Damxung
Encyclopedia
Damxung is a small modern Tibet
an town of low-barrack like buildings and is the administrative centre of Damxung County
near Lhasa
, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region
. Unlike many of the quaint old Tibetan settlements in the more southern farming areas of Tibet this town is modern, built up during the 1960s by the Chinese
. Damxung is an important spot in the region for government functions and general supplies. It has a large warehouse set back from the main street where basic necessities and warm clothes can be bought for trekking through the mountains. Its nearest towns are Yangpachen
to the south and Nagqu
to the north.
A major Tibetan festival
called Dajyur
takes place at Damxung at the beginning of the eighth month of the lunar calendar
(solar September) for ten days of festivity attracting nomads to compete in horse racing
and yak racing
events, bicycle riding contests, rock-carrying competitions and other forms of merriment.
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an town of low-barrack like buildings and is the administrative centre of Damxung County
Damxung County
Damxung is a county far north of the main centre of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Its administrative seat is Damquka.Damxung means "selected pasture" in Tibetan language.-Geography:...
near Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
. Unlike many of the quaint old Tibetan settlements in the more southern farming areas of Tibet this town is modern, built up during the 1960s by the Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
. Damxung is an important spot in the region for government functions and general supplies. It has a large warehouse set back from the main street where basic necessities and warm clothes can be bought for trekking through the mountains. Its nearest towns are Yangpachen
Yangpachen
Yangbajain is a town approximately north-west of Lhasa, halfway to Damxung in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The town lies just south of the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains, in an upland lush green valley surrounded by the tents of nomads with grazing yak and sheep populating the hillside...
to the south and Nagqu
Nagqu
Nagchukha, or Chinese transliteration: Naqu , is a small town in northern Tibet, seat of the Nagqu Prefecture approximately 250 kilometers north-east of the capital Lhasa, in the People's Republic of China....
to the north.
A major Tibetan festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
called Dajyur
Dajyur
Dajyur or the Damxung Horse Festival is a Tibetan festival that takes place at the beginning of the eighth month of the lunar calendar throughout southern Tibet. The festivities last for ten days with events such as horse racing, bicycle riding contests, and rock-carrying competitions contributing...
takes place at Damxung at the beginning of the eighth month of the lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
(solar September) for ten days of festivity attracting nomads to compete in horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and yak racing
Yak racing
Yak racing is a spectator sport held at many traditional festivals of Tibet, Northern Pakistan and Mongolia, and can be one of the most entertaining parts of a Tibetan horse festival, in gatherings which integrate popular dances and songs with traditional physical games...
events, bicycle riding contests, rock-carrying competitions and other forms of merriment.
See also
- Damxung CountyDamxung CountyDamxung is a county far north of the main centre of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Its administrative seat is Damquka.Damxung means "selected pasture" in Tibetan language.-Geography:...
- Dangxiong railway stationDangxiong railway stationDangxiong railway station, or Damxung railway station is a railway station in Damxung County, Lhasa, Tibet.-Schedules:Two passenger trains in each direction stop at the station every day.- External links :*...