Chamdo
People's Republic of China · Asia
About Chamdo
Chamdo, officially Qamdo (Tibetan: ཆབ་མདོ, Wylie: chab mdo, ZWPY: qamdo) and also known in Chinese as Changdu, is a prefecture-level city in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Its seat is the town of Chengguan in Karuo District. Chamdo is Tibet's third largest city after Lhasa and Shigatse.
Chamdo is divided into 11 county-level divisions: one district and ten counties. The main district is Karuo District. Other counties include Jonda County, Gonjo County, Riwoche County, Dengqen County, Zhag'yab County, Baxoi County, Zognang County, Maarkam County, Lhorong County, and Banbar County.
Wang Qimei and Zhang Guohua led 40,000 People's Liberation Army soldiers in an attack against the 8,000 soldiers of the Tibetan Army defending Chamdo on 7 October 1950. Over 5,700 Tibetans died after fighting 21 battles by 19 October, and Provincial Governor Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme was captured. The fall of Chamdo resulted in the Tibetan government submitting to China's demands.
On 11 July 2014 Chamdo Prefecture was upgraded into a prefecture-level city.
Languages spoken in Chamdo include Khams Tibetan and the Chamdo languages...
Chamdo travel guide
Understand
As a capital of the former region of Kham, Qamdo has a rich history and heritage. On the banks of the Mekong River, this pleasant and laid back city is a logical place to take a break before traveling deeper into Tibet. Qamdo was the site of the Battle of Qamdo in 1950, in which the Tibetan Army lost to the People's Liberation Army force led by the future Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, resulting in Tibet losing its de facto independence and being incorporated into the People's Republic of China.
Go next
Neydo Tashi Choeling — the main monastery of Karma Chagme Rinpoche, the head of the Neydo Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism, is among stunning scenery near the village of Ngom, about three hours from Qamdo city.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.