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, at an altitude of 3,900 meters (12,800 feet), is Tibet's second largest city, with a population of over 50,000.

Shigatse is located mostly between the middle of the Himalayas and the middle of the Kangdese-Nyainqentanglha ranges. The southern and northern terrains are high, while the South Tibet Plateau and the Yarlung Zangbo River constitute the low-lying middle area. Formed basically of high mountains, wide valleys, lakes and basins, this land has a varied topography with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters. It is one of Tibet's richest farming areas. Barley, rape seed, wheat, beans and many varieties of vegetables colour the valley with all shades of green in summer, and with bright yellow patches in June and July, when the rape flower is in bloom.

There are wonderful monasteries comparable with those in Lhasa, like Tashilhunpo, Sakya and Shalu. The highlight of Shigatse is surprisingly high snow capped peaks. Most of the highest peaks in Tibet, including Mt. Everest, are around Shigatse, in Shigatse city.

Today, as with all sizeable Tibetan towns, an undistinguished, modern, Chinese section equals the old town in size. Shigatse forms a horseshoe around a rocky prominence that was formerly topped by an awesome fortress. At the western tip, beneath Mt Drolmari, lies Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the panchen lamas and one of Tibet's four greatest monasteries.


Tashilhunpo Monastery
Tashilhunpo Monastery is one of the Six Big Monasteries of Gelugpa in Tibet, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means: "all fortune and happiness gathered here" or "heap of glory". Founded by the First Dailai Lama in 1447, the monastery's structure was expanded by the Fourth and successive Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo is the seat of the Panchen Lama since the Fourth Panchen Lama took charge in the monastery, and there are now nearly 800 lamas.

Visitors can find The Maitreya Chapel by strolling into the monastery on the west side of Tashilhunpo. One can find the biggest statue of a sitting Maitreya Buddha inside the chapel. The statue stands 26.2 meters high and is decorated with gold, copper, pearl, amber, coral, diamond and other precious stones. The statue was handcrafted by 900 craftsmen in 9 years. The chapel has been divided into five floors. Visitors can tour the upper floors of the chapel using a wooden staircase to see the statue more clearly and appreciate the superb skill of the Tibetans.

Besides the grand palace and gigantic statues, the Tashilhunpo Monastery also treasures characteristic wall paintings. Because of the variety of shapes, resplendent colors and exquisite painting, the murals are considered to be another masterpiece of Buddhist art. they are of great significance for the research into the ancient culture in Tibet and the history of the relationship between the Tibetan and the Han people.

Shalu Monastery
The Shalu Monastery, meaning "new bud" in Tibetan, is located 20 kilometers south of Shigatse. Chetsun Sherab Jungnay founded the monastery in 1040.

The monastery is architecturally distinctive. In 1329, an earthquake destroyed the monastery. In 1333, Buton rebuilt it under the patronage of the Chinese Mongolian emperor. Since many Chinese Han artisans participated in rebuilding the monastery, combining the local Tibetan style with that of Chinese Yuan Dynasty.

Shalu Monastery has four religious treasures. One is a sutra board, which is 700 years old and impossible to be reassembled if it is ever broken apart. A passage of sutra is printed on the board and is believed to bring good luck. The second treasure is a brass urn. It contains holy water that can cleanse away the 108 filths of human existence. The urn is usually sealed and covered with red cloth. The water is changed every 12 years. The third treasure is a stone basin that was once Chetsun Sherab Jungnay's washbasin. The fourth treasure is a stone tablet on which the mantra "om mani Padme Hum" is written and four dagobas are carved. It was discovered during the original construction of the monastery.

In Shalu Monastery, you encounter the most incredible view. Monks learned to raise their body temperature to a level that  they can resist coldness wearing least clothes.  In that process they run at a high speed to cover a long distance without rest.

Sakya Maonastery
This monastery is a "must " for visitors to Tibet. Sakya, meaning "Grey Soil" in Tibetan since the soil surrounding it is gray; its walls were painted in red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani respectively.

Sakya Monastery, is the first Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism created by its initiator Khon Konchog Gyalpo in 1073 from which Sakyapa rose and once ruled Tibet, occupied 14,700 square km.

The Main Chanting Hall, or Lakhang Chenmo, is the central construction of Sakya Monastery. It is supported by 40 pillars and four bigger ones are most outstanding. It is said that these four pillars were presents from the Yuan Emperor, a wild yak, a male tiger and Nereus.

Sakya Monastery not only records the history of the combination of religion and politics in Tibet, but also deemed as the sign that Tibet was brought into Chinese domain officially. The monastery has a colossal collection of highly valuable art pieces, including abundance handwriting sutra that is said that copied by all the Tibetan calligraphists organized by Basiba. Sakya's collection of treasures also contains 3,000 pieces of sutras that have thousands of years history. All these precious culture relics give Sakya Monastery a title: 'the Second Dunhuang'.

Palkhor Monastery
Palkhor Monastery, also named Palcho Monastery, is very different from other monasteries. It lies about 230 kilometers south of Lhasa and 100 east of Shigatse at the foot of Dzong Hill. Built as a Tibetan monastery, its structural style is very unique.

The monastery houses monks from the Gelugpa, Sakyapa and Kahdampa orders. The monastery is the only one known to house monks from different orders in harmony. As a result, its structural style, deities enshrined and murals are very special.

Palkhor also features its "Bodhi stupa", or "Kumbum" in Tibetan, which was built in 1412 and completed 10 years later. Deemed as the symbol of the monastery, the spectacular "stupa" consists of hundreds of chapels in layers, housing about a hundred thousand images of various icons. These icons include Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Dharma Kings, Arhats, Disciples, great adepts of different orders in Tibetan Buddhist history, and outstanding figures in Tibetan history such as Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen. In total there are about 3,000 statues, so it is called "Myriad Buddhas Stupa". Covering a space of 2,200 square meters, the "stupa" has a total of 108 gates and 77 chapels, each of which has a dominant religious figure and murals.

Its architecture fully represents a typical style of monasteries from thirteenth century to fifteenth century in Later Tibetan area, which is also the unique monasteries with both the temple and stupa being kept well today. So it is reputed as a monument of architecture period.

Dzong Fortress / Zongshan Site
The Dzong is Gyantse's town fort sitting upon a flat hill just north of the town center. The fort building rests strong and magnificent on the hill, but from various angles seems to be perched rather precariously over sharp cliffs. Wherever you are in Gyantse, the Dzong can be seen. The half hour climb up to the fort is well worth the effort and the spot offers fantastic vistas of the monastery compound to the north, the town below, and the surrounding valley. The fort is partly ruined, but there are still some things to see beyond the view. There is an intriguing Anti-British Imperialists Museum here displaying a version of the facts of the 1904 British invasion of Tibet and a major battle that took place. The British used massive firepower to defeat a much less powerful Tibetan army here and a part of the fort was blown up in the firefight.

Emplacements in the ruins still overlook the valley now. Dzong government of the feudal serf system is still well kept, gibing visitors a better understanding of the serf system in old Tibet Four steles erected by Qing ministers during the reign of Emperor Qianlong are well preserved.

Mt. Everest / Mount Qomolangma
Mt. Everest, also called Mount Qomolangma, is the highest peak in the world. Its Tibetan meaning of 'Goddess the Third' adds more mysterious color and magic power to the subject. Pilgrims trek long distances to present a pious worship, climbing enthusiasts run great risks to challenge its high altitude and the common tourists also yearn for a reverent look at this holy peak.

The altitude of Mt. Everest is now about 8,844.43 m. (29,017 ft.). It is the dominant peak of Himalayas, the northern brae in Dingri County of Tibet and the southern in the Nepal. The area has 4 peaks above 8,000 m. (26,247 ft.) and 38 peaks above 7,000 m. (22,965 ft.), hence the laudatory title 'the Third Pole of the Earth'.

As the supreme point of the world, Mt. Everest is also blessed with many extreme wonders. The top part of the mountain is covered with snow all the year round. When the glaring sun shines on the mountain, the peak is just like a white pyramid miraculously transformed by the Goddess, leading us to imagine her semblance further. More often than not, the thick freely moving clouds and fogs, seeming as if a flag with the mast of the peak was swinging, will shroud the peak. This peculiar phenomenon of Mt. Everest is known as 'Flag Cloud'. An additional wonder generated here are the bright glaciers, where ices are formed into various shapes like bridges, pagodas and others.

In recent years, more and more mountaineers start from the Everest Base Camp trying to conquer the world's highest peak while tourists trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty.

Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk monastery lies by the foot of the Rongbuk Glacier at 5,100 meters; it is the highest monastery in the world. Towing in the severely cold climate, it is the highest altitude monastery on the planet, also a vantage point for watching Mount Qomolangma. 

The Rongbuk Monastery itself was founded in 1902 by a Nyingmapa Lama in an area of meditation huts that had been in use by monks and hermits for over 400 years. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliff walls all around the monastery complex and up and down the valley. Many walls and stones, carved with sacred syllables and prayers, line the paths.

In previous times, the Monastery became very active with the teachings at certain times of the year. It was, and is, the destination of special Buddhist pilgrimages where annual ceremonies are held for spectators coming from as far as Nepal and Mongolia. These ceremonies were shared with the satellite monasteries across the Himalaya also founded by the Rongbuk Lama.

Walking forward from Rongbuk Monastery, you will see the famous Rongbuk Glacier Zone, which is the largest among all the hundreds of glaciers formed around the Mt. Everest.