Julia Qin
China Tibet Online
October 11, 2014
Photo shows the Gyirong County under construction. [Photo/China Tibet Online]
The Gyirong Port will be opened wider to the outside world in October this year featuring its “ancient path, land port and folk customs” thanks to its geographical advantage. And it will become an important channel for international tourists to visit China, reported by the Tibet Daily.
The Gyirong Port is 78 kilometers away from the south of Gyirong County in the Shigatse Prefecture and 24 kilometers away from the Rasog Village located along the border between China and Nepal. In Chinese history, the Gyirong Port is one of the biggest land trading ports between China and Nepal. It is renowned as the “commercial road”, “official road” and “war road” because of its long history of foreign trade. In October of 1961, the State Council of China decided to set up Gyirong Customs as well as gave permission to the opening of the port. The Gyirong Port was confirmed as the national level overland trading port in 1978.
According to the Master Plan of Gyirong Port in Shigatse Prefecture, the Gyirong County will become an important tourist destination in Shigatse and a mountain resort.
Daman People living in the Gyirong County are dancing with joy. [Photo/China Tibet Online]
Historically, the Gyirong Valley was the only path on the “ancient road connecting the Tubo Kingdom and Nepal” when the pedestrians headed for Nepal from Lhasa. The ancient road was opened in the early Tang Dynasty (A.D.618-907), and became an important channel for cultural and trade exchanges with the Central Plain and South Asia. In history, this ancient road had welcomed Princess Bhrikuti from Nepal who married Srongtsen Gampo, Wang Xuance who was the imperial envoy of Tang Dynasty sent on a diplomatic mission to India, as well as Shantarakshita and Padma Sambhava who both went to Tibet for preaching Buddhism. Until Qing Dynasty (A.D.1616-1912), the road was still a major international way to South Asia. It boasts a unique ancient road culture.
Gyirong, as the backyard for Mt. Qomolangma, boasts snow mountains, pastoral forests, lakes, canyons, rivers and pastures. By then Gyirong will be presented as the “roof of the world tourist attraction and international holiday town”. Gyirong will become an important channel for international tourists to enter China with the expanded Gyirong Port.
