Samdrup Podrang, Protected heritage site in Barkhor South Street, Lhasa, China.

Samdrup Podrang is a three-story courtyard mansion at the mouth of Jidui Alley off Barkhor South Street, facing south. Its whitewashed walls and black trapezoidal windows match other Barkhor houses. The ground floor holds three shops and four teahouses, with a public toilet to the west; a stone stair leads to a second-floor flat area surrounded by over ten rooms, and a third floor was added later.

Samdrup Podrang was built in 1642 as a mansion for Güshi Khan, the Khoshut Mongol leader whose forces entered Tibet that year and established Ganden Phodrang rule. After his death in 1654 at Drepung Monastery, the family's power waned. In 1729 the Yongzheng Emperor granted an audience to Sonam Dargye, father of the Seventh Dalai Lama, and made him a duke; the mansion passed to him, and his family became one of Tibet's four great houses.

The name Samdrup Podrang means "Accomplishment Mansion" in Tibetan. The family that took the house in the 18th century became one of Tibet's four great noble houses, and its members held the Qing title of Duke. Today the ground floor facing the lane holds three shops and four teahouses, and residents still use the courtyard.

Enter Jidui Alley off Barkhor South Street; the Barkhor Street Office courtyard lies inside, with Samdrup Podrang on its north side. The ground floor holds three shops and four teahouses, and a public toilet stands on the west side. Stone steps lead to the second-floor flat area, where the community health service station operates.

The mansion passed to Sonam Dargye, father of the Seventh Dalai Lama, whom the Yongzheng Emperor received in Beijing in 1729 and made a duke; his family became one of Tibet's four great houses. Look for the 1998 Lhasa Ancient Architecture Protection Courtyard plaque at the entrance.