Xigazê

Xigazê, also spelled Shigatze, Chinese (Pinyin) Rikaze or (Wade-Giles romanization) Jih-k’a-tse, city, south-central Tibet Autonomous Region, western China. Situated on a well-defended height (elevation 12,800 feet [3,900 metres]) overlooking the confluence of two rivers in one of the most fertile valley areas of Tibet, it is the traditional centre of the area known as Tsang or Houtsang on the Nepal border.

The Tashilhunpo monastery, built at Xigazê in 1447, is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama. The area was brought under the control of Lhasa, capital of Tibet, in the 1920s, when the Panchen Lama fled to China after a disagreement with the Dalai Lama. Since 1951 the area around the city has been intensively cultivated (wheat and barley), and communications have been improved. Highways provide the main transportation for the city east and northeast to Lhasa and Nag Qu, south to Yadong (Xarsingma) via Gyangzê, and west to Ngari with a separate line southwest to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Some minor industries have been developed in the area, including a hydroelectric power station north of the city at Tanghe.

Xigazê has been designated by the national government as one of China’s historical and cultural cities. The Tashilhunpo is one of the largest monasteries in Tibet. It and other monasteries and cultural sites in and around the city attract many tourists every year. In addition, Xigazê is on the northern access route to the Mount Everest (Qomolangma) region. Pop. (2000) 46,060.