Gonggar County
Encyclopedia
Gonggar County, is a county of the Shannan Prefecture
(Lhoka Prefecture) in the Tibet Autonomous Region
, one of the 12 counties of the prefecture. It has under its jurisdiction 5 towns, 3 townships, 43 administrative villages (neighbourhood committees) and 168 village development committees and contains notable landmarks such as the Gongkar Choide Monastery, the Gonggar Dzong
, and the Gonggar Airport
and the Gonggar town.
. Among the many dzongs and monasteries established in the 14th century the best known are the Gonngar Dzong and the Gonggar Choede Monastery.
In recent history of the county, during the Cultural Revolution of the 1950s, Gonggar County was the scene of armed rebellion between the Kamba
rebels (under the banner of “four rivers and six mountain ranges”) and the Peoples Liberation Army of China (PLA); PLA troops were killed and their convoy of army vehicles ambushed here.
), the mother river of Tibet, flows through the Gonggar County and among other counties of the Shannan Prefecture, and is thus rich in water resources. Set in west to east direction, the county is a plateau land with an average altitude of 3750 metres (12,303.1 ft). The Gonggar County is situated at a location where Yarlung Tsangpo River is very wide. It is for this reason that the Gonggar Airport was constructed at this location. The airport lies to the west of Rawa-me, which is the capital of the county at the entry of the Namrab Valley, 96 kilometres (59.7 mi) from Lhasa and 87 kilometres (54.1 mi) from Tsetang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture. The county is bounded by the Mount Chuwaru (held sacred in Tibet) opposite to Chusul, the Gompa La (4794 kilometres (2,978.9 mi)) Pass to the south on the route to the sacred Yamdrok Lake in West Tibet, on the east to the limits of the Dal Valley on the south bank of the Brahmaputra and Dorje Monastery on the north bank. The county also envelops the southern side valleys of Namrab and Drib counties and the northern side valleys of Leuchung and Trango counties.
Climate
The county has monsoon climate. It has four climatic seasons. It has a long winter and hardly any summer season. The average temperature varies from 7.2–8.5 °C (45–47.3 F), with the warmest month average temperature being 15.8 °C (60.4 °F) and the coldest month average temperature is -2.2 C. The average annual precipitation is 356.6 millimetres (14 in) with 29.9 rainy days. The annual sunshine hours are 3,194 and frost-free period is 142 days. It is subject to natural disasters from frequent storms with 40 days of gale days on an average concentrated in February–April. Solar radiation has been recorded as 7,710 MJ/m²
Vegetation
The forest area in the county is 7.8 million mu and of grassland area is 282 mu. The main crops and vegetables grown are barley, winter wheat, spring wheat, pea, broad bean, rape, radish, potato, Yuan cabbage, tomatoes and cauliflower. Medicinal plants and products in the county are creeping cypress
, opulus, ginseng
fruits, snow lotus, Chinese caterpillar fungus, Fritillaria, musk
and Seabuckthorn.
Fauna
The wildlife species recorded in the county are wild yak
, wild ass
, Tibetan antelope
, Tibetan gazelle, and Black-necked Crane
s. The livestock are mainly yak, pianniu, cattle, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, mules and pigs.
Economic progress is witnessed in the county in all sectors of economy. In recent years, the county has held five Trade fairs and 3 cultural fairs to promote local products and Tibetan handicrafts.
Energy
The energy resources of the county consist of the two functioning hydropower stations with generating capacity of 530 MWh. The Yamzhog pumped storage power station with installed capacity of 90 MW is under construction.
Handicrafts
The famous apron, which the Tibetan married women wear, is a handicraft of the Gonggar County in the Jiedexiu area and is known as "Jed Show Apron". The county is synonymous with this apron, which has a distinctive and characteristic style and it is produced here for the last 500 or 600 years.
Dorjezha monastery
Dorjezha Monastery, situated on a hilltop, blends well with the rock setting and is named after the rock known as Vraja, the green coloured gemstones found behind the monastery. The literal meaning of ‘Dorjezha’ is “Diamond Hill.” It was initially built on modest lines, on the right bank of the Yarlung River by a wealthy local man known as Doxie Dorje. The monastery was destroyed completely in 1717 during Zungar invasion of this area. It was, however, rebuilt in 1718. Further, the monastery was supported by the Fifth Dalai Lama and consequently, it underwent major improvements and became one of the famous monasteries of Tibet. At the peak of its popularity 2000 monks of Nyingma
sect resided here; it holds the distinction of being known as the only ancestral monastery of the Sakyapa sect. It was substantially damaged during the Cultural Revolution. However, it was rebuilt in 1978. At present, 29 monks reside here, and most of them are from the Gonggar County, except one monk who is from Renbo County of Xigaze. The Management system established is democratic, with each individual member of the Management Commission made responsible for particular tasks such as religious activities, finance and daily matters. It maintains close interaction with the Choqin Monastery (Dege County in Sichuan Province) also of the Nyigma sect and both follow the same teaching and practicing of Buddhist tenets. In this monastery, the practice of the “Reincarnation of the Living Buddha” is followed and hence it has the name of Renchenqinmo Dorjeza Jambeilobsam Gyinmeinamzogyacho and the present Living Buddha is the 10th Reincarnation in this lineage, and as result this monastery has huge reputation among the adherents of Tibetan Buddhism
.
Moa Zedong Statue
A large statue of Mao Zedong
has been installed in the Gonggar County in Gonggar town. The statue was erected by contributions made by the people of Hunan
Province, where Mao was born. The statue, erected in honour of the Chairman Mao, was a gratitude for the people of his hometown. The statue is erected on a 5.16 metres (16.9 ft) pedestal is 7.1 metres (23.3 ft) tall and weighs 35 tonnes and made in granite stone. It cost 480,000 yuan (US$60,000).
Gyaideshiu town
Gyaideshiu town (also spelt Jiedexiu Town) is famous for the Gyaideshiu 'Bangdian' apron not only among women in Tibet but also is in demand in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Western Europe. The town is located in the county, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to its east on the highway towards Zetang. Bangdian" is an apron of China's Tibetan ethnic group with historic heritage of 1,500 years of hand weaving. This weaving technique is designated as "China's state-level intangible cultural heritage."
Shannan Prefecture
The Shannan Prefecture also known as the Lhoka Prefecture is a prefecture in the southeastern area of the Tibet Autonomous Region...
(Lhoka Prefecture) in 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....
, one of the 12 counties of the prefecture. It has under its jurisdiction 5 towns, 3 townships, 43 administrative villages (neighbourhood committees) and 168 village development committees and contains notable landmarks such as the Gongkar Choide Monastery, the Gonggar Dzong
Gonggar Dzong
The Gonggar Dzong , also known as Gongkar Dzong, in the Shannan Prefecture with its capital city Tsedang in Gonggar County in Tibet, is close to the Gongkar town, the Gonggar Choide Monastery and the Gonggar Airport, from the town...
, and the Gonggar Airport
Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the airport serving Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located about southwest of the city in Gonggar County of Shannan Prefecture. The airport is close to the road to Tsetang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture.At an elevation of ,...
and the Gonggar town.
Legend
The fable narrated about this county is that the "first Tibetan was born to the fairy girl, Ruosa and her monkey lover".History
History of the county came into limelight with the establishment of the Sakyapa school of Tibetan BuddhismTibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. Among the many dzongs and monasteries established in the 14th century the best known are the Gonngar Dzong and the Gonggar Choede Monastery.
In recent history of the county, during the Cultural Revolution of the 1950s, Gonggar County was the scene of armed rebellion between the Kamba
Kamba
The Kamba are a Bantu ethnic group who live in the semi-arid Eastern Province of Kenya stretching east from Nairobi to Tsavo and north up to Embu, Kenya. This land is called Ukambani. Sources vary on whether they are the third, fourth or the fifth largest ethnic group in Kenya...
rebels (under the banner of “four rivers and six mountain ranges”) and the Peoples Liberation Army of China (PLA); PLA troops were killed and their convoy of army vehicles ambushed here.
Geography
Gonggar County is located in southern Tibet and has a total area of 2283 square kilometre. The Yarlung Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra RiverBrahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
), the mother river of Tibet, flows through the Gonggar County and among other counties of the Shannan Prefecture, and is thus rich in water resources. Set in west to east direction, the county is a plateau land with an average altitude of 3750 metres (12,303.1 ft). The Gonggar County is situated at a location where Yarlung Tsangpo River is very wide. It is for this reason that the Gonggar Airport was constructed at this location. The airport lies to the west of Rawa-me, which is the capital of the county at the entry of the Namrab Valley, 96 kilometres (59.7 mi) from Lhasa and 87 kilometres (54.1 mi) from Tsetang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture. The county is bounded by the Mount Chuwaru (held sacred in Tibet) opposite to Chusul, the Gompa La (4794 kilometres (2,978.9 mi)) Pass to the south on the route to the sacred Yamdrok Lake in West Tibet, on the east to the limits of the Dal Valley on the south bank of the Brahmaputra and Dorje Monastery on the north bank. The county also envelops the southern side valleys of Namrab and Drib counties and the northern side valleys of Leuchung and Trango counties.
Climate
The county has monsoon climate. It has four climatic seasons. It has a long winter and hardly any summer season. The average temperature varies from 7.2–8.5 °C (45–47.3 F), with the warmest month average temperature being 15.8 °C (60.4 °F) and the coldest month average temperature is -2.2 C. The average annual precipitation is 356.6 millimetres (14 in) with 29.9 rainy days. The annual sunshine hours are 3,194 and frost-free period is 142 days. It is subject to natural disasters from frequent storms with 40 days of gale days on an average concentrated in February–April. Solar radiation has been recorded as 7,710 MJ/m²
Vegetation
The forest area in the county is 7.8 million mu and of grassland area is 282 mu. The main crops and vegetables grown are barley, winter wheat, spring wheat, pea, broad bean, rape, radish, potato, Yuan cabbage, tomatoes and cauliflower. Medicinal plants and products in the county are creeping cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
, opulus, ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
fruits, snow lotus, Chinese caterpillar fungus, Fritillaria, musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
and Seabuckthorn.
Fauna
The wildlife species recorded in the county are wild yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
, wild ass
Wild ass
Wild ass can refer to:*African Wild Ass*Kiang *Onager *Yukon Wild Horse is sometimes called the Yukon Wild Ass....
, Tibetan antelope
Tibetan antelope
The Tibetan antelope or chiru is a medium-sized bovid which is about in height at the shoulder. It is the sole species in the genus Pantholops and is placed in its own subfamily, Pantholopinae...
, Tibetan gazelle, and Black-necked Crane
Black-necked Crane
The Black-necked Crane is a medium-sized crane that is found on the Tibetan Plateau of Asia. It is 139 cm long with a 235 cm wingspan, and it weighs 5.5 kg . It is whitish-gray, with a black head, red crown patch, black upper neck and legs, and white patch to the rear of the eye...
s. The livestock are mainly yak, pianniu, cattle, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, mules and pigs.
Economy
The county has predominantly an agricultural economy and is considered the grain base of the Shannan Prefecture. Tourism also adds to the economic development of the county.Economic progress is witnessed in the county in all sectors of economy. In recent years, the county has held five Trade fairs and 3 cultural fairs to promote local products and Tibetan handicrafts.
Energy
The energy resources of the county consist of the two functioning hydropower stations with generating capacity of 530 MWh. The Yamzhog pumped storage power station with installed capacity of 90 MW is under construction.
Handicrafts
The famous apron, which the Tibetan married women wear, is a handicraft of the Gonggar County in the Jiedexiu area and is known as "Jed Show Apron". The county is synonymous with this apron, which has a distinctive and characteristic style and it is produced here for the last 500 or 600 years.
Demographics
Gonggar County has a geographical area of 2283 square kilometre, with a total population of 50,000 (2003), which gives a population density of 21 per km².Landmarks
As the cradle of ancient culture and its enviable position in the rich history of Tibet, Gonggar County has very unique and rich historical monuments, natural geological features such as lake and caves, scenic regions and religiously linked mountains.Dorjezha monastery
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
sect resided here; it holds the distinction of being known as the only ancestral monastery of the Sakyapa sect. It was substantially damaged during the Cultural Revolution. However, it was rebuilt in 1978. At present, 29 monks reside here, and most of them are from the Gonggar County, except one monk who is from Renbo County of Xigaze. The Management system established is democratic, with each individual member of the Management Commission made responsible for particular tasks such as religious activities, finance and daily matters. It maintains close interaction with the Choqin Monastery (Dege County in Sichuan Province) also of the Nyigma sect and both follow the same teaching and practicing of Buddhist tenets. In this monastery, the practice of the “Reincarnation of the Living Buddha” is followed and hence it has the name of Renchenqinmo Dorjeza Jambeilobsam Gyinmeinamzogyacho and the present Living Buddha is the 10th Reincarnation in this lineage, and as result this monastery has huge reputation among the adherents of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Moa Zedong Statue
A large statue of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
has been installed in the Gonggar County in Gonggar town. The statue was erected by contributions made by the people of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province, where Mao was born. The statue, erected in honour of the Chairman Mao, was a gratitude for the people of his hometown. The statue is erected on a 5.16 metres (16.9 ft) pedestal is 7.1 metres (23.3 ft) tall and weighs 35 tonnes and made in granite stone. It cost 480,000 yuan (US$60,000).
Gyaideshiu town
Gyaideshiu town (also spelt Jiedexiu Town) is famous for the Gyaideshiu 'Bangdian' apron not only among women in Tibet but also is in demand in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Western Europe. The town is located in the county, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to its east on the highway towards Zetang. Bangdian" is an apron of China's Tibetan ethnic group with historic heritage of 1,500 years of hand weaving. This weaving technique is designated as "China's state-level intangible cultural heritage."