The second-phase repair work on the Potala Palace, an iconic building in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is nearing completion.

It'll take you a 40-minute flight, a 10-hour bus ride and at least a one-night stopover to get from Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Bingzhongluo, a small town at the boundary with Tibet autonomous region.

China already has hundreds of nature reserves, scenic areas or forest parks, so why we do still need a "national park"?