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Shigatse Overview

Shigatse connects with three countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim in the south, Ngari in the west, Nagqu in the north and Lhasa and Shannan in the east. It occupies an area of 176,000 square kilometers, the latitude being between 82'E and 92'20''E and longitude between 27'23''N and 31'49''N. It is 800 kilometers from east to west and 220 kilometers from north to south, with a border of 1,354 kilometers.

Historically, Shigatse was called Tsang, which was an important administrative district of Tibet. During the reign of the Tubo Kingdom, the ruling class divided its central part into two divisions of Wei and Tsang,according to geographic conditions.Tsang,with Shigatse as its center, was again divided into Yeru (present-day Nyang Qu River area) and Rulha(present-day upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River). The area extends to Gamba La Mountains in the east and Kangdese Mountains in the west. Because Tsang is located mostly along the upper Yarlung Zangbo River, it was also called Houtsang, a name still used today. In the 13th century, the Yuan Dynasty divided Tibet into thirteen 10,000 household units, and Shigatse had six namely, Qoimai, Xalhu, Jigmei, Lhadoiqain, Lhadoilho and Xangba. During the reign of the Pagmo Zhuba Kingdom, this organizational system in Tibet was abolished and replaced with 13 zongs (counties).Shigatse had also set up counties like Rinbung, Shigatse, Bainang and Gyangze. Early the last century, the Tibetan government promoted Shigatse to the level of gyizong (district), which had under its jurisdiction 16 counties and 30 or so independent shikas(manor). After the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet in 1951, two branch Working Committees were established in Shigatse and Gyangze, respectively. In 1956, an administrative office at the district level was established. In 1959,the Prefectural Commissioner's Office was set up in Shigatse and Gyangze, respectively. In 1964, the two offices merged into one and was named Shigatse Prefectural Commissioner's Office, and renamed in 1978 as Shigatse Administrative Office.

Under the jurisdiction of Shigatse Administrative Office are the city of Shigatse at the county level, 17 counties of Gyangze, Bainang, Kangma, Yadong, Rinbung, Namling, Xitongmoin, Larze, Sagya, Kamba, Dinggye, Tingri, Nyalam, Gyilung, Ngamring, Saga, Zongba, and Zham port, the largest State trade port in Tibet. In the district are 218 townships (including 12 towns), 1,752 villagers committees and 28 urban residents committees.

Included in a population of 609,228 in 1997 were 554,704, or 91.1 percent farmers and herdsmen. Tibetans formed 97 percent of the population, and the other 3 percent was composed of Han Chinese and other 15 ethnic groups, such as Hui, Monggol, Tu, Manchu, Miao and Zhuang. There were 1,875 Xia'erba people. The population in Shigatse forms one-fourth of the population in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the density of population is 3.3 people per square kilometer. Most of the peopl...