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38-586: Dazi means "Tiger peak" in Tibetan. It was founded in 1354. Dazi District was established in 1959. The district lies on both sides of the middle reaches of the Lhasa River . It is 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the east of the city of Lhasa in Chengguan District . Zhanang County is to the south, Maizhokunggar County to the east and Linzhou County to the north. The total area of the district

76-473: Is 1,373 square kilometres (530 sq mi). It has an average elevation of 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) above sea level, and descends from higher ground in the north and south to 3,730 metres (12,240 ft) in the lowest part of the Lhasa river valley. Dazi is in a semi-arid plateau monsoon climate zone. The average temperature is 7.5 °C (45.5 °F), with about 130 days free of frost. Average rainfall

114-573: Is 450 millimetres (18 in). Dagzê District includes one town and five townships. The district seat is Dêqên Town , which had a population of 7,382 in 2003. As of 2013 the total population was 29,152. Most of the people are ethnic Tibetan but there are some Han people and other ethnic minorities. The main occupation is agriculture, including production of wheat, barley, rapeseed, potatoes and other vegetables. Livestock include yaks, cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks. Pigs are also farmed, mainly indoors. As of 2012 per capita income of farmers and herdsmen

152-629: Is approximately at 3,200 metres (10,500 ft). Sedimentary sandstone rocks found near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa contain grains of magnetic minerals that record the Earth's alternating magnetic field current. The basin of the Yarlung River, bounded by the Himalayas in the south and Kang Rinpoche and Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains in the north, has less severe climate than the adjacent northern (and higher-altitude) parts of Tibet, and

190-461: Is at an elevation of 13,390 feet (4,080 m) above sea level. The project includes a reservoir and a power station with potential annual generating capacity of 599 million kilowatt hours. The project, also called the Pangduo hydro project, impounds 1,170,000,000 cubic metres (4.1 × 10  cu ft) of water. It is planned to irrigate 435.2 square kilometres (168.0 sq mi). Damming of

228-547: Is home to most of the population of the Tibetan Autonomous Region . The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon , formed by a horse-shoe bend in the river where it leaves the Tibetan Plateau and flows around Namcha Barwa , is the deepest, and possibly longest canyon in the world. The Yarlung Tsangpo River has three major waterfalls in its course. The largest waterfall of the river, the "Hidden Falls",

266-594: Is irrigated. There are 1,850,000 hectares (4,600,000 acres) of grasslands that may be used for pasturage, and 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of forest. The Lhasa River is the longest of the Yarlung Tsangpo tributaries. It flows through the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and is a left tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo. It is about 450 kilometres (280 mi) long. The river forms where three smaller rivers converge. These are

304-592: Is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region , China . It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The upper section is also called Dangque Zangbu meaning "Horse River." Originating at Angsi Glacier in western Tibet, southeast of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar , it later forms the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon before passing into the state of Arunachal Pradesh , India . Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh,

342-552: Is navigable from its mouth on the Yarlung Tsangpo up to the city of Lhasa and to altitudes of up to 2,650 metres (8,690 ft). Intensive melting of snow and glaciers starts in May, contributing 20–30% of the water. The bulk of the water is supplied by the summer monsoon rains, which fall from July to September. There are floods in the summer from July to September, with about 17% of the annual runoff flowing in September. In winter

380-555: Is semi-arid monsoon, with a low average temperature of 1.2 to 7.5 °C (34.2 to 45.5 °F). Average annual precipitation is 466.3 millimetres (18.36 in), with 85% falling in the June–September period. Annual runoff is 10,550,000,000 cubic metres (3.73 × 10  cu ft). Water quality is good, with little discharge of sewage and minimal chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The basin has about 35,258 hectares (87,120 acres) of farmland, of which 17,710 hectares (43,800 acres)

418-502: Is the largest tributary of the middle section of the Yaluzangbu River . The average altitude of the basin is around 4,500 metres (14,800 ft). The basin has complex geology and is tectonically active. Earthquakes are common. The river basin is the center of Tibet politically, economically and culturally. As of 1990 the population was 329,700, of whom 208,700 were farmers. 88% of the people were ethnic Tibetans. The climate

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456-644: The Ganges , which in Bangladesh is called the Padma . When leaving the Tibetan Plateau , the river forms the world's largest and deepest canyon, Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon . The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world. Its longest tributary is the Nyang River . Major tributaries of Yarlung Tsangpo include Nyangchu River, Lhasa River , Nyang River , and Parlung Tsangpo . In Tibet

494-756: The Zhikong Hydro Power Station in Maizhokunggar County began in May 2003. The reservoir is at an elevation of 12,660 feet (3,860 m) above sea level. The project cost 1.37 billion yuan. The dam impounds 225,000,000 cubic metres (7.9 × 10  cu ft) of water. The 100 MW power station came into operation in September 2007. The Pondo Water-Control Project dammed the Lhasa River in Lhünzhub County . Work started in 2008, and progressed on schedule. It

532-560: The 7th century Tibetan ruler. Lhasa River The Lhasa River , also called Kyi Chu ( Tibetan : སྐྱིད་ཆུ་ , Wylie : sKyid chu , Chinese : 拉薩河 ; pinyin : Lāsà hé ), is a northern tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The Yarlung Tsangpo is the upper section of the Brahmaputra River . The Lhasa River is subject to flooding with

570-426: The Lhasa River. The Liuwu Bridge was constructed across the Lhasa River to link central Lhasa to Lhasa railway station on the south bank. The 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) bridge was completed in 2007. In 2010 there was a small hydroelectric power station. Prior to 2011, waste water from Lhasa was discharged untreated into the river. A waste water treatment plant designed to process 50,000 tons of sewage per day

608-567: The Norbulingka from inundations by the Lhasa River, which was 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide after the monsoon. Harrer directed a work crew of 500 soldiers and 1,000 laborers paid by the government of Tibet. A fleet of 40 Yak skin boats were used to carry granite blocks extracted from a quarry upstream of the Norbulingka. Harrer mentions some difficulties. The Tibetans did not work as hard as westerners, and would stop to help worms when they found them. There were several hundred women working on

646-734: The Phak Chu, the Phongdolha Chu which flows from Damxung County and the Reting Tsangpo , which rises beyond the Reting Monastery . The highest tributary rises at around 5,290 metres (17,360 ft) on the southern slope of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains . In its upper reaches the river flows southeast through a deep valley. Lower down the river valley is flatter and changes its direction to

684-400: The clear and cool water. The cool temperatures, with the upstream reaches above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) freezing over at times, has the effect of delaying growth of fish such as Oxygymnocypris stewartii . The Tibetan plateau has thin air and clouds, which combined with the clear water gives strong illumination from a full moon. This may affect the fishes' circadian rhythm. In 2009 it

722-628: The coldest months of winter the temperature is above freezing on sunny days. A visitor described the valley around Lhasa in 1889 as follows, The plain over which we are riding is a wonderfully fruitful one. It is skirted on the south by the Kyi river, and is watered, moreover, by another smaller stream from the north, which flows into the Kyi ... some five miles west of Lhasa. All this land is carefully irrigated by means of dikes and cross-channels from both rivers. Fields of buckwheat, barley, pea, rape, and lindseed lie in orderly series everywhere. The meadows near

760-527: The county. The Dazi Bridge , built by the Highway Bureau of Xizang Autonomous Region in 1984, crosses the Lhasa River. It is a steel suspension bridge with a main span of 500 metres (1,600 ft) and a deck width of 4.5 metres (15 ft). In November 2014 it was reported that a new suspension bridge over the Lhasa River linking highway S202 to highway G318 was 80% complete, and would be opened to traffic in 2015. The total length including approaches

798-496: The gorge from 1973 on, had already taken pictures of the falls in 1987 from a helicopter. Since the 1990s the Yarlung Tsangpo River has been the destination of a number of teams that engage in exploration and whitewater kayaking . The river has been called the "Everest of Rivers" because of the extreme conditions of the river. The first attempt to run was made in 1993 by a Japanese group who lost one member on

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836-613: The right tributary of the Lhasa River, the Ti, which enters the river a few miles below Lhasa, was crossed by a very large and imposing bridge over a hundred yards long, with masonry piers and substantial stone embankments. McGovern also described the Yutok-sampa, or Turquoise Bridge, a structure with walls and a roof that crossed what had been the main Lhasa River but was now a stagnant canal. As late as 1984 kowas , yak hide boats similar to coracles, were being used to ferry passengers across

874-601: The river becomes far wider and is called the Siang. After reaching Assam , the river is known as the Brahmaputra . From Assam, the river enters Bangladesh at Ramnabazar. From there until about 200 years ago it used to flow eastward and joined the Meghna River near Bhairab Upazila . This old channel has been gradually dying. At present the main channel of the river is called Jamuna River , which flows southward to meet

912-448: The river flows through the South Tibet Valley, which is approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) long and 300 kilometres (190 mi) wide. The valley descends from 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) above sea level to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). As it descends, the surrounding vegetation changes from cold desert to arid steppe to deciduous scrub vegetation. It ultimately changes into conifer and rhododendron forest. The tree line

950-418: The river has low water, and sometimes freezes. Total flow is about 4 cubic kilometres (0.96 cu mi), with average flow about 125 cubic metres per second (4,400 cu ft/s). The Lhasa River has mean monthly water temperatures that range from about 1 to 14 °C (34 to 57 °F). Average water temperatures are 7.5 °C (45.5 °F). There are abundant species of fish that are adapted to

988-784: The river stream was completed in October 2011. The project was due to start operating its first generator in October 2013. The project involved a total investment of 4.569 billion yuan, or about 0.74 billion US dollars, and has been called the "Tibetan Three Gorges". It was built as part of the Western Development Strategy. The dam also supports flood prevention and water supply. Yaluzangbu River The Yarlung Tsangpo , also called Yarlung Zangbo ( Tibetan : ཡར་ཀླུངས་གཙང་པོ་ , Wylie : yar kLungs gTsang po , ZYPY : Yarlung Zangbo ) and Yalu Zangbu River ( Chinese : 雅鲁藏布江 ; pinyin : Yǎlǔzàngbù Jiāng )

1026-673: The river. In October 1998, a kayaking expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society attempted to navigate the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon . Troubled by unanticipated high water levels, the expedition ended in tragedy with the death of expert kayaker Doug Gordon . In January–February 2002, an international group consisting of Scott Lindgren, Steve Fisher, Mike Abbott, Allan Ellard, Dustin Knapp, and Johnnie and Willie Kern, completed

1064-434: The site. The soldiers did not fail to make jokes with them, to which they responded promptly. The site was often visited by members of the Tibetan government, who would give out silk scarves, and rewards were distributed to the workers. The total hydropower potential of the river basin is 2,560,000 kW. 83 medium and small hydroelectric plants had been built by 1989, delivering a total of 26,124 kW. Construction of

1102-472: The slopes of Wangbori Mountain at an elevation of 3,800 metres (12,500 ft), on the south bank of the Lhasa River in Dagze County. The mountain is said to have the shape of a reclining elephant. The monastery includes Buddha halls, palace residences, Buddhist colleges and other buildings. Dra Yerpa temple, on a hillside in Dagze County, is known for its meditation cave connected with Songtsän Gampo ,

1140-646: The southwest, The river expands to a width of 150 to 200 metres (490 to 660 ft). Major tributaries in the lower reaches include the Pengbo River and the Duilong River . At its mouth the Lhasa Valley is about 3 miles (4.8 km) wide. It enters the Tsangpo at a point where that river makes a sharp turn to the south, and which therefore seems to be a continuation of the Lhasa River. The river

1178-605: The summer monsoon rains, and structures have been built to control the floods. In its lower reaches the river valley is an important agricultural area. The city of Lhasa lies on the river. There are two large hydroelectric power stations on the river, the Zhikong Hydro Power Station (100 MW) and the Pangduo Hydro Power Station (160 MW) The Lhasa River drains an area of 32,471 square kilometres (12,537 sq mi), and

Dagzê, Lhasa - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-522: The water display the richest emerald-green pasturage. Groves of poplar and willow, in shapely clumps, combine with the grassy stretches to give in places a parklike appearance to the scene. Several hamlets and villages, such as Cheri, Daru, and Shing Dongkhar, are dotted over these lands. A fertile plain truly for a besieging army! William Montgomery McGovern wrote in To Lhasa in Disguise (1924) that

1254-538: Was 1,400 metres (4,600 ft), with the bridge being 727 metres (2,385 ft) long. The roadbed was 12 metres (39 ft) wide. The total investment was 88 million yuan. The main monasteries in Dagzê are Ganden Monastery and Yerpa . Gandain monastery was built after 1409 at the initiative of Je Tsongkhapa , founder of the Gelug sect, and is the most important of this sect. It is 57 kilometres (35 mi) from Lhasa on

1292-472: Was 6,740 yuan. A growing amount of fruit and greenhouse-grown organic vegetables, edible mushrooms and medicinal plants is being marketed under the "Dazi Pure" label. As a sideline people make ethnic handicrafts. In 2010 there were 28 schools in the county, including one junior high school and one kindergarten, with 276 full-time teachers. There is a district hospital and five township hospitals. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway ( China National Highway 318 ) runs through

1330-681: Was built on the left bank in 1409, about 35 miles (56 km) upstream from Lhasa. In 1416 the monastery of Chödra Chenpo Penden Drepung was built on the right bank near to the Neudzong fortress. The ruins of the Sne'u rdzong fortress are on the left bank of the river, opposite the Norbulingka summer palace of the Dalai Lamas in Lhasa. The climate in the central river valleys of Tibet is comparatively mild. They are warm in summer, and even in

1368-576: Was commissioned in July 2011. Before the Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China , the agricultural engineer Peter Aufschnaiter designed a dam on the Lhasa River to protect the palace of Norbulingka in the city of Lhasa from flooding, with a water supply canal to the city. Heinrich Harrer monitored the work. In 1948 Heinrich Harrer had to intervene to reinforce a dyke that protected

1406-485: Was not publicized in the West until 1998, when its sighting by Westerners was briefly hailed as a "discovery." They were even portrayed as the discovery of the great falls which had been the topic of stories told to early westerners by Tibetan hunters and Buddhist monks , but which had never been found by Western explorers at the time. The Chinese authorities contradicted, however, saying that Chinese geographers, who explored

1444-464: Was reported that fish caught in the lower reaches of the river had been decreasing slightly in size, probably due to increasing demand and construction of hydroelectric dams. The river valley is one of the main agricultural areas of Tibet. The city of Lhasa lies on its shore, and there are many Buddhist monasteries in the valley. Riwo Ganden Nampar Gyelpé Ling, the first fortress of the Gelukpa sect,

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