Chengguan (; ) is a major town in the historical region of Kham in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is the seat of Karub District and Chamdo Prefecture, and had a population of 45,861 in 2010. It is located about east of Lhasa. By road, the distance is via the southern route or via the northern route.Distances calculated acc. to "China Road Atlas, Zhongguo Gaosugonglu Ji Chengxiang Gongluwang Diutuji", Renmin Jiaotong Chunbanshe, Beijing 2006, p. 338. It is at an altitude of at the confluence of the rivers Za Qu and Ngom Qu which form the Lancang River (Mekong).
At the turn of the 20th century it had a population of about 12,000, a quarter of whom were monks.Buckley and Straus 1986, p. 215.
Galden Jampaling Monastery
Chengguan was visited by Je Tsongkhapa in 1373 who suggested a monastery be built there. Galden Jampaling Monastery was constructed between 1436 and 1444 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa, Jansem Sherab Zangpo.Gruschke 2004, p. 36f. It is also known as the Changbalin or Qiangbalin Si Monastery. At its height it contained five main temples and housed some 2,500 monks.According to tradition there were 3,000 monks with Jangsem Sherab Zangpo when establishing the monastery, and more than 2000 at the beginning of the 19th century (cp. Gruschke 2004, p. 37). It was destroyed in 1912 but the main hall (which was used as a prison) and two other buildings survived, and it was rebuilt in 1917 after the Tibetan army retook Chengguan. It now houses about 800 monks.Buckley and Straus 1986, p. 216.Mayhew and Kohn 2005, p. 241.
Climate Chengguan experiences a climate that is a transition between a humid continental and subtropical highland climate (Köppen Dwb and Cwb), with warm, wet summers and very dry, frosty winters. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, with an annual mean of . Due to the high elevation, the diurnal temperature variation is large throughout the year, averaging annually.
Transportation China National Highway 214 China National Highway 317 Qamdo Bangda Airport
Notable people Qiangba Puncog, politician
See also History of Tibet
References
Further reading Buckley, Michael and Straus, Robert (1986): Tibet: a travel survival kit, Lonely Planet Publications. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. . Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2011). China's Ancient Tea Horse Road. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B005DQV7Q2 Gruschke, Andreas (2004): Chamdo town in: The Cultural Monuments of Tibet’s Outer Provinces: Kham - vol. 1. The TAR part of Kham, White Lotus Press, Bangkok 2004, pp. 36–45. Mayhew, Bradley and Kohn, Michael. (2005). Tibet. 6th Edition. Lonely Planet.