Doilungdeqen District is two words in Tibetan, “Doilung” means valley, “Deqen” means bliss, when it altogether it means “A blissed valley“.
Doilungdeqen District is a municipal district under Lhasa City. It used to be Doilungdeqen County. In 2015, Doilungdeqen County was abolished and Doilungdeqen District was established.
Location
Doilungdeqen District is located in west of Lhasa City; it is adjacent to Chengguan District of Lhasa City and Lhunzhub County to east, Damxung County to west and north, and Gongga County and Qushui County to south;
Its average altitude is about 4,500 meters; the Lhasa River and the Doilung River flow through the territory, it is rich in solar energy, hydropower, and geothermal resources.
Best time to travel
From June to October
Local climate
Plateau cold temperate humid monsoon climate | Plateau temperate monsoon climate
Most popular sites
Tsurphu monastery, located in Naga Village, Gurong Township, was built in 1187 AD. It is the main temple of Kagyu pa of Tibetan Buddhism. It is divided into two parts: Tsurphu upper monastery and Tsurphu Lower Monastery.
Tsurphu Lower Monastery pioneered the reincarnation system of Tibetan living Buddhas (Renpoche), and it was the seat of Karmapa of the black hats sect which was also a lineage of Kagyu Pa; Tsurphu upper Monastery was the seat of Goshir Gyaltsab
Sangmu Village, located in Dongga Town, the “Juemulong Tibetan Opera Troupe” is in this village, and the villagers still retain the traditional way of life in rural Lhasa. It is also a village that to make traditional handmade wool carpet, and almost every household is engaged in the processing and business activities of carpets and mini carpets. Visitors are able to enjoy the rural scenery, taste Tibetan meals, riding horses, appreciate Tibetan opera, and interacting with villagers,
Geography and climate
Doilungdeqen District is about 80 kilometers from east to west, 63 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 2704 square kilometers, accounting for 9.25% of the total area of Lhasa.
The whole area of Doilungdeqen District includes 6 types of landforms, such as: high mountain landforms, river landforms, weathered landforms, gravity landforms, and glaciers landforms and karst landforms
The terrain of Doilungdeqen District is high in northwest and low in southeast, with wide valley in the middle. The whole area is surrounded by high mountains which are all above 5000 meters. The highest altitude in the district is 5500 meters, the lowest altitude is 3640 meters, and the average altitude is about 4500 meters. The district seat of Dongga Town is 3680 meters above sea level
Doilungdeqen District has long winters and short summers, with unclear four seasons; the dry and wet seasons are distinct, with precipitation concentrated from June to September, with strong winds in the dry season and night rains in the wet season;
the vertical distribution of climate features is obvious, and the climate at different altitudes is different . According to the difference of topography, Doilungdeqen District is divided into two climate zones.
In the northwestern mountain area, it is the Alpine cold temperate zone semi-arid monsoon climate. Average annual temperature is 4℃, average temperature in January is -10.6℃, and average temperature in July is 16℃;
Average annual frost-free period is 100 days; average annual precipitation is 420 mm, and 90% of which are concentrated in late May to mid-August. The humidity is 59%; Annual average sunshine is 2839 hours; the maximum wind force is 12, and the wind direction is mostly southeast wind.
In the southeastern valley, which the farming area, it is a plateau temperate monsoon climate with higher temperatures and strong solar radiation; annual average temperature is 7.5℃, average temperature in January is -3.0℃, and average temperature in July is 16.1℃;
Average annual frost-free period is 226 days; the average daily sunshine is 13 hours , The average annual precipitation is 389.05 mm, mostly concentrated in late summer and early autumn, and drought in late spring and early summer;
Population and ethnicity
As of end of 2013, the total population of Doilungdeqen County was 48,696, of which Tibetan population accounted for 86% of total population, and Han nationality accounted for 13%. Other ethnic groups include Hui, Tu, Dongxiang, Miao, Buyi, Mongolian, and Tujia. , Manchu, Dong, Bai, Yi, Menba, Zhuang, Lisu, Naxi, Qiang, Gelao.
Religion
There are four sects of Tibetan Buddhism in Doilungdeqen District: Nyingma pa, Sakya Pa, Kagyu Paand Gelug pa. Among them, Gelug Sect has the most temples in Doilungdeqen District, the most widespread, and the greatest influence.
Most of monasteries in Doilungdeqen were built in 12th to 13th centuries, among which Cuomei monastery was built in 6th century. Except for the monasteries. Dalongtsa and Lajo sites are Neolithic cultural sites. Liuwu Zong site is one of the thirteen county built in the late Yuan Dynasty(AD 1271-AD 1368).
Brief History
Before 4th century, Doilungdeqen realm was ruled by Manbu, one of the 12 small states in Jiqu River (Lhasa River) basin.
After 4th century, Subi tribe rised and to become Subi kingdom, the area of Doilungdeqen was under its jurisdiction.
In 6th century, Subi kingdom was conquered; the area of Doilungdeqen was ruled by 31st King of Namri Songtsen
At beginning of 7th century, the 33rd Tibet king of Songtsen Gampo unified Tibet Plateau and established Tubo kingdom. The territory of Doilungdeqen was under jurisdiction of Wei Ru, (“Ru” is the names of administrative area)
In the middle of 9th century, Tubo regime collapsed. The Lhasa king lineage for clan rule was established, the territory of Doilungdeqen was under its jurisdictions.
In 13th century, Yuan Dynasty(AD 1271-AD 1368) ruled the entire China include Tibet, and the territory of Doilungdeqen was under jurisdiction of Dbus-Gtsang Itinerant High Commandery
In Ming Dynasty(AD 1368 – AD 1644), the territory of Doilungdeqen was under jurisdiction of Chaliba High Commandery
In mid-to-late 18th century, after Qing government established Kashag regime in Lhasa, the territory of Doilungdeqen was under its jurisdiction
In 1956, Preparatory Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region was established, the territory of Doilungdeqen was directly under its jurisdiction
In 1959, Doilungdeqen County was established and it is under jurisdiction of Lhasa City
In October 2015, Doilungdeqen County was abolished and Doilungdeqen District of Lhasa was established. The original administrative area of Doilungdeqen County was the administrative area of Doilungdeqen District
