Nestled in chains of mountains, Gyantse Town
is situated in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region. At 4,040 meters above
sea level, it covers a small area of 4.5 square meters and has a population of
about 10,000. It was proclaimed as a historical and cultural city by the State
Council.
Gyantse means the zenith of success in the
Tibetan language. Because the Nianchu River flowed via it, the area of Gyantse
was called Nian. The ancient town of Gyantse has a history of six to seven
hundred years. For it is the place people must pass from Shakya, Shigatse and
Yangdong Pass to Lhasa and vice versa, and abounds in local products, Gyantse
has long been the gathering place for Buddhists, merchants and tourists, and
enjoyed much fame in Tibet.
The Palkor Monastery is the symbolic
architecture of Gyantse, and is reputed as the One Hundred-Thousand-Buddha
Tower. Built in the period when various sects stood up to one another nip and
tuck, the monastery is characterized by the peaceful coexistence of these sects,
each of which has six to seven halls.
On one side of the Palkor Monastery stands a
white tower that is famous far and wide in the globe. It is 32 meters high, with
108 doors and 77 niches. It is said that there are altogether more than 100,000
Buddha statues engraved on the tower; hence the name "One
Hundred-Thousand-Buddha Tower."
Gyantse is rich in local products and enjoys
convenient transportation. It is worth the title of city of heroes. A fierce
fight against British invasion once occurred here. In 1904, British army
intruded here, the local people built up an emplacement on Zongshan Mountain and
launched a heroic bloody battle with the enemy with locally made canons, guns,
swords and arrows. The battle lasted eight months, and finally all fighters died
game jumping from the cliff and wrote a splendid, solemn and stirring chapter in
the history.
The replacement that was used to fight
against British invasion still stands on Zongshan Mountain. In order to
commemorate the historic event, people set up the monument for the martyrs who
jumped from the cliff. The film Red River Valley drew its materials from
this historical story.