740 LHASA AND CENTRAL TIBET. 



Gushi-khan it served as the residence of the governor of Tibet, 

 Tszangbo, who, after a long resistance, was conquered and killed. The 

 castle is now in a semideserted condition, and prisoners sentenced to 

 die are thrown from its roof to the rock below. 



About 50 miles from Shigatsze, in the valle}" of the Nj^angchu, lies 

 one of the old cities of Tibet, Gyantsze, which is a very convenient 

 place on the commercial road to India from Lhasa and Shigatsze. 

 From the religious standpoint it is famous for its great religious 

 structure, Cho(d) den-gomang, five stories high, with many rooms 

 and various objects of interest, especially ancient statues of Buddha. 

 Commercially the city is known for the manufacture of rugs and 

 cloths. 



Up to the recent past the Tibetans made rugs of only one-colored 

 wool in narrow strips, but now they weave, according to Chinese sam- 

 ples, continuous rugs with designs, which are much inferior in elegance 

 to the Chinese, but in firmness much superior to them, as thc}^ are 

 made of pure wool. We must assume that rug manufacture in Tibet 

 could be considerably developed on account of the cheapness of labor 

 and of sheep's wool. 



The monastery of Samye is on the U^ft bank of tlie river Brahma- 

 ])utra, about 05 miles southeast of Lhasa. It is the oldest of Tibetan 

 monasteries, having been established at the beginning of the ninth 

 century A. u. by the famous preacher of Buddhism in Tibet, Padma 

 Samba va, and the Khan Tirsong-detszan. Its conspicuous feature is a 

 five-story temple, a mixture of Tibetan and Indian architecture. The 

 latter is evident by the fact that the top story is without columns, a 

 feature so prominent in Tibetan style. This monastery, with its 300 

 monks, is maintained at the expense of the Dalai Lama treasury, and 

 the idols are distinguished for their comparative cleanliness and care 

 in the make-up. 



About 20 miles east of Samye, on the right bank of the river Brah- 

 maputra, at the mouth of the fruit-producing valley Yarlung, lies the 

 city of Tsetang (or Chetang), famed for the production of cloths, knit- 

 ting, and the 3^ellow monk hats. According to tradition, the first 

 ruler of Tibet, Niatri-tszangbo, was found in the vicinity of this city 

 and sot upon the throne. The place occupies a favorable point on the 

 road from Bhutan to Lhasa, as it enters the valley of the river Tszang. 

 On the border of Bhutan lies the city of Tszona, where there is a 

 market each spring that attracts many merchants from Lhasa. 



Passing now to the government of Central Tibet, the dependence 

 upon China is made evident by the Peking Court appointment of a 

 Manchu resident to manage the highcn- government. At the head of 

 the local self-government stands the Dahii Lama as the spiritual and 

 secular head of Central Tibet. 



