Shigatse

Following Lhasa, the next most important city for tourists in Tibet is Shigatse. In the 8th century, the Indian monk Padmasamb have presaged that the center of the world of snow would be Lhasa followed by Nyangmai. He was proved right by the development of events.

Located at the confluence of the Nyang Qu and the Yarlung Zangbo Rivers, with the flat Nyang Qu River Valley to the south and Nyima Mountain to the west, Xigaze boasts fertile fields and easy communication. It was known originally as Nyangmai, meaning the lower reaches of the Nyang Qu River, but its name was subsequently changed to Shigaze because of the establishment of manorial estates (known as shika in Tibet) by the Phagdru regime.

In 1354, while the Sakya royal family was embroiled in civil strife, Changchub Gyaltsen, who belonged to the Ka-gyu-pa Sect (White Sect), took his troops and surrounded the Sakya Monastery and defeated the Sakya followers. A ruling power known as Desi or Phagdru was founded in Nedong. An astute ruler, Changchub Gyaltsen popularized the shika system in Tibet. He also set up the dzong, similar to the county, above the shika in order to meet the needs of economic development. In Nyangmai, the last dzong was founded and was given the name Samdrubtse, which means ??having one??s wishes fulfilled.?? In other words, it signified that Changchub had completed his reform system. Nyangmai was henceforth known as Shika Samdrubtse, or simply Shikatse, and in Han transliteration, as Xigaze.

The city of Shigatze was built at that time, more than 500 years ago. It was limited in scale, and it knew prosperity only during the score of years when the Karmen regime held away in Tibet. In the late Ming Dynasty, Tanchong Wangpo of the Karma-ka-gyu-pa Sect, rose at Pengyu and, after weathering more than a dozen years of war, established the Karma regime in 1618. Phuntsok Naamgyal, or Tsangpa Khan, founded his capital at Xigaze, which became the political, economic and cultural center of Tibet. The city and its suburbs were expanded. But the Karma regime was not as accommodating as the Phagdru. It was antagonistic toward the Yellow Sect, whose influence was growing, and persecuted it. Consequently, the fourth Panchen Lama and the fifth Dalai Lama coalesced in inviting Gushi Khan, also a follower of the Yellow Sect, to enter Tibet with his Mongol troops. In 1642, Gushi Khan attacked Xigaze, Tsangpa Khan was killed, and the Karma regime came to an end.

Having secured actual power in Tibet, Gushi Khan gave equal support to the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama in order to divide and rule. He put Xigaze and its surrounding areas under the Panchen Lama??sadministration, out of the reach of the Dalai Lama. Later, following the Qing government’s affirmation of the Panchen Lama’s jurisdiction, Shigatze became the center of Ulterior Tibet, and its status remained unchanged for 300 years.

The most celebrated scenic spot in Shigatse is the Tashilunpo Monastery, where the Panchen Lama has his headquarters. Shigaze is also known for its handicraft industry, which produces such exquisite articles as woolen textiles, rugs and carpets, boots and earthenware.