Garzê Town
Encyclopedia
Garzê or Gānzī is a town of about 9,000 (2008) in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
in western Sichuan
Province, China
.
It is an ethnic Tibetan
township and is located in the historical Tibet
an region of Kham
, 385 kilometres northwest of the city of Kangding
. It contains the 15th century Kandze Monastery
, home to over 500 Gelug
pa monks.
range. The Yalong River
passes through the town. The area was once known in old Tibet as Dajianlu and its lake Paoma was renowned.
. The monastery was once partly destroyed by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution
but was rebuilt in the Han-Chinese-style and today displays a fusion of old Tibetan and Chinese architecture. It is located in the western Tibetan quarter of the town. Also of note is Den Monastery, which is much smaller but more traditional to the south of the town and Dontok Monastery, located some kilometres outside the town over a suspended bridge over the Yalong River. Dontok is a recent building under construction but displays notbale white, grey and crimson stripes on the walls. Dingkhor Chorten is also located in the eastern suburbs of Garzê on a small hill which also contains a temple housing a Buddhist library.
The main street is Chuanzang Road. Small shops downtown provide typical Tibetan clothing and jewellery and accessories needed by the herdmen frequenting the town.A number of stores sell antiques, monk's garments and religious artefacts and traditional Tibetan hand-carved furniture. Supermarkets on the main street sell food and toiletries and bottles of beer and Chinese wine.
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Kangding . It is sometimes spelled as "Kardze" by non-government sources....
in western Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
It is an ethnic Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
township and is located in the historical Tibet
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 region of Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
, 385 kilometres northwest of the city of Kangding
Kangding
Kangding or Dardo is the name of a county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. It is administrated at the city of Kangding...
. It contains the 15th century Kandze Monastery
Kandze Monastery
Kandze Monastery is situated 2 km north of Garzê Town on a hilltop overlooking the town, in Tibet.-History:...
, home to over 500 Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
pa monks.
Geography
Garzê lies in the large Ganzi valley at 3390 metres above sea level. It is surrounded by rocky terrain and mountains, and is northeast of Mt. Gongga and the Gongga ShanGongga Shan
Mount Gongga , also known as Minya Konka, is the highest mountain in Sichuan, China. It is situated in the Daxue Shan mountain range, part of the Hengduan mountainous region...
range. The Yalong River
Yalong River
The Nyag Qu or Yalong River, also called Ya-lung River is an 822 mile long river in the Sichuan province of southern China. It flows into the Yangtze River along the border with Yunnan. It is a tributary of the Yangtze River...
passes through the town. The area was once known in old Tibet as Dajianlu and its lake Paoma was renowned.
Landmarks
The traditional Tibetan customs of Garzê still remain despite now being part of Sichuan and the town and county contains many Tibetan villages and monasteries (gompas). The largest monastery is Garzê Monastery, an imposing monastery of about 540 years old as of 2008 which looms over the town from the north, and contains over 500 monks belonging to the Gelug sect 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...
. The monastery was once partly destroyed by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
but was rebuilt in the Han-Chinese-style and today displays a fusion of old Tibetan and Chinese architecture. It is located in the western Tibetan quarter of the town. Also of note is Den Monastery, which is much smaller but more traditional to the south of the town and Dontok Monastery, located some kilometres outside the town over a suspended bridge over the Yalong River. Dontok is a recent building under construction but displays notbale white, grey and crimson stripes on the walls. Dingkhor Chorten is also located in the eastern suburbs of Garzê on a small hill which also contains a temple housing a Buddhist library.
The main street is Chuanzang Road. Small shops downtown provide typical Tibetan clothing and jewellery and accessories needed by the herdmen frequenting the town.A number of stores sell antiques, monk's garments and religious artefacts and traditional Tibetan hand-carved furniture. Supermarkets on the main street sell food and toiletries and bottles of beer and Chinese wine.