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Samzhubzê 桑珠孜区 • བསམ་འགྲུབ་རྩེ་ཆུས།Sangzhuzi, Samdruptse
District
Samzhubzê in 2009
SamzhubzêLocation in TibetShow map of TibetSamzhubzêSamzhubzê (China)Show map of China
Coordinates (Xigazê government): 29°16′01″N 88°52′48″E / 29.267°N 88.880°E / 29.267; 88.880
Country	China
Autonomous region	Tibet
Prefecture-level city	Xigazê
District seat	Chengbei Subdistrict
Area
• Total	3,654.18 km (1,410.89 sq mi)
Elevation	3,836 m (12,585 ft)
Population
• Total	158,290
• Density	43/km (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (CST)
Postal code	857000
Area code	0892
Website	www.xzrkz.gov.cn

Samzhubzê District (also spelled Sangzhuzi District, Samdruptse District) is a district in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the China, and the administrative center of the prefecture-level city of Shigatse (Tibetan Pinyin: Xigazê). Prior to 2014 it was known as the county-level city of Shigatse. It was the ancient capital of Ü-Tsang province and is the second largest city in Tibet with an estimated population of 117,000 in 2013. Samzhubzê is located at the confluence of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and the Nyang River (Nyang Chu or Nyanchue), about 250 km (160 mi) southwest of Lhasa and 90 km (56 mi) northwest of Gyantse, at an altitude of 3,840 metres (12,600 ft).

History

In the 17th century, the city and the dzong was called Samdrubtsé (one of the transliterations of the current name). It was the capital of the Tsang.

In the 19th century, the "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over Tashilhunpo Monastery and three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by two Dzongpön (Prefects) appointed from Lhasa. The Tibetan territory was divided into 53 prefecture districts called Dzongs.

There were two Dzongpöns for every Dzong—a lama (Tse-dung) and a layman. They were entrusted with both civil and military powers and are equal in all respects, though subordinate to the generals and the Chinese Amban in military matters. However, there were only one or two Ambans representing the Qing (Manchu) Chinese emperor residing in Lhasa, directing a little garrison, and their power installed since 1728, progressively declined to end-up as observer at the eve of their expulsion in 1912 by the 13th Dalai Lama. In 1952, shortly after the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, Shigatse had a population of perhaps 12,000 people, making it the second largest town in Tibet.

In 1959, Shigatse was made the administrative center of an eponymous special district (专区) of Tibet. In 1970 the special district was upgraded to a prefecture and the town designated a county. In 1986 the county became a county-level city, and when the prefecture was again upgraded to a prefecture-level city in 2014, the county-level city was redesignated a district and given the new name of Samzhubzê. On 26 June 2014 Rikaze region upgraded to prefecture-level Rikaze city, the original county-level Rikaze city renamed Samzhubzê District.

Geography and climate

Samzhubzê lies on flat terrain surrounded by high mountains, and the urban area is located just south of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The city lies at an elevation of around 3,840 metres (12,600 ft), and within its administrative area there are five peaks higher than 5,500 metres (18,000 ft). The city's administrative area ranges in latitude from 29° 07' to 29° 09' N and in longitude from 88° 03' to 89° 08' E.

Samzhubzê has a monsoon-influenced, alpine version of a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb), with frosty, very dry winters and warm, wet summers. Temperatures are relatively moderate for the Tibetan Plateau, as the annual mean temperature is 6.48 °C (43.7 °F). Barely any precipitation falls from November to March, when the diurnal temperature variation can frequently exceed 20 °C (36 °F). Nearly two-thirds of the annual rainfall occurs in July and August alone. Sunshine is abundant year-round, totaling 3248 hours annually.

Samzhubzê is rich in medicinal herbs, with more than 300 varieties of commonly used medicinal plants, such as Cordyceps, Bayberry, Tianma, Snowdrop, Rhodiola Rosea, Rhubarb, etc.

Administrative divisions

Shigatse administers two subdistricts and ten townships.

Tashilhunpo

Samzhubzê contains the huge Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Until the Chinese arrived in the 1950s, the "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over three small districts, though not over Samzhubzê itself, which was administered by a dzongpön (general) appointed from Lhasa. In the 2nd week of the 5th lunar month (around June/July), Tashilhunpo Monastery is the scene of a 3-day festival and a huge thangka is displayed.

The imposing castle, Samdrubtse Dzong or "Shigatse Dzong", was probably built in the 15th century. It looked something like a smaller version of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, and had turret-like fortifications at the ends and a central Red Palace. It used to be the seat of the kings of Ü-Tsang and the capital of the province of Ü-Tsang or Tsang.

The castle was totally dismantled, rock by rock, by hundreds of Tibetans at the instigation of the Chinese in 1961. Between 2005 and 2007, the building was reconstructed, financed by donations from Shanghai. Such "Preservation and Reparation Project of Sangzhutse Fortress of Shigatse City" was completed in May 2007 and was designed by the Construction Design Institute of Shanghai Tongji University. Old photographs served as a basis for the reconstruction, which was executed in concrete. Afterwards, the exterior was to be wainscotted with natural stones. The dzong, which in the 17th century served as a model for the construction of the Potala Palace, is set to become a museum for Tibetan culture.

Nearby attractions include:

• Shalu Monastery
• Narthang, the first printing establishment in central Tibet
• Mount Everest

Infrastructure and transport

• Samzhubzê is the hub of the road network between Lhasa, Nepal and western Tibet.
• Construction started in 2010 of the Lhasa–Shigatse Railway to Samzhubzê and was completed in 2014. Start operated on 15 August 2014. A further extension to the Nepalese border is planned.
• The nearest railhead in India is the station of New Jalpaiguri, a suburb of Siliguri, West Bengal.
• Shigatse Peace Airport began operations on 30 October 2010 and was Tibet's fifth commercial airport. It is located 43 kilometres from central Shigatse at Jangdam Township at an altitude of 3,782 metres. The airport is designed to handle up to 230,000 passengers annually by 2020.
• China National Highway 318

References

Citations

1. ^ 日喀则市. XZQH.org. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
2. "日喀则市第七次全国人口普查主要数据公报" (in Chinese). Government of Xigazê. 20 July 2021.
3. ^ Chapman, Spencer F. (1940). Lhasa: The Holy City, p. 141. Readers Union Ltd., London.
4. ^ Le Tibet, Marc Moniez, Christian Deweirdt, Monique Masse, Éditions de l'Adret, Paris, 1999, ISBN 2-907629-46-8
5. Das, Sarat Chandra. (1902). Lhasa and Central Tibet. Reprint (1988): Mehra Offset Press, Delhi, p. 176.
6. Richardson (1984), p. 7.
7. Li, Zhe. 西藏日喀则成为中国最年轻地级市. news.china.com.cn. China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
8. "国务院批复同意西藏日喀则昌都撤地设市_地方报道_中国政府网". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
9. ^ 日喀则市概况. tibetinfor.com.cn.Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 26 May 2011.
10. Census Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Population and Employment Statistics Division of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (2012). 中国2010人口普查分乡、镇、街道资料 (1 ed.). Beijing: China Statistics Print. ISBN 978-7-5037-6660-2.
11. Chö Yang: The Voice of Tibetan Religion and Culture. (1991) Year of Tibet Edition, p.79. Gangchen Kyishong, Dharmasala, H.P., India.
12. "Introducing Shigatse."
13. Mayhew, Bradley and Kohn, Michael. (2005). Tibet, p. 172. 6th Edition. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 978-1-74059-523-0.
14. Tibet: a travel survival kit, p. 168. (1986). Michael Buckley and Robert Strauss. Lonely Planet Publications, South Yarra, Vic., Australia. ISBN 0-908086-88-1.
15. Tibet: A Fascinating Look at the Roof of the World, Its People and Culture, p. 115. (1982). Elisabeth B. Booz. Passport Books.
16. Cp. Shigatse Dzong https://www.flickr.com/photos/anyongfu/744385254/
17. "同济大学建筑设计研究院(集团)有限公司". www.tjad.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 8 March 2024.
18. ""小布达拉宫"――桑珠孜宗堡重现辉煌". www.xzxw.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
19. McCue, G. (2010). Trekking Tibet: A Traveler's Guide, 3rd Edition (in Dutch). Mountaineers Books. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-59485-411-8. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
20. "China: Building Starts on Rail Line to Tibet" article by Andrew Jacobs in The New York Times 27 September 2010, accessed 28 September 2010
21. "Tibet's Xigaze Airport begins operations - People's Daily Online".

Sources

• Das, Sarat Chandra. 1902. Lhasa and Central Tibet. Reprint: Mehra Offset Press, Delhi. 1988. ISBN 81-86230-17-3
• Dorje, Gyurme. 1999. Footprint Tibet Handbook. 2nd Edition. Bath, England. ISBN 1-900949-33-4. Also published in Chicago, U.S.A. ISBN 0-8442-2190-2.
• Dowman, Keith. 1988. The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 59. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0 (ppk).
• Richardson, Hugh E (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Shambhala Publications, Boston. ISBN 0-87773-376-7.

External links

• Fort of Shigatse in 1902, Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection

v t e Shigatse (Xigazê)
County-level divisions	District Samzhubzê Counties Bainang Dinggyê Gamba Gyantse Gyirong Kangmar Lhatse Namling Ngamring Nyalam Rinbung Sa'gya Saga Tingri Xaitongmoin Yadong Zhongba
Settlements	Bangxing Cazê Chagna Congdü Dêlêg Dhingri Gyantse Lhatse Lingma Mêmo Nailung Namling Nyalam Pama Pazhug Pagri (Phari) Raka Ramba Rongbuk Monastery Rongxar Samzhubzê Surco Shelkar Zhangmu
Landmarks	Changmoche Monastery Chokorgyel Monastery Daklha Gampo Donggar Monastery Dorje Pakmo Drongtse Monastery Garju Monastery Manmogang Monastery Menri Monastery Milarepa's Cave Narthang Monastery Ngor Palcho Monastery Ralung Monastery Sakya Monastery Shalu Monastery Tashilhunpo Tsi Nesar Shigatse Mosque
Geography	Ang Laren Lake Dajia Lake Jiesa Lake Renqingxiubu Lake Taruo Lake Everest Shishapangma Nyingchiinsha Samdang Khamsang Bukhangri Jombo Glacier Karola Glacier Yarlung Tsangpo Nathu La Pass Nangchu River
Transport	Shigatse Peace Airport Lhasa–Shigatse Railway China–Nepal Railway China–Nepal Friendship Highway Dazhuka Railway Station Denggu Railway Station Jiqiong Railway Station Kadui Railway Station Rinbung Railway Station Shigatse Railway Station G219 G318 S203 S204 S206 S304 S307
Economy & Development	Bainang Vegetable Production Base One River, Two Rivers Project Shigatse Photovoltaic Power Plant Manla Water Conservancy Hub Project Laluo Water Conservancy Project Xianghe Water Conservancy Hub Project
Hotels & Parks	Shigatse Hotel Gyangtse Hotel
Sciences	Ngari Networking Project

• Samzhubzê District
• Populated places in Tibet
• Shigatse
• Populated places in Shigatse