A Land of Beauty and Purity

A Tibetan autonomous pre- fecture in western Sichuan， Garze means “a land of beauty and purity” in the Tibetan language. Situated in southeastern QinghaiTibet Plateau， Garze sharply contrasts the plains areas of eastern Sichuan in terms of geography， culture， and folk customs. Covering a total area of 153，000 square kilometers， the prefecture administers 18 counties and is home to 25 ethnic groups. Thus， it is understandable that Garze has long been a place with rich cultures， diverse languages and religions.

For tourists， Garze is certainly worth exploring. It is home not only to top international tourism destinations such as Daocheng Yading and the core area of Shangri-La， but also to intangible cultural heritage such as Tibetan woodblock printing and thangka painting.

Daocheng Yading actually refers to Yading Nature Reserve in Daocheng County. In 1928， American botanist and explorer Joseph Rock arrived there and later published an article and pictures of the place to introduce Yading to the world. The most renowned attractions of Yading are three holy peaks， which were said to be blessed in the 8th century by Buddha Padmasambhava when he projected his divine light onto the range and named the peaks. The southern peak， Jambeyang， and the eastern one， Chanadorje， both stretch up 5，958 meters. The northern peak， Chenresig， reaches 6，032 meters. Many Tibetans long to embark on a pilgrimage to this holy range. Another must-visit attraction in Garze is Dege Sutra Printing House in Dege County. Dege is one of three cradles of Tibetan culture in China， along with Lhasa（Tibet） and Labrang （Gansu）. The county is particularly famous for the printing house， which boasts a most comprehensive and complete collection of Tibetan cultural documents in the world， along with a wealth of ancient frescos and printing plates preserved within an age-old building. However， local Tibetan cultural experts argue that the popular name of the printing house isn’t quite fit， stressing that locals call it ‘Percetakan，’ which in Tibetan connotes a printing house， document library， and cultural palace.

The best time to visit Garze is June and July. Since tourism in the prefecture hasn’t been fully developed， accommodations in some areas are fairly humble. However， for the same reason， the natural scenery and flavors are better preserved， making it an ideal destination for restless explorers.