At 8:00 a.m. on January 1, Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet has yet to usher in the first sunrise of 2020. The Yaowang Mountain Observation Deck across from the Potala Palace is already full of people. Guo Xu and his companions from Inner Mongolia have chosen this spot for their photographs, and they wait quietly for the sun to light up this thousand-year-old palace.

“We came to Tibet to ring in the new year. The sunrise here happens slightly later than in the inland China, so we don’t have to get up very early. Standing at the spot which is the scene depicted on the back of the 50 yuan note, we are ushering in the first day of 2020,” Guo Xu told reporters.

At 8:50 a.m., the grey dawn appeared in the east, and the crowd on the observation platform began to surge. A round of red gradually broke through the clouds and sprinkled golden sunlight on the golden roof of the Potala Palace.

At this time, a group of pigeons happened to fly past the rising sun. An American tourist named Peterson quickly recorded this moment with his mobile phone, and sighed repeatedly: “It’s unimaginable, just beautiful.” He said that he feels very lucky to usher in the first day of the new year at the Potala Palace.

Tourists wait for sunrise at the Yaowang Mountain Observation Deck.

Tourists take photos of the Potala Palace at the Yaowang Mountain Observation Deck.

Tourists take photos of the sunrise from the Yaowang Mountain Observation Deck.

American tourist Peterson takes photos of the sunrise.

The Yaowang Mountain Observation Deck is full of various photography equipment.

The Potala Palace.