Gadong Town, Bailang County, Xigaze City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Gadong town

Gadong town belongs to Bailang County, Xigaze City, Tibet. Located in the north of the county. Gadong means "favorite baby village" in Tibetan. It was once known as gadong club. The township was established in 1960, the commune was changed in 1970, the township was restored in 1984, and the bailangxue township was incorporated in 1988.

The total area is 210.56 square kilometers. It has jurisdiction over 14 village committees and 25 natural villages with a total population of 8506 (2017), all of which are Tibetans. The main mountains are guilang, zongsa and so on. Tuanjie canal system runs through the whole territory. The economy is dominated by agriculture, supplemented by animal husbandry. There are 1080.5 hectares of arable land, crops mainly highland barley, wheat, rape, peas and so on. Animal husbandry mainly raises yak, sheep, goat, etc. It is rich in Fritillaria, Saussurea, Plantago, Coptis chinensis, angelica, etc. There are two primary schools and health centers in the town. Mayi village, where the town government is located, has more than 400 households and a population of about 3800, which is the largest rural township in Tibet.

brief introduction

Now there are branches of Agricultural Bank of China, town health center, post office, police station and so on Gadong Temple experienced Ningma school, Kaju school and Sakya school, and Gelu school became popular in the middle of the 17th century. There are rare treasures in the world in the temple, that is, the two bones of the fourth member of the temple in kambusan buqinbu and the head of Kongyang mother Sisa Quzhen. There are five tiny Buddha statues of Sakyamuni, Guanyin Bodhisattva, wuliangguang Buddha, Dharma protector and Tara around the bone seam at the upper end of the right radius of sambuqinbu; there are tiny Buddha statues of Sakyamuni and four white relics at the upper end of the left tibia; there are three Tibetan letters and Tara statues on the head of Quzhen, the incarnation of Tara. The original gadong temple has been destroyed and rebuilt in 1985. Buddha statues such as Sakyamuni, three masters and disciples of zongkaba, and Tara are worshipped in the temple. Every year on July 29 of the Tibetan calendar, the temple holds a "exorcism" ceremony.

Characteristic products

Gadong boots is a bright pearl of plateau ethnic costumes, which plays an important role in the development history of Tibetan boots and is the source of the development of boots in post Tibetan areas. It is an excellent folk handicraft culture in Tibetan areas, and it is also the main source of family income

historical value

Gadong boots contain the long-standing habits of local people's life and labor, and inherit the ancient national handicraft technology. At the same time, gadong boots represent the source of the earliest rise of houzang boots. Before the liberation of Tibet, this product was only used by the upper class and major temples in Tibet. At that time, boots were just "moon in the water, flower in the mirror" for ordinary people. After liberation, the number of artists gradually went to the families of ordinary people, but they did not integrate into the grassroots society in a large area. Until the general improvement of people's living standards in the 20th century, a new wave of traditional ethnic costumes was aroused in Tibet. In the past, ordinary people had no right to wear boots. People could have what they wanted, and boots naturally became people's lifestyle The first choice for small festivals. The demand for boots is increasing rapidly and the market prospect is broad. On the other hand, the development of gadong boots reflects the life of the local people in the new and old times, which has high appreciation value and historical research value. The development process of boots is a living history of millions of serfs turning over to be the masters of the country.

economic value

Gadong boots play an important role in increasing the family income for the local people. The farmer cooperative of gadong boots, led by BA sangciren, a disciple of boots, has been established. Its members are all famous craftsmen in the local area. They have begun to change their ideas, regard the boot making industry as a profession, learn and consolidate the traditional technology of gadong boots making industry, and cultivate their talents A generation of successors, with all the scattered forces gathered together to drive all the forces that can be driven by the surrounding areas, break the original mode of self-sufficiency and step into a broad market economy.

pragmatic value

Boots have become an indispensable part of Tibetan traditional costumes in the new era. As a kind of boots, gadong boots are not only a necessary Festival Dress for the people in pastoral areas and major temples, but also a favorite tourist souvenir for tourists at home and abroad.

artistic value

Gadong boots has a long history and strong national and local characteristics. It represents the life of farmers and herdsmen in the Wei Zang area, reflects the Tibetan character, and can understand the history of the whole boot manufacturing industry from the side.