Chamdo City means “Rivers confluence” in Tibetan . It is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and It was part of the eastern Tibet of Kham in ancient time;
Location
Chamdo City is located in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Hengduan Mountains and the three river basins of the Jinsha, Lancang and Nujiang rivers, and at the junction of Tibet and Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan;
Chamdo City faces the four counties of Derge, Pelyul County, Sershul and Batang in Sichuan Province to the east across the river, borders Deqin County in Yunnan Province in the southeast, Nyingchi City in the southwest, Nagqu area in the northwest, and Yushu Prefecture in Qinghai Province to the north. Junction
Since the establishment of Chamdo House in the late Qing Dynasty, Chamdo has always been the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of the Chamdo region.
The Karuo site in Chamdo City is more than 4,000 years old and is a well-preserved Neolithic site.
Best time to travel
From May to October
Local climate
Plateau climate
Most popular sites
Jampaling monastery is located at the intersection of Ang-qu and Za-qu in Chamdo Town. The main offering Buddha of Jampaling monastery is Jampa Buddha (also known as Future buddha or Maitreya) so the name of the monastery is called Jampaling Temple. It was built in 1444 by one of Tsongkhapa’s disciples, whom took eight years to complte
Ranwu Lake, There is a large grassy meadow on the shore of Ranwu Lake, with blue lake water and snow-capped snow peaks, the scenery is beautiful and picturesque. There are many rocks and small islands dotted in the river. The shadows of trees in spring and mists in autumn and winter are on the lake, the beauty of the four seasons make this lake like dreamland.
Karuo Cultural Site, is located near a cement factory about 12 kilometers west of Chamdo Town. It was discovered in the late 1970s. In 1977, during the construction of the cement plant, a large number of original tools and cultural relics such as stone axes, stone adzes, and clay pots appeared. In 1979, the excavation began. The site covers an area of about 10,000 square meters and has a wide variety of cultural relics. Among them, 31 houses are found, and tens of thousands of stone tools, bones, pottery pieces and other cultural relics have been unearthed, as well as a large number of animal bones and corn. Experts have identified these items are from the “Neolithic Period” 4000 to 5000 years ago.
Riwoqe monastery, also known as “Riwoqe Tsuklakhang“, is located about 35 kilometers away in the north of Riwoqe County with altitude of 3850 meters above sea level. Founded in AD 1276, Riwoqe monastery is a well-known Kagyu pa monastery in northeastern Tibet, with an architectural style of combination of Tibetan, Han and Nepalese
Dolma Lang Tso Lake, which means Goddess Lake in Tibetan, is more than 20 kilometers away from the county seat. It is one of the larger freshwater lakes in Chamdo and it is known as the “blue lake”. There are 21 large and small lakes around Dolma Lang Tso Lake, which naturally forms Dumu 21 beams. The surrounding of the lake is beautiful, with lush aquatic plants.
Salt wells and salt fields are the only places in the world where the most primitive hand-dried salt method is completely maintained. It is 120 kilometers away from Markam County and all of those are located on the east and west banks of the Lancang River. It is said that salt production started here before the Tang Dynasty, and it is probably with a history of more than 1,300 years. There are currently still two townships producing salt in Yanjing, Naxi Township and Quzika Township. There are more than 320 households engaged in salt production and more than 2,700 salt fields. The salt industry of Yanjing still maintains the primitive production method.
Dongba dwellings are located in Dongba Township along the Nu River Canyon in Zogang County with a history of more than 600 years. The architecture of Dongba dwellings incorporates elements of different nationalities. The entire building is closed around with a patio as the organizational center, part of the sloping roofs on both sides are covered with glazed tiles, and there are lifelike dual dragon sculptures lying on the roof. In the interior and exterior wall painting decoration of the building, cranes, flowers and birds, phoenixes, and golden toads, which are all from inner land, can be seen here. The windows inside the house are much larger than the average Tibetan buildings, and the decorative carvings on the window frames are also exquisite.
Administrative divisions
Chamdo City has 1 municipal district and 10 counties under its jurisdiction.
Municipal District
Counties
Geography and climate
The total area of Chamdo City is 110,000 square kilometers. The terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. The watershed area preserves a broad plateau; The valley gradually deepens from north to south. The average altitude is above 3500 meters. Many peaks are above the snow line, among which the main peak of Nyainqentanglha Mountain is 7111 meters high.
The plateau is mainly distributed in the northern section of Ta Nian Ta Weng Mountain and Ningjing Mountain, with an altitude of 4000 to 4500 meters. The highest point is the Nyainqentanglha ridge in Banbar County, with an altitude of 6980 meters; In a typical alpine valley area, the bottom of the valley is 2500-3500 meters above sea level, and the lowest point is the Jinsha River Valley in Markam County, with an elevation of only 2296 meters.
The mountains in the territory are in the north-south direction, with three large rivers and three rows of mountain ranges alternately distributed in parallel. From west to east, they are Bosulaling and Nujiang; Ta Nian Ta Weng Mountain and Lancangjiang; Damala Mountain-Ning-jing Mountain and Jinsha River. Mountain ranges are mostly 4000-5000 meters above sea level, and there are deep valleys between the mountains, and the height difference between the mountains and the valleys is 1000-2000 meters.
Chamdo has a mild and humid climate in summer and a dry and cold climate in winter with small annual temperature differences and large daily temperature differences. The annual average number of sunshine is 2100-2700 hours, the annual frost-free period is 46-162 days, and the annual precipitation is 478 mm, concentrated in May-September. With strong solar radiation; large daily temperature difference, small annual temperature difference; concentrated rainfall, uneven seasonal distribution, and low relative humidity.
The north-south vertical arrangement of mountains and rivers in the Chamdo area is conducive to the north-south transportation of warm and humid air.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2011, Chamdo had a total population of 715,300, of which Tibetans accounted for more than 95% of the total population, Han people accounted for 4%, in addition to Naxi, Dong, Miao, Li, Bai, Tujia, Yao, Buyi and other ethnic groups .
Brief history
Chamdo was called “Kang” or “Kemu” in ancient time to distinguish it from “U”, “Tsang”, “Ali” and other regions of Tibet
As early as the Neolithic Age, Humans had already thrived in Chamdo and starting to form village.
During the Tubo period (7th-9th centuries AD), Chamdo was the seat of the famous “Dongnv Kingdom” and the “Subi Kingdom”
In the 13th century AD, the area of Chamdo was under the jurisdiction of the Mdo-khams Itinerant High Commandery
During the Ming Dynasty, the Gelug Pa of Tibetan Buddhism emerged, and its influence gradually penetrated into the Kham area, and several Hutuktu – the Living Buddha reincarnation systems were formed in Chamdo
During the Qing Dynasty, the Chamdo area was governed by the combination of politics and religion by the Living Buddha Pabala.
In the thirty-second year of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1906), the Qing Dynasty took Dartsedo town (now Kangding County) as the administrative center to manage the Garze Tibetan Prefecture of Sichuan Province and Chamdo region.
After the Republic of China (1912), it was part of Xikang Province.
In the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918), the Yangtze River was used as the boundary between Tibet and Sichuan province. Chamdo area was under the jurisdiction of Tibet
In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), the Gaxag regime of Tibet actually ruled the Chamdo region.
In 1950, the People’s Liberation Committee of Chamdo was established, which was directly under the jurisdiction of the Central People’s Government Administration Council.
In 1956, it was led by the Tibet Autonomous Region Preparatory Committee.
In 1960, the Chamdo District Commissioner’s Office was established, and the regional administrative office was in Chamdo Town.
In 1978, it was changed to the Chamdo District Administrative Office, and the regional administrative office was in Chamdo County.
In 2014, Chamdo prefecture was withdrew, The “Chamdo City” was officially established, and the Chamdo County was also abolished, being replaced by Karuo district
