There are four hidden ancient towns in Tibet. You must go there once in your life. How many have you been to?

Speaking of Tibet, is your first reaction to the natural scenery of snow mountains, glaciers, canyons, monasteries, prayer flags, grasslands, etc. But in fact, Tibet has a very long history. There are many ancient cities and towns. There are many ancient towns and villages scattered all over the 1.23 million square kilometers of land.

Today we will talk about the four most famous ancient towns in Tibet, each of which is beautiful and unforgettable. How many have you been to?

1： The ancient city of Jiangzi — the city of heroes [Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region]

Located between the Gangdise Mountains and the Himalayas, the ancient city of Ganzi is known in Tibetan as "the peak of victory, the top of the Fawang Mansion". It is a famous city with a long history.

The history of Gyangzi roughly began in the Tubo Dynasty. It is said that at that time, various warlords fought in melee, and the area of Gyangzi was occupied by the French king Baikuozan, and the construction of the city began. In the Yuan Dynasty, the famous Baiju Temple was built and gradually prospered. In addition, it is located on the main road leading to the southwest, where merchants gather and its products are rich.

The ancient city of Jiangzi is also known as the city of heroes. In 1904, Jiang was invaded by the British army, and people fought back bravely. So far, it still retains a powerful fort, which tells the unyielding spirit of resistance of the Jiangzi people, and is an important part of the Chinese nation's resistance to the aggression of foreign powers. The profound history and heroic struggle stories have shaped the sacred land of Jiangzi.

At present, there are many places of interest and historic sites in the ancient city of Jiangzi, among which the most famous are the Baiju Temple, Pala Manor and Zongshan Castle.

1 .  Bai Ju Temple plays an important role in the historical development of the ancient city of Jiangzi, and is almost the source of the development of the castle. Located in the northeast corner of the city of Jiangzi County, Baiju Temple was built at the beginning of the 15th century. It is called "Bankuo Deqing" in Tibet, meaning "auspicious Lunle Temple". Baiju Temple, also known as the 100000 Buddha Pagoda, originates from the Bodhi Pagoda, the symbol of Baiju Temple.

Puti Pagoda can be said to be the symbol of Baiju Temple. It is composed of hundreds of Buddha halls stacked one by one. It is considered as the "tower in the tower". In the tower, hundreds of thousands of Buddha statues are carved and painted on the halls, niches and murals. The scene is very shocking, so it is named 100000 Buddha Pagoda.

2 .  Pala Manor is the aristocratic manor of the three old lords in Tibet, and it is also the best preserved manor of slave owners in Tibet at present. The manor is more than ten meters high, with three floors high, and nearly 60 well-preserved houses. Inside, various living facilities and buildings are complete, and the style is very local. Among them, the Langsheng Academy is an example of witnessing the history of Tibetan serfs.

3 .  Zongshan Ancient Castle is located on the stone mountain called Zongshan, so it is named Zongshan Ancient Castle. The famous film "Red River Valley" was shot here based on the events that took place at that time, which truly showed the situation at that time.

The white walls and red roofs here are extremely dazzling and bright in the vast and rich mountain scenery. From a distance, the castle is grand and magnificent. In fact, the castle is still a palace-style temple. Now many people come here to worship.

2： Saga Town – Second Dunhuang [Saga County, Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region]

Sakya Town has a history of more than 900 years. It is said that since the Yuan Dynasty, when the Sakya regime began to be established, Sakya Town has slowly developed to the surrounding areas as a monastery.

When it comes to temples, we must mention Sakya Temple, which is the signboard of Sakya Town. Located on the Benbo Mountain, it is the most sacred place here. The followers of Sakya often come here to worship. However, the present Sakya Temple is exactly the Sakyanan Temple, because the former Sakya Temple was divided into two parts, the north and the south, but now only the South Temple has survived.

The Sanan Temple was built in 1268 AD, covering an area of nearly 15000 square meters. It is grand and magnificent. The construction of this temple is obviously in the style of Han city buildings. The city walls, castles, battlements, turrets and other military defense facilities are complete, and there is a moat, which looks like a city.

Sakya Temple also has strong religious color. The most obvious is the color of the wall. The wall of Sakya Temple is divided into three colors, namely, purple, black and white, which respectively represent Manjusri Bodhisattva and Vajra Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

Sakya Temple is also known as the "second Dunhuang", because the murals of the Yuan Dynasty in Sakya Temple are highly accomplished. Now those who go to Sakya Town for sightseeing and tourism will definitely go to Sakya Temple to see these ancient murals. At the same time, many relics of the traditional culture of Sakya School can still be seen in the temple, such as books on medicine, astronomy, geography, calendar, literature and other aspects or the well-preserved Sanskrit Beiye Sutra of thousands of years, And the "black wooden box", which is reputed as the treasure of the temple.

3： Shigatse – City of the Plateau [Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region]

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet. Located in the south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is the residence of the Panchen Lama in the past dynasties. It has a history of more than 600 years. In Tibetan, Shigatse is called "Xikazi", which means "a manor with fertile land", so local people say that Shigatse is the most beautiful place.

The natural scenery of Shigatse is very beautiful, and the terrain is complex and diverse. It is generally located between the middle section of the Himalayan Mountains and the middle section of the Gangdise-Tanggula Mountains. The north-south terrain is relatively high, and is basically composed of mountains, wide valleys and lake basins, with an average altitude of more than 4000 meters. Tibetans have lived here for generations, maintaining their primitive farming and animal husbandry life, enjoying harmony and common prosperity with nature, being good at singing and dancing, and being sincere and lovely, together with the solemn and holy temple buildings, become an unfading landscape in the snow.

Here, in addition to seeing Mount Everest, I suggest you not to miss the magnificent palace castle at the top of the mountain, Sangzhuzi Zong Castle and Tashilumbu Temple, which are very worth seeing. Let's talk about these two specifically.

1. Sangzhuzi Zongbao, a landmark building in Shigatse, is located on the Zongshan Mountain in Sangzhuzi District. It is known as "Little Potala Palace in Shigatse". It was built in 1360 and has a history of more than 600 years.

There are more than 300 houses with a floor area of 12000 square meters in Sangzhuzi Castle, which is the representative of Tibetan castle architecture. Historically, Sangzhuzi Zongbao was a comprehensive function of the temple and the government. Now it is the Shigatse Museum for tourists to visit.

2. Tashilumbu Temple is also known as "Auspicious Xumi Temple", and its full name is "Tashilumbu Baijide Qinqu Tangjilenan Bajiwalin", which is translated into Tibetan as "Auspicious Xumi Gathers Blessings in All Prefectures".

The temple is built on the Niserri Mountain. The palace wall stretches for thousands of meters with the undulation of the mountain. The buildings in the temple are scattered and closely connected. There are 57 scripture halls and more than 3000 houses distributed in the temple, which are magnificent and impressive.

By the way, it's convenient to help friends choose gifts here. Because there are many street markets in the south of Shigatse, in addition to various daily necessities, there are also Tibetan handicrafts. You can buy all kinds of waist knives, bracelets, necklaces, etc. in Zhaxi Jicai. It is a famous place for processing gold and silver articles, and is known as the hometown of handicrafts in Tibet.

3： Changzhu Town – Naidong Foguang [Naidong District, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region]

Changzhu Town is a quiet Tibetan town. Its origin is related to the Changzhu Temple established by Songzanganpo here.

It is said that Song Zan Gambo married Princess Wencheng in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that after Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she lived in the Potala Palace. She used the five elements to calculate that the arm of the demon Raksha was in the southwest of Mount Gongbuli, and needed to build a temple to suppress it. There was also a lake where there were five dragons hidden. So Song Zan Gambo accepted the dragons through the magic incarnation of Dapeng, and was able to build a temple here.

The layout of Changzhu Temple is basically the same as that of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. In addition to the ancient buildings, there are many Buddha statues and murals in the temple, which are extremely exquisite. Among them, there is a famous pearl Thangka, which is regarded as the treasure of the temple. Thangka is 2 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. It is inlaid with 1 diamond, 1 sapphire, 2 rubies, 29026 pearls and other treasures. It is dazzling and amazing.

The core building of Changzhu Temple is the Tsochin Hall, also known as "Naidingdang". The interior of the hall is spacious, bright and magnificent. On the first floor, there are statues of Buddha Sakyamuni, Avalokitesvara and Songtsen Gambu, which are very special. The second floor is the oldest hall in the whole temple. It is called "Naiding School", and it is dedicated to the Buddha of Lotus.

There is another scenic spot worth visiting when you come to this ancient town, that is Yongbulakan. It is an ancient architectural site composed of two parts: blockhouse and palace buildings. It is located in the south of Changzhu Town, on the Zhaxi Ciren Mountain to the east of the Yapolice River. It is said that these halls were built by Songtsen Gambo. The statue of Songtsen Gambo and the statue of Princess Wencheng and Princess Chizun are still enshrined in the hall. The clothes of the two princesses are Tibetan. (Pictures and text data are sourced from the network, and are deleted)

Finally: These are the four famous ancient towns in Tibet. Which do you think is the most beautiful with stories? How many have you been to? What other ancient cities I haven't sorted out? Welcome to leave a message to discuss. We will continue the [Ancient Towns and Ancient Villages] series in the next issue.

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