuberantly. Smokes emitting from the springs cover the small town. It attracts more tourists now with its thermoelectricity plant, green houses and hot spring bathrooms.
Name:Lhasa Yangpachen (Yangba Jing)
City:Lhasa
Address:Dangxiong County, 90km northwest of Lhasa
Admission:Free