Xinhua Agency, Lhasa, August 31Title: The snowy mountains and rivers are full of splendid chapters-Decoding a sample of cultural confidence in the famous snowy city of Shigatse

Xinhua Agency reporters Chu Guoqiang, Bai Mingshan, Li Jian

In the southwest corner of the motherland, the Himalayas stretch endlessly, and the Yarlung Zangbo River gallops endlessly. In the foothills of the mountains and a prosperous township by the river, it is Shigatse, Xizang, which has a history of more than 600 years.

The snowy mountains and rivers nurture a broad mind, history and humanities cultivate the feelings of family and country, and exchanges between China and foreign countries show an open attitude-Shigatse is an endless Thangka scroll and an endless ancient motto.

Tourists take photos in front of the Mount Everest Elevation Survey Monument. (Photo provided by respondents)

Tibetan legends that cannot be forgotten

"Angels who dream of finding the source of Tibetan opera here cannot forget the legend of their beautiful hometown..." The song "Dream of Searching for Tang Dongjebu" sung by Shigatse singer Tashi Pingcuo incorporates traditional Tibetan opera elements into pop music and deeply loved by young people in the snowy region.

The natural conditions of high altitude and hypoxia create in a unique way the artistic soul and open-minded mentality of people on the snowy plateau who can sing and dance well. Tibetan opera, known as "Ajram" in Tibetan, is a comprehensive art integrating rap, performance, song and dance, and literature. It has a history of more than 600 years. Born in Shigatse, Tang Dongjebu is known as the originator of Tibetan opera.

On January 22, 2023, at his home in Za Village, Zhaxizong Township, Laz County, Shigatse, Xizang, the children and grandchildren of the old man Cidan danced while playing the Za Nian Qin to celebrate the Tibetan Year of the Farmers. Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Sun Fei

In Qiongzi Township, Dingjie County, Shigatse City, the Mu Village Tibetan opera team composed of local opera fans has been performing for more than 70 years. Every major festival, this folk Tibetan opera team brings wonderful performances, enriching the spiritual life of farmers and herdsmen. In Shigatse, there are 86 Tibetan opera teams with performance scale, which are very popular among the masses.

Duixie in Lazi County, Luoxie in Dingri County, Guoxie in Kangma County, Qiangxie in Anren County... There are various "harmonies" in Shigatse City (meaning "song and dance" in Tibetan). In the name of "harmonies", the inheritors danced in the fertile land of Shigatse.

28-year-old Gesang Zhuoma learned from his father since he was a child, and now he has become the fifth generation inheritor of Lazi Duixie in Lazi County, Shigatse City. In rural open spaces, such scenes are often staged: Accompanied by the melody of the sixstring, the footsteps of a group of girls and boys are like musical notes, playing happy songs one after another.

With the inclusion of Lazi Duixie in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2008, this traditional singing and dancing with Tibetan characteristics with a history of more than 700 years has begun to take on a larger stage.

Shigatse is the second largest city in Xizang and an important cultural birthplace in Xizang. Shigatse,"embraced" by the Himalayas and Yarlung Zangbo, has formed a mysterious and colorful cultural scene over the long history: Tashilhunpo Temple and Sakya Temple have far-reaching influence; Jianggar Tibetan opera and Xiangba Tibetan opera have a long history; Tibetan knives, Tibetan incense, and Thangka are amazing.

Thangka, a new theme displayed at the Shigatse Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Center (photo taken on May 7, 2024). Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Qiu Xingxiang

Accurate proportion measurement, smooth lines, coordinated color matching, and fine painting... Thangka is known as the most complex and rigorous meticulous heavy color painting. It is a unique art form of painting in Tibetan culture.

As the fifth generation inheritor of the Thangka family, Gong Juejie, a painter in Lazi County, added elements of traditional Chinese painting to his creation and drew Thangka new themes such as "Flowers and Vases","Four Seasons Flowers" and "Gangrenboqi Scenery". He said: "The content of traditional Thangka is mainly religious. Only by continuously expanding the form and content of Thangka painting can traditional culture be 'brought alive'."

As more Thangka painters joined the ranks of innovation, Shigatse launched a "big production": starting from 2020, 80 painters gathered together to strive to draw a large Thangka with a length of 848.86 meters and a height of 2.5 meters., focusing on showing the local natural scenery, history and culture.

In recent years, Shigatse has insisted on simultaneously protecting, inheriting and utilizing, implemented excellent traditional cultural inheritance projects, and formed cultural tourism brands such as the Mount Everest Tourism and Culture Festival. Tibetan folk customs, traditional skills, song and dance competitions... traditional culture continues in innovation, allowing the cultural legend of this land to continue to write new glory.

The feelings of family and country that connect ancient and modern times

Walking in Shigatse, you can smell the aroma of butter, and the marks of exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups can be found everywhere.

The Shalu Temple, located in Shigatse, is a model of the integration of Han and Tibetan architectural art in ancient China. Its layout and walls are in Tibetan style. The wooden frame, double-eaves Xieshan roof and glazed tiles are Han-style elements. It is the most complete and largest surviving Han-Tibetan Yuan Dynasty temple building in Xizang.

This is the roof of Xialu Temple with double eaves and mountains, showing a typical Han-Tibetan fusion style (photo taken on May 8, 2024). Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Qiu Xingxiang

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that Xizang was jointly developed by all ethnic groups, the history of Xizang was jointly written by all ethnic groups, and exchanges between Tibetans and other ethnic groups have run through the historical development of Xizang.

Throughout the ages, the exchange and integration of national art has continued in Shigatse.

In June 2023, the program "Mountains and Seas", which combines Kunqu Opera and Tibetan opera, will be staged in Shigatse. Young Kunqu Opera artists from Shanghai performed on the same stage with traditional Tibetan opera actors. Kunqu Opera, the "ancestor of hundreds of operas", and ancient Xizang dramas, jointly presented an "audio-visual feast."

"Kunqu Opera and Tibetan Opera are both members of the Chinese drama family and are both exploring inheritance and development. Such exchange opportunities are extremely precious." Zhang Ran, a young Kunqu opera artist born in the 1990s, said.

This is the Zhumulari Snow Mountain taken from the Pari Grassland on August 1, 2024. Zhuomurari Snow Mountain is located in Pari Town, Yadong County, Shigatse City, Xizang, also known as "Shennu Peak." Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Jiang Fan

Xizang has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times and has been deeply imprinted in numerous cultural relics and art.

Tashilhunpo Monastery, which collects more than 30,000 cultural relics, was the place where the Panchen Lama stayed in Xi for generations. The gold volumes and gold seals of the Fifth Panchen Lama Erdeni, and the portraits of the Sixth Panchen Lama painted by court painters ordered by Emperor Qianlong... each cultural relic tells the story of the efforts of Tashilhunpo Temple and the Panchen Lama in previous dynasties to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. important role.

Saiba Dobqiong, deputy director of the Tashilhunpo Temple Management Committee, said: "A Tashilhunpo Temple is a history of safeguarding the unity of the motherland and national unity."

There is an Everest Guandi Temple in Gangga Town, Dingri County, at the foot of Mount Everest, which records the story of the Qing Dynasty general Fu Kang 'an repelled the Gurkha invasion and defended national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In modern times, the culture of Guandi in Xizang has reflected the obvious characteristics of the integration of Han and Tibet, and has been vividly reflected in aspects such as architectural layout, worship ceremonies and festivals, and believers.

Relying on the profound heritage of family and country, Shigatse has carried out the visual image project of Chinese culture, by creating revolutionary historical memorial facilities and sites, a themed exhibition on defending the country and guarding the border, a Shigatse branch of the Xizang Million Serfs Liberation Memorial Hall, and a patriotic education base. Continue to strengthen patriotism education in the new era.

This is the ancient city of Sakya in Sakya County, Shigatse. (Photo provided by respondents)

Shigatse is located at the forefront of the southwest border of the motherland. The border line is more than 1700 kilometers long and has an important strategic position.

For people in border areas, the national flag is not only a cultural symbol expressing patriotic feelings, but also a spiritual sustenance for guarding and protecting the border.

In Changguo Township, Saga County, where an average altitude exceeds 5000 meters, herdsmen form a border protection joint defense team. Every time a border patrol is carried out, the rider will plant a five-star red flag behind the motorcycle seat, becoming a unique scenery along the long border.

"Our border patrol is to fulfill our hometown responsibilities and fulfill our national mission." Shi Jiao, a 51-year-old captain of the Border Guard Joint Defense Team, said that local herdsmen are proud to participate in the Border Guard Joint Defense Team. Today, 103 people guard the 105-kilometer border, allowing the brilliance of the national flag to illuminate every corner of the border.

A lasting and open chapter

The ancient "hand-in-hand" between the Eurasian plate and the Indian Ocean plate created the Himalayas stretching for more than 2000 kilometers. There are 14 peaks in the world with an altitude of more than 8000 meters, 5 of which are located in Shigatse.

Geographical isolation cannot stop each other's communication. From the visits and exchanges of Buddhist monks in the fifth century AD, to the entry of Princess Chizun of Nepal into Tibet in the seventh century, to Nepal's participation in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in the new century, the destinies of countries are closely linked, and a magnificent picture of cultural exchanges has been jointly woven.

Jama Yangzong Glacier taken on August 24, 2024 (drone photo). The Jamayangzong Glacier in Zhongba County, Shigatse City, Xizang is the birthplace of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the "Mother River of Xizang." Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Ding Zengnida

In recent years, Shigatse, which has 5 land trade ports and 28 border exchange trade points, has a new mission-to build a central city open to South Asia.

The friendship between countries lies in the friendship between people. In May 2024, 110 Chinese merchants and 47 Nigerian merchants gathered in Chantang Town, Dingjie County, Shigatse City, witnessing the resumption of opening up of traditional China-Nepal border trade points.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that openness is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for world prosperity and development.

Facing the future, Shigatse is planning and building regional sub-central cities by building an international land port, and promoting international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with more open concepts and measures.

Trucks full of goods pass through the Geelong Port. (Photo provided by respondents)

"8,848.86 meters!" In 2020, China and Nepal jointly announced to the world the latest measurement results of the height of Mount Everest. For the first time, the teams of the two countries jointly built a global elevation benchmark for the Mount Everest region and completed the most scientific and innovative Mount Everest altimetry to date.

In 2023, in the river valley of the Shigatse section of the Yarlung Zangbo River, scientists from Europe and China's second Qinghai-Tibet scientific expedition team will jointly investigate the geological and environmental evolution of the relevant river valley areas. This international scientific expedition provides a new perspective for future geoscience cooperation.

In ancient legends in Shigatse, the moon was made of water by gods. "Sakya Motto" also writes about the ancients 'observation and imagination of the changes in the moon's phases nearly 800 years ago: "If the moon is eaten by the tengu, it will soon be relieved." Modern Shigatse is providing the world with a more scientific understanding of the moon.

The 40-meter aperture radio telescope in Shigatse, led by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is currently under construction in an orderly manner. It will serve the fourth phase of my country's lunar exploration project and more deep space exploration missions, and promote the development of radio astronomy scientific observation and research. In the future, a national astronomical observation and science education base will be built in the surrounding area to carry out international scientific cooperation.

Pity, sincerity, inclusiveness, openness and inclusiveness, based on Shigatse, the top of the world and the gateway to southwest China, continues to set new heights of international cooperation and write a new chapter of friendship from generation to generation.

"The smell of sandalwood in the Himalayas will be transported by the breeze." The philosophy contained in this 13th century Sakya motto is exuding a more fragrant aroma.