Tibetan woman wearing traditional hat of lamb fur, Tibet 2013
Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157635937209655/show
The capital town of Dardo county Dartsedo (Ch Kangding), lies deep within a gorge at the confluence of the Gyeto chu and Yakra chu tributaries which form the Dardo River.It was formerly the capital of the Chakla Kingdom - one of the five independent kingdoms of Kham, under the hereditary authority of the Chakla Gyelpo. The town prospered as the centre for the tea trade between Tibet and China. Traders would travel long distances, carrying herbal medicines from the Tibetan plateau to sell in exchange for the tea grown in the Ya`an region, which appealed to the Tibetan palate when blended with salt and butter. The main streets were flanked by large tea warehouses. Nowadays, the profitable tea trade continues, but the town has grown into a large city, containing the Kandze prefectural government as well as the locall Dardo county administration. In the past Dartsedo always had the air of a frontier town where Chinese and Tibetans would intermingle. However, the Chinese element of the population has grown considerably in recent years, far outweighing the indigenous element.
Tibetan woman wearing traditional hat of lamb fur, Tibet 2013
Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157635937209655/show
The capital town of Dardo county Dartsedo (Ch Kangding), lies deep within a gorge at the confluence of the Gyeto chu and Yakra chu tributaries which form the Dardo River.It was formerly the capital of the Chakla Kingdom - one of the five independent kingdoms of Kham, under the hereditary authority of the Chakla Gyelpo. The town prospered as the centre for the tea trade between Tibet and China. Traders would travel long distances, carrying herbal medicines from the Tibetan plateau to sell in exchange for the tea grown in the Ya`an region, which appealed to the Tibetan palate when blended with salt and butter. The main streets were flanked by large tea warehouses. Nowadays, the profitable tea trade continues, but the town has grown into a large city, containing the Kandze prefectural government as well as the locall Dardo county administration. In the past Dartsedo always had the air of a frontier town where Chinese and Tibetans would intermingle. However, the Chinese element of the population has grown considerably in recent years, far outweighing the indigenous element.