Best Places in to visit Shigatse is famous and popular attractions for tourists from both domestic and abroad. These top attractions are Mount Everest, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Sakya Monastery, Gyantse Dzong and so on. Now, please come with
Top China Travel to explore this amazing city.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world with and altitude of 8, 848.13 meters. It is also called Mount Qomolangma, which means “Goddess” in Tibetan language. Mt. Everest stands at the south of Tingri County in southern
Tibet, at the border of the central Himalayas between China and Nepal, capped with accumulated eternal snow. Its snow peak sends out silver radiance year after year. Its waist is hidden in the clouds. The optimum weather to visit Mt. Everest is from April to June, a golden period for mountaineers. Each year, a great number of brave robust mountaineers come from all over the world to visit and climb Mt. Everest, hope to fulfill a life-long dream by climbing onto and looking over from the world's highest peak.
It is importing that climbers know there are many dangers that can affect them. At the summit the oxygen level is so low that it is believed that it is only 1 per 3 of the level near the sea. The wind is also very powerful, striking with almost 118 miles/hour. This powerful wind is locally called the “Jet Stream” and many times he is the one that don’t allow the climbers to reach the summit.
Tashihunpo Monastery
Tashilhunpo Monastery is one of the 6 big monasteries in Tibet. It is the seat of Panchen Lama, who is the second ranking person in the hierarchy of the Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery houses the tombs of Panchen Lamas and a 22.4-meter statue of Maitreya Buddha. Tashilhunpo remains popular among the Tibetans, as they carry on coming here on pilgrimage.
Standing on the entrance of Tashilhunpo, you can see the grand buildings with golden roofs and white walls. The remarkable Tangka wall which is nine-floor high, displays the images of Buddha on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May every year following the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.
Besides the grand palace and gigantic statues, the Tashilhunpo also treasures characteristic wall paintings. Because of the variety of shapes, resplendent colors and exquisite painting, the murals are considered to be another masterpiece of Buddhist art. Rare sutras, tangka, china and glass service of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are also invaluable asserts found in the monastery. These are good relics for researching the history and society of Tibet.
Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery is the principal monastery of Sakyapa Sect’s Tibetan Buddhism. It is located 160 km west of Shigatse. Its medieval Mongolian architecture is quite different from temples in Lhasa and Yarlung. Sakya Monastery is famed as the "Second Dunhuang" due to its colossal collection of numerous Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals and Thangkas.
The main architectures inside the castle are the Dajing Hall, the Buddhism Hall and the hall where the Sakya archbishop lived. They all preserve the style of Yuan architectures. The Dajing Hall is in the center of the temple and occupies an area of 5,700 square meters. The columns and walls inside it are all painted dark red. There are 40 columns, each 10 meters high. On the western, northern and southern sides are fresco corridors while on the eastern side is the hall where Sakyapa Masters are enshrined. To the north of Dajing Hall is the hall for Sakyapa archbishop, with monks’ dorms on its north and back.
Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse Dzong is one of the spots which is not about religions. It is a patriotic tour site with historical story. In 1904, British troops invaded Gyangtse but encountered fierce opposition from the strong and brave Gyangtse people. They defended their city from a fortress on Zongshan Hill, using primitive guns and cannons, swords, and even bows and arrows to fight against their invaders. The famous cliff where this fight took place is located in the center of Gyangtse. It is 125-meter high and has an altitude of 4,020 meters.
On the site there are the former residence of one of the commanders and some vestiges of the emplacement.
Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery is located at the north slope of Mount Everest. It is the base camp for mountaineers with an altitude of 5,154 m. It is also an ideal spot to view Mount Everest and take pictures of Mount Everest. Walking forward from Rongbuk Monastery, you will also see the famous Rongbuk Glacier Zone, which is the largest among hundreds of glaciers formed around the Mt. Everest.
Climbers must pass through Rongbuk in order to reach the highest peak of Mt. Qomolangma via the North Face. It has been described as having some of the most dramatic views in the world, presenting a panorama of the Shishapangma, Mt. Qomolangma, Cho Oyu, and Gyachung Kang peaks to visitors.
In previous times, the monastery became very active with the teachings at certain times of the year. It was, and is, the destination of special Buddhist pilgrimages where annual ceremonies are held for spectators coming from as far as Nepal and Mongolia. These ceremonies were shared with the satellite monasteries across the Himalaya also founded by the Rongbuk Lama.
Zhangmu Town
Zhangmu Town borders Nepal to the south. Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge is only 10 km away and another 100 km's drive will lead you into Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Different from other dry and cold areas in
Tibet, Zhangmu is mild and humid because of its subtropical climate. As a port, Zhangmu is always crowded with various skin-colored tourists and businessmen.
The booming border trade attracts merchants from inland China, Tibet and Nepal running business in Zhangmu Town. Nepalese merchants export rice, flour, pepper, vegetables, and perfumes while Chinese merchants sell wool, tea, salt and
Tibetan medicine. Nepalese even run Nepalese restaurants in the small town, serving Nepalese dishes, instant noodles and beer produced in Nepal.
A free trade market formed near the Friendship Bridge spontaneously 8 years ago, which is now still developing. Every day, hundreds of Chinese and Nepalese merchants are doing their business in Zhangmu Town.
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