A 35-by-30-meter Thangka painting bearing the image of Sakyamuni (picture, left), founder of Buddhism, was unveiled at 8 a.m. on the hillside next to the monastery amid acclamations from spectators, marking the beginning of the traditional festival that is believed to originate in the 11th century.

Zhang Ran, a 20-year-old Chinese student who studies in Japan, said: "I've been standing here on the hillside for more than six hours, just to see the huge traditional Thangka painting. It is exhausting, but it is totally worth it. I have never seen anything this fascinating, even though I am not a Buddhist."

Also known as the Tibetan Opera Festival now, it is held each year from the end of the sixth month to the middle of the seventh month on the Tibetan calendar.

The Shoton Festival was inscribed on the list of China Intangible Cultural Heritage in May last year.

Citizens in Lhasa will enjoy a week-long holiday for the festival this year, which will also feature Tibetan opera performances, yak races, and other activities including auto and real estate exhibition, said Zhou Junjie, deputy secretary-general of the city government.