Gyantse

Gyantse (4000 metres above sea-level ). The old town of Gyantse lies about ninety kilometers to the south east of Shigatse. The Nyangchu River flows swiftly through Gyantse Plain. The Nyangchu River is a tributary of Yarlong Tsanpo River, it flows through three counties, Gyantse, Panam and Shigatse. The whole course of the river- bed is called the Nyangchu Valley, one of the most fertile grain producing lands in Tibet. Gyantse rose to prominence in the fifteenth century, when it served as the capital of a small kingdom established by a local chieftain, who paid tribute to the Sakya. It became particularly famous after the bloody 1904 battle fought by the Tibetan in resisting Younghusban’s British Expedition, remnants of the battle and a hollow made by a cannon ball can still be seen on the perimeter walls of the Dzong Fort—the residence of the local chieftain. The film, named‘Red Valley’, has drawn its material from this historical event. Gyantse is also famous for its home industries. Almost every household in the town busies itself with carpet weaving and tweed weaving of wool. The collectively owned carpet factory in Gyantse has an employment of five hundred skilled workers and weaving is done all in traditional way. The main tourist attractions in Gyantse are the Kumbum Pagoda and the Palcho Monastery.