Jiegu Town

Jiegu Town

Jiegu Town is located in the canyon area on the southern bank of the Tongtian River in southern Qinghai Province. It serves as the seat of both the People's Government of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Yushu County. Accessible via National Highway 214, it lies 818 kilometers from Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, and is a historical and cultural as well as scenic tourism destination.

It serves as a vital transportation hub and goods distribution center connecting Qinghai with Sichuan and Tibet. Since ancient times, it has been a key route linking Tibet, Sichuan, and inland China, and was an important town along the ancient Tang-Tibet Highway. Historically, it was the mandatory passage for cultural and trade exchanges, religious dissemination, and diplomatic missions between the Tang Dynasty and the Tibetan Empire. More than 1,300 years ago, Princess Wencheng, who was married off to Tibet, and later Princess Jincheng, both passed through Jiegu, leaving behind numerous historical relics. Before liberation, Jiegu was a major trade and distribution hub among Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibet. Each year, 90,000 loads of tea dispatched from Xichang were routed through Jiegu, where they were then distributed to Lhasa in Tibet and various Tibetan areas in southern Qinghai. Goods imported from India via Lhasa—such as products from the UK, Germany, and India—were also dispatched from Jiegu to Xining, southern Qinghai Tibetan areas, eastern Tibet, and western Sichuan Tibetan areas. The buildings lining the streets all feature strong ethnic characteristics, and shops and markets are filled with a dazzling array of tourist souvenirs, such as Tibetan knives, thangkas, and traditional Tibetan Buddhist deity masks and other handicrafts. Jiegu is also the largest trading market for caterpillar fungus and Tibetan mastiffs in the Tibetan region. The central square of Jiegu is the town’s iconic landmark. In the center of the wide and tidy square stands a magnificent 24-meter-tall bronze statue of King Gesar riding his horse. The Jiegu Horse Racing Ground is located on the open grassland of Zhaxikuo, 3 kilometers west of the town. On July 25th each year, traditional local events are held here. During the seven-day festival, various equestrian performances, folk songs and dances, religious dances, and cultural activities take place. The tent city, Khampa songs and dances, Khampa costumes, and ethnic equestrian performances are known as the four wonders of the event. About 99% of Jiegu’s residents are Khampa Tibetans, who differ significantly from other Tibetan regions in terms of clothing, food, housing, transportation, language (accent), and lifestyle. The world-renowned Khampa songs and dances, colorful Khampa costumes, and the mysterious and profound culture of Tibetan Buddhism form the magical landscape of Khampa Tibetan culture. Pilgrims from near and far who visit the local Jiegu Monastery and Changu Monastery have further enhanced Jiegu’s fame.

Streets of Jiegu Town: As the seat of the prefectural and county governments, Jiegu Town is located in the eastern part of the county. It has a population of 23,000, with Tibetans making up 79% of the total. Covering an area of 807.7 square kilometers, it administers three neighborhood committees—Town East, Town South, and Town North—and eleven pastoral committees: Unity, Red Guard, Liberation, Democracy, Pioneer, Leap Forward, Victory, East Wind, Advance, Gandar, and Guoqing. Established as the district-level Jiegu City in 1951, it became the First XiaoGe (district) in 1952, was designated as Jiegu Town in 1956, transformed into the Hongqi Commune in 1958, reverted to Jiegu Township in 1963, was reinstated as Jiegu Town in 1965, and underwent further changes in 1972... Detailed information about the streets of Jiegu Town++