Gonjo Stone Coffin Tomb in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Chinese Name:贡觉石棺墓
English Name: Gonjo Stone Coffin Tomb in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Location: Located in Gonjo County, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: All Day
About Gonjo Stone Coffin Tomb
Stone Coffin Tomb means the stone burial. Gonjo Stone Coffin Tomb（贡觉石棺墓）is located a kilometer north of Gonjo County（贡觉县）, Chamdo Prefecture（昌都市）, Tibet Autonomous Region. The excavation of the tomb has enlarged the distribution scope of the burial culture of the stone coffin, which provides physical evidence for the establishment of the archaeological sequence of ancient Tibetan culture and has high archaeological value.
From 1978 to 1979, the cultural bureau of the Tibet autonomous region and the municipal bureau of culture conducted surveys and reviews on Xiangpi cemetery（相皮墓地）twice in Xiangpi Township（相皮乡）, Gonjo County. This is the site of the “warring states period – western Han dynasty”, which dates from the 3rd century BC to the beginning of the first century AD, dating back to about 2200 years ago. The cemetery has unearthed large numbers of relics such as sarcophagus, pottery and human bones. In the 1979 survey, it was found that a sarcophagus was made of slabs, rectangular, 1 to 1.2 meters long, 0.4 to 0.6 meters wide and 0.5 high. In 1986, four pieces of pottery, including stean and other instruments, were unearthed. The pottery surface is polished, some surface cast color, abdomen circle drum, bottom flat and small, neck, abdominal multi-acts the hand knead the mark, with the impression of stamping, carved geometric pattern decoration. These features are similar to the earthenware unearthed in the stone coffin in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River（岷江）in northwest of Sichuan Province. It is only slightly thicker and slightly worse, and the bottom is more round. Skin kistvaen tomb and sarcophagus consistency on the cultural characteristics of Sichuan-Tibetan regions and suggests the east of Tibet and western Sichuan on cultural links closely, also in the history of Tibet and Tibetan Kham（康区）history has its particularity.
Attraction Transportation
Air
Located in the Bangda Grassland, the Chamdo Bangda Airport is the world’s highest airport and has the longest runway. It is 136 kilometers (84.5 miles) from Chamdo County. As the first lateral airport in Tibet, Chamdo Bangda Airport started to be built in 1993 and finished in October, 1994. At present, it has air routes to/from domestic cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Tianjin, Xian, and Xining; meanwhile, flights to/from Nepal are also operated at this airport.
Passengers can take airport shuttle bus to Gonjo County from the airport.
The airport inquiry number is +86 0895-4821004.
Bus
The Prefecture is over 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from Chengdu and over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from Lhasa. Every week at least three buses travel between Qamdo and the two cities. Apart from regular buses, the tourist bureau sometimes sends special buses to Lhasa for visitors. They do not drive at night, so the whole journey may take five or six days. For individual tourists, hiring passing cars, mostly freight cars, is the best choice. These cars usually pick up passengers at the bus station in Gonjo County, and visitors can negotiate the details with the drivers.
Attraction Travel Tips
- Traveling Hours: one day
- Traveling Seasons: May to September.
- High Altitude Sickness Avoiding: Better take some medicines for relief and keep warm all the time.
- As there is a large temperature gap between daytime and night, it is highly recommended to take along some pieces of thermal clothing, hat, and gloves and so on.
- Please try your best to respect the religious belief and local customs.
- As well as the Tibet Entry Permit, you also need to apply for Border Permit for traveling as this destination lies near the Chinese territory boundary.
