Photo Print: Spring Snow by BJ Yang

Shannan was the cradle of Tibetan agriculture. However, after the Tubo Kingdom expanded its power and annexed other nomadic tribes, it developed nomadic features, becoming the base camp of the Tubo Kingdom. It is still the most-populated area in Tibet today. Shannan was formerly called “Yarlung,” as the Yarlung River from Mt. Yarlha Shampo passes through. According to archaeological finds and folk legends, ancestors of the Tibetans lived here before the 21st century BC. The Yarlung River valley, where the Tubo Kingdom, the first united kingdom in Tibet, was founded, is regarded as the cradle of Tibetan people as well as Tibetan culture. Shannan possesses numerous “firsts” in Tibet’s history, including the first farmland, the first Buddhist monastery – Samye, the first Buddhist scriptures, the first Tibetan opera, the first Tibetan empire, the first Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo, and the first palace Yumbulagang, and the first Buddhist shrine – Trandruk Temple. Collections of beautiful stories spread over the rivers and snowy mountains of this fabulous land, painting it in marvelous hues.

Picture content Religious

Art category Photography