Tibet, where faith thrives even in the absence of oxygen

I first came across Da Bing's book 'I Do Not' in 2017, which introduced me to Lhasa, Tibet, and the faith of the Tibetan people, and filled me with longing for the city of Lhasa. At 17, I told my classmates that I had to walk the streets of Lhasa before I turned 18. It wasn't until September 2020 that I finally set off. Although a bit late, I still made the trip. Before departing, I looked up a lot of travel tips, and all the plans for the trip were made by myself. I chose to take the train into Tibet for several reasons: firstly, to witness the legendary beauty of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; secondly, to avoid altitude sickness; and thirdly, because the cost of flights during the peak season was just too expensive for a student like me. I was quite worried when I set off alone, as I had always lived in the low-altitude city of Chongqing, and the average altitude of Lhasa's urban area is around 3,650 meters. So, a week before departure, I started taking Rhodiola rosea (which I personally think was not very necessary), and it was essential to buy cold medicine!!! The temperature difference between day and night in Tibet is significant. I also bought oral glucose solution, band-aids, Huoxiang Zhengqi water, etc. (except for the cold medicine, it seems that I didn't use the rest...) The train ticket for the night of September 2nd, from Chongqing West to Lhasa, required a 35-hour train journey. I thought it would be boring on the train, but I met 5 lovely girls and two cool guys (they were all from Guizhou, like me, catching the tail end of the summer vacation to travel). Friends with common interests always have endless topics to talk about. Finally, regarding the scenery on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the train entering Tibet will eventually switch to an oxygen-supplied train in Xining. The scenery along the way after Xining is truly beautiful (so beautiful that it cannot be described in words). For the first time, I saw the mother river, flocks of little sheep on the grasslands, sunsets and sunrises on the train, deserts and grasslands, and the particularly large and spectacular Qinghai Lake. When approaching Lhasa, the train will also pass through the Nyainqentanglha Mountains (at that time, when you see the snow-capped mountains, do not get too excited, as the altitude is over 5,000 meters, and getting too excited can easily lead to altitude sickness. I got too excited, which caused dizziness and chest tightness). Although taking the train is tiring and tough, in one's lifetime, one should still experience the beauty of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the greatness of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (the world's highest-altitude and longest plateau railway).