Historic city · Cultural centre · Tibet
Shannan (Lhoka)
山南
The Yarlung valley, cradle of the Tibetan kings
Shannan, known in Tibetan as Lhoka, is a prefecture-level city in southern Tibet on the Yarlung Tsangpo south-east of Lhasa. The Yarlung valley around its seat, Tsetang, is regarded as the cradle of Tibetan civilisation: it holds Yumbulakhang, the tombs of the Tibetan kings and Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.
Key facts
Overview
Shannan occupies the middle course of the Yarlung Tsangpo and the valleys running south from it to the Himalaya and the borders with Bhutan and India. The Yarlung valley, a side valley running south from Tsetang, is where, according to Tibetan tradition, the first king descended from heaven and the first field was sown.
The region's monuments span Tibetan history from the legendary kings through the empire to the monasteries of the Nyingma school. Lhasa's airport lies within Shannan, at Gonggar, and Yamdrok Lake straddles its western edge.
Names and nicknames
洛卡
Chinese rendering of the Tibetan name Lhoka, “southern land”.
泽当
Tsetang, the main town and seat of the city government, in Nêdong district.
History
Tibetan tradition places the origins of the Yarlung dynasty here: Yumbulakhang is said to be the palace of Nyatri Tsenpo, the first king, and the fields of Sokha near Tsetang the first farmland in Tibet. The kings of Yarlung unified Tibet in the seventh century and moved their capital to Lhasa, but they were buried at Chongye, where large earthen mounds mark their tombs. Around 779 King Trisong Detsen founded Samye on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo. Tsetang later became the seat of the Phagmodrupa dynasty, which ruled central Tibet in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In 1676 the Nyingma monastery of Mindroling was founded. Shannan became a prefecture-level city in 2016.
legendary period
Yumbulakhang and the first king
Tradition names the hilltop tower as the first building in Tibet, palace of Nyatri Tsenpo; the present structure was rebuilt after the 1960s.
7th–9th century
Tombs of the Tibetan kings at Chongye
Burial mounds of the kings of the Tibetan empire, including by tradition that of Songtsen Gampo.
c. 779
Samye Monastery founded
The first monastery in Tibet, laid out as a model of the Buddhist cosmos; scene of the debate that, according to tradition, settled Tibet's orientation towards Indian Buddhism.
1354–1430s
Phagmodrupa rule
The Phagmodrupa family, based at Nêdong, replaced the Sakya as rulers of central Tibet.
1676
Mindroling Monastery founded
One of the six great monasteries of the Nyingma school.
2016
City status
The prefecture was converted into a prefecture-level city.
Landmarks
Historic site
Yumbulakhang
雍布拉康
Tall tower on a ridge above the Yarlung valley, traditionally the oldest building in Tibet.
Temple or shrine
Samye Monastery
桑耶寺
Mandala-plan monastery with a central temple, four coloured stupas and a circular wall, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo.
Temple or shrine
Trandruk Temple
昌珠寺
One of the earliest temples in Tibet, attributed to Songtsen Gampo, known for a thangka embroidered with pearls.
Historic site
Tombs of the Tibetan kings
藏王墓
Earthen burial mounds of the imperial kings in Chongye (Qonggyai) county.
Temple or shrine
Mindroling Monastery
敏珠林寺
Nyingma monastery in Dranang county, a centre of learning in Tibetan medicine, astronomy and calligraphy.
Neighbourhoods
Nêdong
乃东区
The central district, with Tsetang and the Yarlung valley.
Dranang
扎囊县
County on both banks of the river with Samye and Mindroling.
Gonggar
贡嘎县
County with Lhasa Gonggar International Airport.
Food
Tsampa
糌粑
Roasted barley flour, the staple of the Yarlung farming valleys.
Butter tea
酥油茶
Churned with yak butter and salt.
Chang
青稞酒
Barley beer, served at harvest and festival time.
Culture
Shannan's traditions are bound up with the origin myths of the Tibetan people — including the legend that they descend from the union of a monkey and a rock ogress on Gongpori mountain above Tsetang. The Nyingma school, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, is strong here, and Tsetang is known for weaving pulu woollen cloth. Harvest festivals (Ongkor) are held in the farming villages in late summer.
Mountains and nature nearby
Getting around
- Lhasa Gonggar International Airport lies within Shannan, on the road between Lhasa and Tsetang.
- An expressway follows the Yarlung Tsangpo valley from the airport to Tsetang; the Lhasa–Nyingchi railway has a station at Shannan.
- Samye is reached by road along the north bank of the river.
Day trips
Yamdrok Lake
羊卓雍错
Sacred lake in Nagarzê county on the road to Gyantse.
Lhamo La-tso
拉姆拉错
High oracle lake in Gyaca county, traditionally consulted in the search for a new Dalai Lama.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Shannan Municipal People's Government — Shannan Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Tibet — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Tibet
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