This section will introduce the first part of "Magic Shigatse" in our self-driving trip through Tibet and through Ali. The main content includes a brief introduction to Gyantse, related itineraries, road conditions along the way, hotel stays, some scenic spots and wonderful moments, etc.

1. Introduction to Gyantse

Gyantse County is affiliated to Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is located in the south of Tibet, east of Shigatse City, and the upper reaches of the Nianchu River. Gyantse, in Tibetan, means "Peak of Victory, Dharma King's Mansion". Gyantse is an ancient city with a history of more than one thousand years. The land here is fertile and the people are outstanding. For thousands of years, the industrious and brave Gyantse people have left many artistic treasures here. Gyantse is located on the way from Sakya and Houzang via Yadong to Sikkim and Bhutan. It is an important station for business travel and an important thoroughfare for communication between Tibet and Tibet.

2. Itinerary in Gyantse

On April 30, depart from Lhasa to Gyantse via Yamdrok Yumco and Karola Glacier. The mileage on the day was 275 kilometers, mainly along the Lhasa Airport Expressway, National Highway 318, and Provincial Highway 307.

On May 1st, spend a day in Gyantse, mainly visiting Gyantse Zongshan Hero Monument, Gyantse Zongshan Anti-British Site (Zongshan Castle), Gyantse Old Town and Baiju Temple (Wanfo Pagoda).

On May 2, after visiting Pala Manor in the morning, depart from Gyantse to Yadong.

3. Road conditions along the way

From Lhasa to Gyantse, mainly travel along the Lhasa Airport Expressway, National Highway 318, and Provincial Highway 307. After leaving Lhasa City, first drive about 40 kilometers on the Lhasa Airport Expressway. This section of the road is in good condition; after leaving the Lhasa Airport Expressway, drive on the 318 National Highway for about 20 kilometers. It’s not bad, but there are many villages and towns along the road, people and cars are mixed, and the speed limit is 40; near Qushui County, cross the Yarlung Zangbo River Bridge and connect to Provincial Highway 307. From here to Gyantse County, the whole journey is on Provincial Highway 307. , This section is a third-class road with asphalt pavement, and the overall road condition is good. However, when going to Yamdrok Yumco, there is a section of the uphill road with damaged road surface and steep slopes and many bends, so you should drive carefully; after crossing Langkazi County, you will arrive at the Karola Glacier, 21 kilometers away, and the speed limit is 30 minutes to pass, so be careful.

4. Stay in the hotel

On April 30th and May 1st, I stayed at Gyantse Shangkeyou Express Hotel. This is an economical chain hotel located on Fangfang Road, Gyantse County. The hotel is relatively new. The rooms are quite satisfactory, the facilities are simple, and the sanitary conditions are acceptable. There is a dedicated parking lot, but there are many cars that can be parked at the entrance of the hotel and on the road.

5. Some scenic spots and exciting moments

1. Yajiang scenery

On the way to Yamdrok Yongcuo in Lhasa, there is a section to accompany the Yarlung Zangbo River. Although it is not a scenic spot, the mountains and rivers on the plateau are still charming.

2. Yamdrok Co.

Yamdrok Yongcuo is located 100 kilometers southwest of Lhasa. The Tibetan language of Yamdrok Yongcuo means "jasper lake". It is one of the "three holy lakes" in Tibet (the other two are Namtso and Manasarovar. ). Yamdrok Yongcuo covers an area of ​​675 square kilometers, and the lake is 4,441 meters above sea level.

Starting from Lhasa, if you want to appreciate the beauty of Yamdrok Yumcuo, you must first cross the 5,030-meter Gangbala Pass. As the road turns right, the altitude is also rising. When the car turns left at the Gangbala Pass, it is beautiful. The Yamdrok Yongcuo is in front of you, and the shock makes the discomfort caused by the thrilling mountain road when going up the mountain disappear.

3. Carola Glacier

The Karola Glacier is located at the junction of Langkazi County and Gyangze County in the Shannan region of Tibet, about 71 kilometers away from Gyangze County. It is one of the three major continental glaciers in Tibet.

Karola Glacier is developed on the southern slope of Naiqin Kangsang Peak (7191m), one of the four highest peaks in Tibet. The upper part of the glacier is an ice cap with a gentle slope, and the lower part is two ice tongues in the form of hanging glaciers. The east ice tongue is 3 kilometers long, 750 meters wide, and the end of the ice tongue is 5,233 meters high; the west ice tongue is 4.5 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers wide, and the end of the ice tongue is 5,145 meters high. The entire glacier covers an area of ​​9.4 square kilometers. Karola is the closest glacier to the road in Tibet, and it is only more than 300 meters away from the S307 provincial road. 

4. Smila Mountain and Manla Reservoir

Not far from the Karola Glacier, we came to the Simila Pass. The Tibetan word "Smila" means the jewel in the sky. It means that there is a Smila Lake on the Smila Mountain. However, not long after passing the Smila Pass, there is really a lake in front of it. This lake is an artificial lake, which is the Manla Reservoir. The Manla Reservoir enjoys the title of "the first dam in Tibet". , a large-scale water conservancy construction project with comprehensive benefits such as flood control and tourism. Its dam is a rockfill dam with a clay core wall, with a length of 287 meters, a height of 76.3 meters and a crest width of 10 meters. Looking down from a high place, the Manla Reservoir is like a shrunken version of Yanghu Lake. The lake water is also emerald green and changes with time and sunlight.

5. Baiju Temple (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda)

Baiju Temple is located at the west end of Gyantse County. It was jointly built in 1418 by Gyantse Dharma King Redangui Sangpa and the first Panchen Lama Kezhu Geliebai Sangbu. The main buildings are: Sutra hall, auspicious multi-door pagoda, sixteen lacang, Baiju Larang, sun pagoda, wall and many monk houses and other buildings.

Baiju Temple integrates the three major sects of Gelug Sect, Sakya Sect, and Buton Sect (Shalu Sect). One temple and three sects can chant scriptures in one large scripture hall. The three sects have lived in harmony for a long time without disputes . There are precious murals, sculptures and thangkas in Baiju Temple, which integrate the artistic styles of Tibetan, Han and Nepalese, especially the sixteen clay sculptures of Arhats in the east hall on the second floor of the Great Sutra Hall. It has a unique shape and is famous all over Tibet.

The Bodhi Pagoda of Baiju Temple was built in 1427 A.D. It is an auspicious multi-door pagoda, one of the eight Buddhist pagodas, with a height of 32.4 meters. It is built with 108 Buddhist halls overlapping one after another. There are a total of 100,000 Buddha statues on the Buddhist halls, niches and murals in the pagoda, so it is also called the 100,000 pagoda.

6. Taste Tibetan food

When you come to Tibet, you must taste Tibetan food. I personally think that you may not be able to taste authentic Tibetan food in big cities such as Lhasa, just as domestic Western food is often improved. And in a small city like Gyangze, you can eat authentic Tibetan food, because there are few tourists here, and the restaurants are mainly for locals.

Since there are many contents in Gyantse, the Gyantse Zongshan Hero Monument, Gyantse Zongshan Anti-British Site (Zongshan Site) and Pala Manor will be introduced in the next section.

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