NOTE 01 · XIZANG / 2024

Graduate school begins in Xizang.

From Xining to Lhasa: arrival, registration, campus, and the first week.

Entry date 2024.08.30First year · Xizang5 min read

Along the Qinghai–Xizang Railway · Photographed by Lin on 2024.08.29

In August 2024, I moved to Xizang for graduate study. It was no longer only somewhere to visit; it was where classes and daily life would begin.

This entry records the days around my arrival: changing trains, crossing the plateau, registering at the university, and settling into campus life.

Xining to Lhasa

On the morning of August 29, I changed trains at Xining for Lhasa. The platform was nearly empty; the train ran the length of it. This time, the destination was somewhere I would live.

A green long-distance train at a platform in Xining Railway Station — Xining Railway Station, changing to the train bound for Lhasa.

Qinghai Lake, grassland, and layered clouds seen from the train — East of Qinghai Lake, water and grassland opening beyond the window.

By midday, the train was passing the eastern side of Qinghai Lake. Grassland, water, and shifting clouds filled the window. Reflections occasionally crossed the glass as the train moved on.

A road beside the Qinghai–Xizang Railway leading toward distant snow mountains — At dusk, the road and snow line extended into the distance.

Before reaching Lhasa, the train crosses a long stretch of plateau.

After seven in the evening, low sunlight caught the snow peaks. The train kept moving. A new life was already close.

Arriving in Lhasa

At around 7:40 the next morning, I reached the exit at Lhasa Railway Station. Morning light was already over the station building. For the first time, signs in Chinese, Tibetan, and English became part of my everyday surroundings.

The quiet exit area of Lhasa Railway Station in the early morning — Lhasa Railway Station, 07:40 on August 30, 2024. Travelers originally visible in the frame were removed using AI.

I settled in, learned the route, and completed registration. Once I knew one road, one doorway, and the next destination, Lhasa began to take shape as a lived-in place.

Campus and Mountains

Once I had settled in, I took my first photo from the window. The frame held buildings, trees, and mountains at once: campus nearby, mountains beyond.

Trees, campus buildings, and nearby mountains seen through a window — A campus window view: buildings, trees, and mountains.

The Xizang University name wall, campus buildings, mountains, and white clouds — Xizang University on registration day, beneath low clouds and bright sunlight.

In the first days of term, the work was simple: learn the campus, then begin sorting out courses, research direction, and a new pace. Not every question needed an immediate answer.

Establishing a Routine

The highland sky is unusually clear. It is intensely blue by day; even after dark, the clouds remain visible. Lights came on in classrooms and dormitories, and the campus slowly became familiar.

A deep-blue night sky, clouds, and illuminated campus buildings — Campus after dark during the first days of term.

Two cups of Lhasa sweet tea and a hot-water flask on a wooden table — A pot of sweet tea during my first week in Lhasa.

I began to know Lhasa through a meal, a cup of sweet tea, and the first turn I could make without checking a map. The first week was mostly about establishing a routine.

The Potala Palace and its reflection after rain beneath an overcast sky — A rainwater reflection at Potala Palace Square on September 5. Visitors originally visible in the frame were removed using AI.

On September 5, I went to Potala Palace Square. Rainwater mirrored the palace, clouds, and national flag. I would pass through this place again.

Graduate school began with small things: waiting for daylight on the train, walking out of Lhasa Station, learning the outline of a mountain from my window, then sitting down for a cup of sweet tea. After registration, ordinary life continued.