tion of the Chinese in 1720. The inscription was carved
three years later, and it is noticeable that in it the name
of the Tashi Lama precedes that of his brother of Lhasa.
The road continues for a little space and then divides
abruptly into two tracks, that to the left keeping straight
on towards the palace of the Yabshi family and the
northern part of the city, that on the right continuing
between fields and green swamps, acres of barley and
willow plantations to the Yutok Sampa.
This bridge is reckoned by the Tibetans and the
Chinese to be one of the five beauties of Lhasa.* It is
a plain structure, and-its general character is excellently
shown by Countess Helena Gleichen’s picture. The tiles
must have been brought from China, and in the course
of many centuries the blue glaze, which has given the
bridge its name, has been worn off from projecting edges
and points, and the rich Indian red of the clay mingles
most beautifully with the prevailing colour. Inside it
is painted with the same dull greenish blue as that with
which the Pargo Kaling is decorated. There are small
sacred images under the projecting roof at either end
of the bridge, and inside there is a decorative design on
the lintel of the gates. It stretches across a swampy
marsh through which at that season the water was cut-
* These five sights are believed b y the Chinese to be, with the exception of
the Jo-kang, or, as they call it, the Ta-chao, itself, the most ancient remains in
the capital. They seem to be selected on a v ery curious principle. With the
exception of one I have been able to secure a picture of each, and so can allow
the reader to judge how far they deserve this high praise :
(1) The Lu-kang. This is the lake encircling the island pavilion which the
Chinese know, as Shui-ko-liang-ting. (2) The Lha-lu house, or Tashi-linga.
This is the house in which the Commissioner lived ; it is known b y the Chinese
name of Hua-yuan, or the flower-garden. (3£Chu-jyi-kang, the garden of* the
classics. I am not certain of the identity of this plantation more than one of
the low-lying gardens near the river might claim the distinction. (4) The
Y u to k Sampa, or Liu-li-chiao. (5) The main street, now marked b y the Residency
of the Amban (Chung-ssu-kang).