Category: Kham Tibet

Kham Tibet

Kham Tibet straddles three provinces and one autonomous region in modern day PRC: Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The region of Kham is very diverse geographically, containing large mountain ranges and vast grasslands. Four major rivers and six mountain ranges combine to make the scenery of this part of Tibet breathtaking. The headwaters of the Mekong, the Yangtse, the Yalong and the Salween, flow out of Kham Tibet from the East and South-Eastern parts of the Tibetan plateau.

Khamba Tibetans

The people of Kham Tibet, known as the Khambas (or Khampas) live up to their reputation for bravery and horsemanship when they compete in summer “horse racing” festivals. However, they are also known for cheerfully enduring a beautiful yet sometimes harsh environment, especially in the winter months. The huge mountain ranges that form the valleys through which the rivers flow are responsible for the divergent cluster of dialects that have developed due to the relative seclusion of these communities throughout most of history.

The traditional occupations of nomadic pastoralism and agriculture are still the backbone of Kham society while increasing numbers find positions in the growing towns as government workers or employees in local small businesses. It’s not unusual in one family to find hard-working farmers who still depend on the land, monks or nuns committed to lifelong service in a monastery, and young people with college degrees.

Entering Kham Tibet from Sichuan

Beginning in the Sichuan basin and ascending to the breath-taking heights of the Tibetan plateau, your lungs are conscious of breaking out of the sub-tropical soupy air of the lowlands to the invigorating cool and thin air that is home to one of the highest cultures in the world. Everything changes. Faces for starters: round and flat Chinese faces are replaced by the long and sharp-featured ones typical of Tibetans. High cheek bones tinted red by wind and sun, along with gold teeth, are emblematic of this people group comprised of a majority of farmers and nomads. Replacing modernity, temples and traditional homes dot the landscape and are often home to welcoming and friendly hosts. The landscape has surprising variance: tight narrow valleys with lush vegetation and steep ascents marked by countless switchbacks carry you to the vastness of the Tibetan plateau.

Transportation

The Chinese cities of Chengdu, Xining, and Kunming are the main gateway cities to Kham Tibet. From these three cities there is convenient access to a lot of the region via land or air. Public buses are more comfortable than most people think these days, and if you are traveling in a group it very economical to hire a private vehicle. Your guesthouse or hotel should be able to assist with arranging your ground transport depending on your needs. Airports are also conveniently located in Kangding, Shangri-La, Daocheng, Yushu, and Chamdo.

For a helpful introduction to the geography of Tibet’s three regions relative to each other and the rest of China, be sure to visit our page on Tibet Travel Essentials.

Dawu ( Daofu)

An agricultural region dotted with big, beautiful Tibetan houses, Dawu (རྟའུ།) lies in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Sichuan Province, China. Dawu, known as Daofu (道孚) in the Chinese language, is accessible by road from Kangding (219 kilometers) and Chengdu (585 kilometers). Daofu region lies at an average altitude of 2,560 meters above sea level at the southeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau. It is nestled between the counties of Kangding and Yajiang to the south, Xinlong to the west, and Jinchuan, Zamtang, and Luhuo to the north. It is known for its high-quality Tibetan architecture displayed in its folk houses as well as furniture.
Traditional Daofu Folk Houses

In Daofu, Tibetans have built their houses on mountains surrounded by green woods. These rows upon rows of white and brown houses are built with wood, stone, and earth. Apart from the white exterior walls, the houses have a gold-painted roof that shines brightly under the sun. The roof is constructed in shape similar to the Chinese character “井”. The window frames and eaves of the houses are intricately carved with complex, amazing patterns of dragons, phoenixes, giraffes, cranes, flowers, birds, and clouds.

The interior of the houses consist of spacious and bright rooms providing a comfortable living environment. Representing a folk art museum, exquisite and classic Tibetan paintings are adorned on the doors, girders, pillars, and walls. Adding to this, hand-carved, colorful Tibetan furniture and décor add a unique charm to the rooms. Every Tibetan house has a meditation room, which is decorated with Thangka and colorful lights, and Buddhist sculptures surrounded by pretty flowers. The rooms carry a relaxing aroma in the air to reinforce the meditation process.

Daofu is known for their unique style of architecture.

These Tibetan houses are built close to the rivers and mountains facing east towards the sun so that they are cool in summer and warm in winter. Because of the solid, simple structure of the houses, they are also earthquake resistant. In Daofu today, these Tibetan villas on the hills stand together with modern hotels, shops, and restaurants downtown.

Referred to as ‘Double Wonder’, the local Tibetan residential houses display the rich ethnic culture of Daofu and their local customs. Even the local Daofu food is very different from Chinese regions and has traditional rich flavor.

Nique Gompa Monastery

Located at the center of town, Nique Gompa belongs to the Geluk sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It offers a good vantage point of the three sacred mountains in the surrounding area. It was built in 1662 and houses famous sculptures made from Highland Barley Butter (tsampa).

May 25, 2016
Dabpa (Daocheng)

Dapba (འདབ་པ།) is located in Daocheng County in the Garze Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest Sichuan, close to the border of Northwest Yunnan. The town is at an altitude of 3,750 meters and is the best starting point for the Tibetan areas of western and southern Sichuan. Dapba is known as Daocheng Town (稻城) in Chinese.
The town itself is a thinly populated, dusty two-street town that lives off agriculture, where farms with crops, tractors, and livestock are commonly seen. The area around the town consists of wild countryside with lofty hills, and winding rivers and valleys. The local Tibetan residents consider their hills and mountains sacred.

Daocheng town offers a passage to the famed Yading’s Nature Reserve.

Yading is known for the land’s natural beauty.

Yading Nature Reserve

The famous explorer, Dr. Joseph Rock, on his exploration journey of the southeast Tibetan Plateau, stumbled upon the nature and beauty of Yading and photographed the entire area. Later in 1931, an issue of National Geographic detailed Dr. Rock’s exploration of the area together with incredible photographs of Yading. Tibetans have cherished Yading Nature Reserve for a long time and associated the three majestic peaks of Yading – Chenresig, Jampelyang, and Chanadorje – with the abode of their gods. Even today, local Tibetans make a Kora of the highest peak, Mount Chenrezig, at least once a year.

Daocheng Yading Airport

The Daocheng Yading Airport is situated 50 kilometers north of town and about 130 kilometers from Yading Nature Reserve. It holds the record of being the world’s highest civilian airport at an altitude of 4,411 meters – making Qamdo Bamda Airport in Tibet (4334 meters) the second highest airport. It was built in two years and cost around $255 million to build. The airport can handle up to 280,000 passengers annually and is serviced by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines.

Mount Haizi (Mountain of Lakes)

Mount Haizi or Mount Zhara Lhatse peaks at an altitude of 4,500 meters and boasts an amazing number of lakes – 1,145 in total. Mount Haizi is a national nature reserve that is covered with unique geological formations as a result of glacial erosion. On way to town, Mount Haizi can be seen in parallel with the Daocheng River. Mount Zhara Lhatse is also known as the ‘old ice cap of Daocheng’.

Other Sights around the town

Gonggaling Lamasery was constructed in the 15th century and is located 62 kilometers south of the town along the road to Yading. It is the biggest monastery in the county, and it holds an exquisite bronze statue of Maitreya (the Future Buddha) given by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Also in the area, about 4 kilometers outside of Daocheng are the famous Rubachaka Hot Springs.

May 25, 2016
Rongtrak (Danba)

Rongtrak (རོང་བྲག), also known in Chinese as Danba County (丹巴), is situated around 350 kilometers west of Chengdu, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of western Sichuan Province. As the county seat, it is a bustling town that sits in a tight canyon on the banks of the Dadu River at the convergence of three valleys. ‘Kingdom of Watchtowers’ and ‘Beauty Valley’ are two titles given to Danba County because of its many watchtowers and beautiful Tibetan women!
Danba Villages

Tibetan villages on the slopes above the valley below are culturally rich places that have been dubbed as paradise on earth. The famous among these include Jiaju, Zhonglu, and Suopo – littered with watchtowers and traditional Tibetan fortress houses. Each of these villages is on a separate mountain a short distance from one another. All three Tibetan villages have their own unique architecture and culture depicted in their housing style.

Ancient architecture still dots the landscape in Zhonglu Village, Danba County

Watchtowers

Danba County is scattered with stone watchtowers ranging from 300 to 1,500 years old. These watchtowers were constructed in different polygonal shapes and with differing heights up to 60 meters using refined construction techniques. Some are clustered together while others stand alone on hills. The majority of these watchtowers are found in the villages of Zhonglu and Jiaju.

A view of Danba’s Watchtowers.

Their Historical Uses

Moreover, different types of watchtowers at different locations served unique purposes. These include Yao’ai (Strategic Pass), which was erected at strategic places such as mountain passes to deter entrance. Jia (Dwelling) was built within villages to connect houses and served as storage during peace and as defense during war. The Zhai tower (Village) was set up at the entrance to villages for protection. Lastly, Fenghuo (Beacon-Fire) watchtowers were positioned at hilltops for communication purposes using flames/fires.

Current Day Usage

Danba’s towers were not only used for protection from enemies but also signified a family’s influential status. Today these watchtowers are used by farmers to store equipment on the ground floor.

Farms in Zhonglu Village, Danba County

Valley of Beauties

Tibetan women in the villages of Danba County have gained the reputation of being attractive and graceful. Their stunning beauty thus gives the valley its name – Beauty Valley. Many women have now left the villages for better job opportunities as hostesses, office assistants, and models in bigger cities. According to a myth, a phoenix that flew to Mo’erduo Mountain (Holy Mountain) transformed into thousands of pretty women, which is why women are blessed with beauty in the area. Every three years, a beauty contest is held in the County to select the prettiest girl. Danba girls are usually seen to be wearing a headdress, turquoise and coral ornaments into their plaited hair, and an ethnic style red dress.

May 25, 2016
Bathang (Batang)

Lying in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province of China, Bathang (འབའ་ཐང་།) also known as Batang Town (巴塘) in Chinese , is a fertile area at an altitude of 2,700 meters. The town is located on the main road between Lhasa and Chengdu, overlooking the Jinsha River (translated as Golden Sands River which is the Upper Yangtse River) to its west. This valley town relies mainly on agriculture because of its highly fertile soil. In the past, Batang was an important element of the horse and tea trade between Tibet, China, and India. It functioned as a stopover point on the Tea Horse Road between Lhasa and Ya’an. The houses in town are close to the river at the mountain’s base, and are made of mud rather than wood or stone.
Horses graze near town.

Etymology of Batang

Historically, the town was called M’Bah in Tibetan language. The word Batang comes from ‘ba’ which is the noise that sheep make and ‘tang’ which means plain. Therefore, the town name implies wide grasslands where sheep can be heard from everywhere.

History of Batang

After the Great War between Tibet and China, the boundary between the two was defined in 1726 between the head-waters of the Yangtse and Mekong Rivers. A stone monument was erected to the southwest of Batang to signify boundaries. The area to the west of the pillar including Litang, Derge, Nyarong, five Hor and Batang counties belonged to Tibetans, while that to the right came under Chinese control. An earthquake in 1871 heavily damaged Batang. In 1904, the Qing government tried to regain control of Kham and Amdo by sending in Zhao Erfeng, Governer of Xining. The area was heavily destroyed with monasteries and sacred texts being violated and aiming at populating the area with the poor farmers of Sichuan. By 1932, Tibetans had lost much territory and asked the Indian government to intervene. A ceasefire agreement was signed in 1934 whereby all areas to the east of Yangtze River were given to Chinese control.

A rainbow over Batang.

Chöde Gaden Pendeling Monastery

The Gelugpa Chöde Gaden Pendeling Monastery is located at the southwestern end of town near the bank of Batang River. The Chöde Pendling Monastery comprises of dramatic structures is encompassed by a high white wall, and nestled within beautiful willow and cypress trees. Similar to the Litang Monastery, Batang’s Monastery also boasts two huge golden roofs and a number of towers. The Chöden Gaden Monastery houses about 1300 to 1700 monks or lamas and is constantly thronged by priests who come in for pilgrimage. Every year, around the 26^th of the ninth Tibetan month, a performance of colorful cham dances is held near the bank of River Batang which is attended by lamas as well as the town’s residents.

A cham dance is performed.

May 25, 2016
Axu

Axu (ཨ་ཕྱུག)Town and Axu Grasslands are situated in Dege County in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, China. It is an isolated region in eastern Tibet that includes green pastures dotted with sturdy yaks, snowy, lofty and rugged mountains and crystal clear lakes. The small Axu Town and its surrounding grasslands are inhabited by nomadic herdsmen and their grazing yaks.
Axu Grasslands

Axu Grasslands are located about 230 kilometers northeast of Dege Town. Axu Grasslands cover an area of 800 sq. kilometers, and have the Yalong River flowing through it. These grasslands not only provide picturesque sceneries, but are also known for their harsh climatic conditions. The Chinese government plans to initiate projects of large-scale farming of wheat and barley, and gas exploration in Axu Grasslands. Since the grasslands are at an altitude of over 4,500 meters, they thus remain frozen for six to nine months a year. Nonetheless, this harsh and inhospitable area is believed to be the hometown of the famous Tibetan, King Gesar.

The Legendary King Gesar

A famous hero and warrior, King Gesar is said to have been born in the Axu Grasslands and was the ruler of Ling Kingdom in east Tibet during the 11^th century. He is considered to be a fearless leader who waged war against all the enemies of the kingdom and protected the poor. Different versions of King Gesar and his life exist across Tibet and Central Asia including a number of Tibetan versions, a Mongolian version, a Buryat version, a Lower Ladakhi version, a Salar version, and a Bhutan version.

The Famous Temple

The temple of King Gesar was constructed in the Axu Grasslands in 1970 by Ling Cong and was later renamed Memorial Hall of King Gesar. An enormous statue of King Gesar riding a horse stands in the main hall of the temple. The heroic tales of King Gesar are widely told by the inhabitants of Axu Grasslands in the form of stories, songs and dances. The ‘Epic of King Gesar’, the greatest literature work on the life of King Gesar, is popular in Tibet, Sichuan, Inner Mongol, Gansu, Qinghai and other places. In the Axu Grasslands, celebrations to honor the legendary warrior take place often.

The Epic of King Gesar

Similar to Iliad of Greeks and King Arthur of medieval Europeans, Tibetans have the Epic of King Gesar. Rooted deep into folklore, stories of King Gesar had been passed down generations orally while its written beginnings are found back in 1716 when it was, upon Qing Emperor’s order, translated from Tibetan. This Oriental Iliad covers important reigns of Tibetan social development and also descriptions of countless tribes and regions. The Epic of King Gesar is the longest work of literature in the world with over 120 volumes and 20 million words in more than 1 million verses.

May 25, 2016
Kawa Gabo

Highest Peak

On the border of Zayu, Zogang, and Deqen County in Yunnan lies Kawa Gabo(ཁ་བ་དཀར་པོ།), the highest peak along the Meili Xue Shan, or the “Mainri Snowy Range”. As a whole, this peak and range are a part of the much larger Hengduan Shan, which borders the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau as well as western Sichuan. With six peaks that reach over 6,000 meters and twenty more permanently covered in snow, the massive collection of mountains sits between the Lancangjiang River and the Salween River.

Stupa in front of Kawa Gabo Mountain.

History of the Climb

The Kawa Gabo peak itself reaches 6,740 meters, and with dangerous vertical cliffs, it has created near impossible conditions to reach the summit. Numerous attempts have been made over the years, only to meet with tragic results. The primary attempt made by the Joetsu Alpine Club from Japan in 1987 had failed early on. Three years later the Academic Alpine Club from Kyoto University, paired with a Chinese unit, drew large protest from the Tibetans because of the mountain’s significance to their culture and religion. After moving ahead with the climb in spite of protests, the team was met with an avalanche on the night on January 3, 1991; all 17 individuals were presumed dead. The same club returned just five years later in 1996 to give another attempt, but had failed just as their predecessors.

And finally, an American team guided by Nicholas Clinch made several unsuccessful attempts on different peaks along the mountain between 1988 and 1993. After years of failed attempts, death, injury, and protest, the government banned any future attempts in 2001.

The sun hitting Kawa Gabo mountain.

Protests Surrounding Kawa Gabo

Tibetan Buddhists believe this mountain to be the spiritual home of the warrior God Kawagarbo and throughout Tibet, it is visited by over 20,000 visitors each year looking to make their 240 kilometer pilgrimage around the peak. The ancient shamanistic religion, Bön, believed in a world filled with good and evil spirits, many of which are still recognized and relevant today.

Years of protests of climbing parties was due to the fact that Tibetans believe Kawagarbo will abandon them if any human reaches the peak. Stepping foot here would unleash disasters upon their villages and leave them unprotected by the Gods; this was not something the Tibetan people took lightly.

The Retreating Mingyong Glacier

From the east of Kawa Gabo, lies the sacred Mingyong Glacier, reaching into the Mekong River valley below. To signify its importance to their religion, two temples have been built on its lower edge.

One of these temples however, Taizi Temple, holds a significance to the scientific community as well. It has been a key factor in observing the almost 7% decrease of the Mingyong Glacier annually. Many believe this is due to the warming climate in Deqin over the years. This climate shift’s impact on Mingyong Village’s water supply, as well as its considerable effect on the natural biodiversity of the area, has sparked the Chinese government to take control of the ecological systems in the area in an attempt to slow down the rate of melting. So far they have been successful in their efforts.

April 15, 2016
Dzongsar Monastery

History of Dzongsar Monastery

Throughout its dozen or so centuries of history, the Dzongsar Monastery (རྫོང་སར་དགོན།) has seen expansion, transformation, utter destruction and ultimately, rebirth. While it may not have been restored to its former glory, what the monastery has seen and accomplished over the years is nonetheless remarkable.

Located in Dege County, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, the Dzongsar Monastery was founded in 746. From Dege town, it is roughly a 100km drive that takes a couple of hours due to a poor road. The first structure built here was the small Jowo-Lha-Chig-Kar-Chig temple along and shrine by a Bonpo Lama. Sometime between this event and 1275, the temple was changed into a Nyingma temple and then a Kadampa temple. In 1275 however, on a return trip from China, Drogön Chögyal Phagpa founded a new Sakya monastery on the site and has remained a part of that sect until this day.

Until its destruction in 1958, Dzongsar Monastery housed nearly 500 monks and numerous other visitors who came to the monastery to speak with the monks there. The monastery had expanded to twenty-three temples and dozens more sacred and religious halls and rooms, several of which were retreat centers.

Dwellings for the Dzongsar monastic community

Flexible Teachings

Having changed sects on numerous occasions, the teachings here over the years have become very flexible with eight different sects being taught at the school currently. Prior to 1958, in conjuncture with its openness to different sects, Dzongsar Monastery housed a rare collection of Rime teachings and scriptures assembled by advocates of the Rime movement over the course of many years.

1958 and Beyond

Due to the violent nature of the rebellion in the late 1950’s in Tibet, all the temples at Dzongsar Monastery were destroyed including the only original structure from 746, the Bonpo Shrine. Starting from nothing, reconstruction on the monastery began in 1983 and today the monastery is only a fraction of its former glory with six temples being built since that time.

A fair amount of construction was reserved for the rebuilding of residences to house the monastic population. Because of the reconstruction, there are more than two hundred monks housed on site today and the main temples cover an area of roughly 12 acres. After years of sitting without use, the monastic school continues with its policy of openness and flexibility in its teachings.

View of the valley from the ridge above Dzongsar monastery

Incense

In addition to being known for its history, reconstruction and openness, Dzongsar Monastery is also known for its incense. Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Sticks and Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Powder are the two commercially sold brands from the monastery. The incense has grown popular over the years and is even said to have a kind of healing effect on the mind, body and soul. Created from the natural herbs of the Eastern Tibetan highlands, many say the powerful incense can even prevent infectious diseases.

April 15, 2016
Palyul (Baiyu) Monastery

Location

Initially built in 1665, Palyul Monastery (དཔལ་ཡུལ་དགོན།), also known as Baiyu Monastery( 白玉寺） in Chinese sits above the many homes along the hillside, at the center of a small village in the Ganzi Prefecture in the western part of Sichuan province. The monastery overlooks the town and valley below with an elevation around 3,150 meters. Sticking with the traditional style of Tibetan architecture and planning, the monastery and surrounding homes are built on the slope of the nearby mountain. At its peak, Baiyu Monastery housed hundreds of monks from all over, many of whom travelled great distances from affiliated branch monasteries.

The Temples

Baiyu Monastery is one of the six “Mother Monasteries” that follow the Nyingma school of thought, or the Ancient Translation Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was founded by Kunzang Sherab, who was the first throne holder as well. In addition to establishing the monastery, he also built several temples that hold enormous significance to the Tibetan monks today.

One of those important temples, The Chagrakhang, contains a gilded image made of copper depicting Jowo Shakyamuni in the form of Jowo Yeshin Norbu. The Temple also includes frescoes of the Namcho deities and in addition to other extravagant temples and halls, Baiyu Monastery contains an incredible library as well as the Dorsem Lhakhang.

Life in Baiyu Monastery

Just past the main halls, the monastery houses its own printing press. Although a small system, it is a very common sight on the second floor of the main hall to see carvers work diligently at crafting delicate scripts here in reverse for printing. Wandering the temples, halls and town nearby, you may also run into some of the 200 monks who are housed at the Baiyu Monastery. While the village has amenities for the monks and villagers to live here, there really isn’t much else to offer for visitors. Other than the Jixiang Hotel, the town itself has no restaurants or guesthouses for tourists to stay and eat at, although if you are lucky, you may find a welcoming villager or monk who will offer you room and board and the possibility of a home-cooked meal. The stupa is a popular gathering area where striking up a conversation with the villagers isn’t uncommon.

April 15, 2016