Qonggyai County, also known as “Chongye County “, is a county under Shannan City. Qonggyai means “eaves of house are raised up with multiple layers” in Tibetan, which describes that there are many houses and prosperous.
Location
Qonggyai County is located in southeast of Tibet Autonomous Region and the central part of Shannan City.
Its northeast is connected with Nedong District, the southwest is bordered by Comai County, and the northwest is adjacent to Zhanang County.
Qonggyai Town is county seat with altitude of 3896 meters above sea level, about 186 kilometers from Lhasa City, 120 kilometers from Lhasa Gonggar Airport, and 29 kilometers from Tsetang town.
Best time to travel
All year around
Local climate
Plateau temperate semi-arid monsoon climate zone
Most popular sites
Tombs of Tibet Kings, located on the south side of River in Qonggyai County, is the tomb complex of Tibet Kings, ministers and princesses from the 29th generation to the 40th generation (last generation) of Tubo kingdom. It covers an area of 385 square kilometers. This tomb complex has high value on discovering social, political, and economic of Tubo dynasty
Songtsan Gambo Tomb is bordered by the Qiongjie River in the north and 54 meters from the Mangsong Tomb in the south. The two tombs are in the same location, both being 60 degrees east of north. This tomb has a complicated soil-sealed structure consisting of earth, wood, grass, and flat stones. It is 13.4 meters high and the building is very grand.
Originally, there was an ancient monastery “Zhongmuzan Lhakhang” built on the top of the sealed soil, which was used for hosting statues of Songtsen Gambo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Chizun, Minister Ludongzan, Thonmi Sambhota and others. however, it was demolished during “Cultural Revolution” in 20th century. Now, it has been rebuilt and its size is smaller than the original one.
Tangpoche Monastery, also known as “Solnak Tang“, founded in 1017 AD, is located in Xialin Township, about one kilometer west of Xiangda Village. For a long time, due to the alluvium of the river, a relatively wide platform has been formed here. The fertile land and convenient traffic conditions make Buddhist activities in this Kadam Pa monastery flourish.
Riwo Dechen Monastery, is located on the west side of Chingwa Taktse mountain to the north of county seat. It is 3850 meters above sea level. It was founded in 14th century during the first Dalai Lama. Later, it was expanded by the fifth, seventh, and eighth Dalai Lama to form a large building complex with both monasteries and palaces. It is a Gelug pa monastery
Geography and climate
Qonggyai County is located in Qonggyai River Valley on the south bank of middle reaches of Yarlung Tsangbo River in southern Tibet, with an average elevation of 3,850 meters and a highest elevation of 6,450 meters. It covers an area of 1030 square kilometers
Qonggyai County is surrounded by mountains in west, south and north. The southeast is narrow valley. The terrain is high in west and low in east. The highest point in southwest is Yongdala at an altitude of 5,478 meters, and the lowest point in northeast (Qonggyai River Valley at the junction of Kado Township of Nedong District) 3620 meters.
There is a seasonal Qonggyai River running through the entire territory and flowing into Yarlung River to Yarlung Tsangbo River. It is the main area of agricultural production in Qiongjie County.
Qonggyai County has long sunshine hours, distinct dry and wet seasons, concentrated precipitation, dry climate, and strong winds in winter and spring. Annual average temperature is 6.5℃, the extreme maximum temperature is 28.9℃ (appearing on July 31, 2005), and the extreme minimum temperature is -16.8℃ (appearing on February 2, 2008).
Annual sunshine hours are 2,635 hours, and annual average precipitation is 436 mm, which is mainly concentrated in rainy season from May to September, with night rain mostly, and the temperature difference between day and night increases. The frost-free period is 165 days, and annual average number of windy days is 60 days.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2018, the population of Qonggyai County has reached 18,339, of which Tibetans accounted for 98% of total population, Han people accounted for 0.9% of total population, in addition to Monba, Hui, etc.
Brief History
After the death of 8th king of Tibet, whom was buried in Qingwa (Chingwa) Mountain. This was the first tomb of king of Tibet
From 9th to 15th king of Tibet, 6 tomb palaces were built on Qingwa (Chingwa) Mountain.
By the end of 6th century, Pibo (Chingwa Taktse) castle was established in Qiongjie, which was the earliest castle in Tibet.
During Tubo Kingdom, Qonggyai belonged to Qionglong Qianhu households in “Yo Ru”
In 11th century, Phagmo Drupa Regime rised, Qonggyai area was under its rule
In 13th century, Yuan Dynasty(AD 1271-AD 1368) established 13 Wanhu households in Tibet and to established 8 Qianhu households in Qonggyai
In the middle of 14th century, during Kashag regime, Qonggyai became a large Zong under jurisdiction of Shannan Jiqiao.
In 1957, Qonggyai Zong was changed to Qonggyai County.
In 1959, Qonggyai County was established, and it was under jurisdiction of Shannan Prefecture
In 2016, Shannan Prefecture was abolished, and prefecture-level Shannan City was established, and Qonggyai County has been under jurisdiction of Shannan City since then
