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Category: Nagqu Guide – Tibet

Dangyayongcuo Lake

Dangyayongcuo is located in the second village of Wenbu in northern Tibet and is near the ruins of the Xiangxiong Kingdom. It is 4,530 meters above sea level. It is one of the famous holy lakes in Tibet and the most important holy lake of Bon religion. There are not so many people here, the lake is clear, and the beauty here is unbelievable. Dangruoyongcuo in Nima, Tibet has the beautiful plateau scenery, the blue sky and white clouds, the lakes with the sea and the sky, and the unparalleled scenery, which makes people feel refreshed and have the urge to go to Tibet.

Dangyayongcuo Lake is shaped like a vajra, the upper circle is thinner and the lower one is long. It is surrounded by mountains and the snow on the top of the Daguo Snow Mountain in the south does not melt all year round. Because of its easy-to-defend and difficult terrain and good climate, it was once the seat of the Xiangxiong dynasty’s palace. It is one of the most concentrated areas of Xiangxiong relics in northern Tibet. It is a key to interpret the mystery of Xiangxiong culture and an important place to study Bon religion culture. Nowadays, the Wenbu area where Dangya Yongcuo is located is still one of the few Tibetans residences in Tibet who still believe in the primitive Bon religion. Dangya Yongcuo and the Daguo Snow Mountain opposite it are also the important sacred mountain and the holy lake for Bon religion.

This is the deepest lake in China, with a depth of 230 meters, which is 110 meters deeper than Nam Co. Because the depth of the lake is very deep, the color of the lake is also very pure and blue. Those who like Tibet must already know where this is. And this is Dangyayongcuo which is located in the south of Nima County.

The best place to view the scenery of Dangyayongcuo is in Wenbu Village. This small village was once known by some outdoor enthusiasts. With the arrival of paved roads, the number of tourists have gradually increased. Due to the high terrain of the village, almost every household can see Dangya Yongcuo. It would be great to stay here for a day and let yourself blend into the beautiful scenery!

Cuona Lake

Cuona Lake is the source of the Nu River. The rivers in the south of Cuona Lake in the Tanggula Mountains all merge into Cuona Lake and flow into the Nu River. Cuona Lake is 4800 meters above sea level and covers an area of about 300 square kilometers. It is a freshwater lake. Cuona Lake is a jewel on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Like Nam Co, this is a lake where believers often come to worship. Legend has it that it was once a bathing place for the Queen Mother of the West. In the eyes of the local Tibetan people, Cuona Lake is a “sacred lake”. In the Tibetan Year of the Dragon, thousands of believers will flock to Cuona Lake to worship. It is located in the heart of the Qiangtang Nature Reserve and is the habitat of rare wild animals on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

You can see Cuona Lake when you sit on the train on the Qinghai-Tibet line. There is a section that runs almost close to the shore of the lake. There is a Tibetan pasture by the lake. Flocks of yaks are foraging and resting on the grass. The modern super project and nature get along well here.

Cuona Lake is more beautiful than Nam Co. There is no pollution here, the lake water is clearer, the color of the lake is really super beautiful, and it is especially blue with two layers of color: one layer of dark blue and one layer of light blue, reflecting the beauty of the lake shore!

Cuona Lake is a very beautiful scenic spot, the scenery is very beautiful, the lake and the sky are blue and clear, the clouds are white, and the famous Qiangtang grassland in northern Tibet near the scenic spot is very beautiful. It should be noted that some places on the road are easily blocked and roads are still being built. In addition, you must prevent altitude sickness.

Cuona Lake is on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway section. When it is about to arrive in Lhasa, this dazzling blue attracts everyone’s attention. Although the train only stops for a short time and pedestrians could not get off the train, beyond the window, the blue lake is breathtaking.

Nagqu Horse Racing Festival

The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival is the grandest annual event in northern China’s Nagqu Prefecture, the largest prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region, aka Tibet, and indeed, the grandest annual event in all of northern Tibet. August is the golden season on the vast grasslands of Nagqu Prefecture, and the time when the grass is tallest and the weather is most accommodating to those who enjoy the great outdoors. Well in advance of the festival, Tibetan herdsmen and their families begin to trickle into the seat of the prefecture – also called Nagqu – from various parts of Tibet. They arrive on horseback still, bringing with them the tents and the furnishings which will provide them a ‘home away from home’ for the duration of the festival. As time passes, the trickle becomes a steady stream, the stream eventually a flood.

Once the tent is raised, life begins to take on the resemblance of normality, albeit, tinged with the excitement of the gathering of so many landsmen and the anticipation of the upcoming competitions. In the evening, the scene becomes almost picture-postcard idyllic, with the rays of the setting sun casting long shadows from the tents and lighting up the undulating waves of the sea of grass, smoke rises from the chimney-holes of tents as supper is made, children are playing beside flocks of sheep that are huddled closely together for the sake of safety, and horses can be seen drinking from the lake in the distance, or grazing on the tender shoots of dew-moistened grass nearby. Older boys and girls take advantage of the social gathering to meet and flirt, dancing the Tibetan Guoxie (“Village”) dance.

Dancing in Tibetan culture is a strange mix of the mystical and the joyous. Dancing is almost invariably combined with singing, and, as with the Guoxie dance, sometimes with the stamping of the foot to keep the beat. There are a couple of famous Tibetan sayings regarding song and dance: “Tibetans who can walk can also dance”, and “Tibetans who can talk can also sing.” Apparently most Tibetans are good at both walking and talking…

On the day of the opening ceremony, the people of the village of Nagqu and those from neighboring villages pour into the festival grounds from all four directions as the excitement heightens. Flagpoles are staked out to mark boundaries, their colorful flags fluttering against the vast blue sky. Then the horseback events begin, some involving sprints, some involving special riding skills such as concealing oneself on one side of the horse, leaning toward the ground to plant a spear or to pull up a flagpole, etc., and some involving bow and arrow feats while on horseback. There are also wrestling matches, which always attract large crowds; and there is of course lots of dancing, and as the day winds down, plenty of eating, drinking and merrymaking.

After the day of the opening ceremony, a number of more organized, longer-duration events take place. These include horse races, yak races, tugs of war, the Tibetan equivalent of a weight-lifting tournament (i.e., lifting and carrying mini-boulders of increasing size and weight), and, again as the day wears down, eating and drinking as well as dancing and singing performances, or the staging of Tibetan operas.

These various activities take place over the space of up to 7 days, but not less than 3 days, depending on the number of participants (the greater number of participants the longer it takes to hold each event). To any given event, except perhaps for dancing and dining, in which all participate, some will participate while others will enjoy it from a distance, i.e., as spectators.

For visitors who would like to observe such festive celebrations first-hand, either as a participant or as a spectator, UME Travel’s Nagqu Horse Racing Festival Tour offers the tourist the unique opportunity of enjoying this annual festive occasion together with local Tibetan villagers from all across Tibet, where the visitor will be quartered with a Tibetan family, and can thus learn a bit about Tibetan customs while enjoying the company of one’s hosts when they are at their gayest and most hospitable.

Best Time to Travel in Nagqu

From May to September every year. From November to March of the following year, it is a dry windy season, the climate is dry, the temperature is low, the lack of oxygen and sand is large, and the duration is long. Relatively warm from May to September, it is the golden season of the grassland, with a mild climate and beautiful weather.

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