Ali (also known as Shiquanhe and Senge Khabab) does not have much of interest for travelers to Tibet, other than access to warm showers, good Chinese food and department stores to stock up on supplies or gear. It's a popular stop-over city en route to nearby attractions, more often than not, Mount Kailash. 

Over the past 50 years AIi has become more of a Chinese city than a Tibetan village. An increase in tourism and the resulting influx of tourist dollars has attracted the attention of a significant number of Chinese entrepreneurs. This has resulted in a further increase in Chinese military and decrease in native Tibetan population.
 

Prior to the Cultural Revolution, Ali was a like every other Tibetan village—devoted to Buddhism and survival. Immediately following the PRC's "liberation" of Tibet the town remained relatively untouched by Han Chinese until the 1980s. The Chinese started to revamp and develop an infrastructure within the township of Ali and today, the city is quickly expanding the southern outskirts of what used to be a quaint and humble Tibetan town.

Weather in these parts is cold. Average temperatures in the winter are a brisk -12˚ C (10˚ F) and in the summer warm up to the low teens, around 13˚ C (56˚ F). Snowfall is common all year round.