Shannan opened to tourists in 1984. Over the past 10 or so years, the Central government and the Tibet Autonomous Region have paid great attention to the development of tourism in shannan and have invested both human and material resources to this cause. As a result, the tourism industry has been constantly improved and strengthened in the aspects of management and service facilities as well as in the training of professional personnel.

Beginning in 1992, Shannan tourism departments not only took part in domestic tourism fairs and exhibitions in Guangzhou, Beijing, Kunming and Shanghai, but also sent delegations to international fairs held in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany and France. This has helped enhance mutual understanding and has enlarged tourism markets.

Business exchanges between the China International Travel Service Shannan Branch and the Zetang Hotel have extended to Malaysia, Nepal, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong. Over the past 10 years, the numbers of tourists from home and abroad have grown continuously. A total of 93,000 tourists visited Shannan, including some 37,400 foreign visitors. Total business volume topped 38.28 million yuan, earning nearly US$1 million in foreign exchange. Profits of more than 6.31 million yuan were earned and some 3.06 million yuan in tax payments have been handed over to the State.

Zetang Hotel is the only three-star hotel in Shannan. Built in 1984, it was a major project undertaken with aid form the Central Government. The hotel has 118 guest rooms classified as standard, luxury or economic. The hotel has IDD and DDD telephone services and facsimile, computer, photocopying, and audio facilities. The hotel also has large, medium and small dining halls offering Tibetan, Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine and various famous snacks from other parts of China. Also available are a multi-function hall, a bar, a coffee bar and a small grocery offering Tibetan products, local handicrafts and other commodities. The hotel workers have been strictly trained and have mastered scientific management practices.

Gungbort Mountain and the Monkey Cave

The land around Shannan abounds in historical and scenic sites. The Gungbort Mountain, located in the east of Zetang Town, the capital of Shannan Prefecture, is one of the four Tibetan sacred mountains. Each year for several days before and after the birthday of Sakyamuni, which falls on the 15th day of the 4th month on the Tibetan calendar, thousands of Buddhist devotees embark on pilgrimages to the mountain.

The Gungbort Mountain has three peaks: Yanggar Woze, Sengmo Woze and Chokangze. The highest is Chokangze. Legend says a matchmaking Bodhisattva on Chokangze brought together a rhesus monkey and a young Raksasi woman. The woman eventually gave birth to six monkey babies. Their father sent the monkeys to fend for themselves in the fruit groves at the base of the mountain while he and Raksasi lived in a secluded cave. As the monkey population continued to grow, the food supplies dwindled. The younger generations came to the cave to ask the older monkey for help. The older monkey in turn asked the Bodhisattva for aid. This Buddhist saint decided to give the monkeys five types of grain from Xumi Mountain, which he spread across Soitang, the land near Zetang. The monkeys learned to cultivate the grain and forevermore had sufficient food. Laboring eventually transformed the mountain monkeys into humans and gave rise to the ancestors of the Tibetan people. This legend helps to explain the sacred nature of Gungbort Mountain and the rise of agriculture in the Yarlung River Valley.

Longbolhakang Palace

Longbolhakang was the first palace built by the first Tibetan King, Nitri Tsampo, on the Yarlung Plain. It is also the oldest existing example of Tibetan architecture. In the Tibetan language, "Longbo" means female deer. "Lha" means back leg, while "Kang" means palace. So, the total meaning is "palace on the back leg of a female deer". As the mountain near Longbolhakang resembles a doe lying along its side and the palace was built just where the imaginary hind legs would be, it was given this name. It is located at the top of the Jormo Zhaxi Ceri Mountain along the east bank of the Yarlung River about 12 kilometers from Zetang Town in Nedong County. First built at the beginning of the 2nd century BC, it was not used as a temple. Later, after Songtsan Gambo, the 32nd Tsampo, set up two-story halls at the both sides of the original palace, the Longbolhakang came to be used as a sutra hall. Expansion was made by every king and gateways were added to the two sides of the hall. At the south side, residences for the monks were built. During the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama, it was expanded and a golden top with sharp eaves was added. Though not on a large scale, Longbolhakang has a time-honored history. Since it is set on a mountain, it has a magnificent and spectacular appearance. Legend has it that the Tang Princess Wencheng liked to stay here during the summer months. All the Tsampos of the Tubo Kingdom also took retreats at the palace. Therefore, the architecture is very famous near and far. In 1962, the people's government of the Tibet Autonomous Region designated the Longbolhakang Palace as a cultural relic under the protection of the autonomous region. The palace is a must on the itinerary of any visitor to Shannan.

Changzhub Monastery

Built in the Songtsan Gambo period in the 7th century, the Changzhub Monastery, or Changzhub Chomalhakang, is located on the east bank of the Yarlung River three kilometers southeast of Zetang Town. It was one of the first group of Buddhist halls built during the Tubo period. According to legend, when Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she calculated that one of the vanquished demon Raksasi's arms was in the southwest of Gungbort Mountain. So the building of a monastery could ensure the peaceful and prosperous state in the Tubo Kingdom and the smooth construction of the Jokhang Monastery. However, there was a lake in the southwest and a five-head dragon in the lake made trouble. Therefore, Songtsan Gambo began to cultivate himself according to a Buddhist doctrine and defeated the monster dragon. Then the lake water became less and the lake water became less and the lake eventually dried up. The lake was filled with earth and a Buddhist hall was built on it and given the name "Changzhub". This hall had a small scale, but was later transformed and expanded by Qamqoi Gyaincain of the Pagmo Zhuba Regime forming its initial pattern. During the period of the 5th and 7th Dalai Lamas, the monastery was repaired and the architecture was made more complete.

The construction area of the Changzhub Monastery is 4,667 square meters. It possesses 21 Lhakangs and a long corridor. The roof is decorated with a splendid golden top that adds elegance to the monastery. The Dalai Lamas from the 5th on all came to burn incense and worship at the monastery. According to the monastery's records, the Tang Princess Wencheng once stayed here.

There are many rare treasures and cultural relics collected at the Changzhub Monastery, such as exquisite and beautiful pearl Tangka pictures, a copper pot used by Princess Wencheng, and bronze vessels made in the reign of Xuande in 1426 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The State Council designated the Changzhub Monastery as part of the country's first group of major cultural relics units under State protection.

Samye Monastery

"Samye" in the Tibetan language means "edgeless temple". It combined the Han, Tibetan and Indian architectural styles, and is thus called the "three-style temple". The monastery mingled the ancient Tibetan culture, the civilization of the Central Plains and the civilization of India. It is a bright and shining pearl in the culture of the Chinese nation. Built during the reign of the Tibetan King Trisun Detsan in the middle of the 8th century, it has a history of more than 1,200 years. Located at the foot of Habort Mountain on the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Chanang County, it looks spectacular and magnificent. It boasts many Tibetan cultural relics and historical artifacts. After the completion of the construction, the first batch of Tibetans were tonsured and became monks. Samye Monastery therefore became the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

Samye Monastery has collected many kinds of cultural legacies in terms of history, religion, architecture, and art from all periods since the Tubo Kingdom. These include a horizontal inscribed board hand written by an emperor, a 4.9-meter high inscribed tablet and a bronze bell that has nine different tones. The frescoes of the Samye Monastery are well-known in the world for their wide variety of subjects, rich content and exquisite artistic skills. The Tibetan Epic Picture, for example, records the history from the ancient legend of the marriage between a Raksasi and a magical monkey to the reproduction and evolution of humans until the achievements of the 9th Dalai Lama. The 92-meter-long picture is a rare jewel in the Tibetan fresco treasures.

Samye Monastery has experienced a dozen centuries since its completion. It was once ruined by Lang Darma in the late Tubo period. Lang Darma banned Buddhism and destroyed Buddhist temples. In the early 10th century, the Sagya Prince of Dharma rebuilt the monastery. After the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, the Chinese Government paid due attention to the old architecture and the protection of the relics in the monastery, and earmarked special funds for its maintenance. In 1962, the Preparation Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region listed Samye Monastery as a key cultural relics unit under State protection.

Tibetan Imperial Tombs

The Tibetan imperial tombs are a group of tombs built for the Tibetan kings during the Tubo period. Located in the Monor Mountains and the area of Donggar Gully opposite the Qoingyai County seat, the tomb group is 2,076 meters long from east to west and 1,407 meters wide from north to south.

According to many historical records, the Yarlung Tribe absorbed its neighboring tribes one after another and established a strong Tubo Kingdom after it came into power in the beginning of the 6th century. In the early 7th century, Songtsan Gambo became king and made Lhasa his capital. However, as Qoingyai was the birthplace of the Tubo, the Tsampos paid due attention to the area and came to stay frequently. For the same reason, the tombs were built in the Monor Mountains near Qoingyai.

Records show that there are 21 tombs, but only 19 have been found distributed between two sites. The No.1 Site located in the Monor Mountains and a river valley has 12 tombs. The No.2 Site at the mouth of Donggar Gully has seven tombs. The two sites are about 800 meters apart. Not all of the tombs have been identified, although the tombs of Songtsan Gambo, Chido Songmang Pogyai and Trisun Detsan have been found.

There are two shapes used in the Tibetan tombs. One is square shaped with a flat roof, and another is ladder shaped with a flat roof. The Trisun Detsan tomb, the biggest one among the tomb group, has a square shape with an even roof and it is 180 meters long. The smallest one with the same shape is 30 meters long. Most were built with stones and boards layered and earthen mounds.

In 1961, the State Council designated the Tibetan imperial tombs as a national key cultural relics unit under State protection and allocated special funds for maintenance and protectioin. On August 10, 1989, the State Council listed the Tibetan imperial tombs as the country's first-class key cultural relics unit under State protection.

Minzhoiling Monastery

The Minzhoiling Monastery, located in Chanang County, is one of the three major monasteries of the Red Set in Tibet. Monk Lumei Chochen Xirab set up a small temple (Baling Temple) in Minzhoiling Village at the end of the 10th century as an outpost for Buddhist teaching. In 1677, Deda Lingba Jormin Dorje, the scripture teacher of the 5th Dalai Lama, rebuilt and expanded it on the original basis. It gradually formed the current scale and was renamed Minzhoiling Monastery.

The Construction area of the Minzhoiling Monastery is about 100,000 square meters. It is composed of large and small buildings including the Zolhakang, Qoigo Lunbo Lhakang, Doidi Qoidain Pagoda, Sang'o Phodrang and Langyai Phodrang.

Monks at this monastery have a relatively high level of religious studies. In addition to Buddhist scriptures, they also study medicine, astronomy and calendar calculation, as well as the Sanskrit and Tibetan languages. In regards to calligraphy, they must learn to write in four styles (the regular script and cursive of the Tibetan language and the regular script and cursive of the Sanskrit language). So, their art of calligraphy is world renown. Some of the monks have been sent to Tibetan hospitals to study calendar sciences and to write the Tibetan Almanac. They have also served as teachers in the Gaxing government's official theological college. Therefore, the Minzhoiling Monastery is also called the First Institution of Higher Learning in Tibet.

Yamzhog Yumco Lake

"Yamzhog Yumco" in Tibetan means "bluish green lake in the pastoral area". Located in Nanggarze County south of the Yarlung Zangbo River, it is encircled by mountains. Legend has it that a fairy maiden descended from heaven and became the lake. The lake is 4,441 meters above sea level, 130 kilometers from east to west and 70 kilometers from south to north. The surface area is 638 square kilometers, with a bank line of more than 250 kilometers. The depth of the lake is 30 to 40 meters with the deepest spot reaching nearly 60 meters in the east of the lake. It is famed as one of three holy lakes on the Tibetan plateau. The other two are Namco Lake in the north of Tibet and Mapam Yumco Lake in Ali.

The lake is shaped like a paper fan. The lake's basin expands from northwest to southeast. It is wide in the south and narrow in the north, with many branches stretching into the mountains. There are 21 islands in the lake, with the biggest one reaching 8 square kilometers and the smallest one only 3,000 square meters. The islands are teeming with pastoral grass and wild birds. The great varieties of living creatures provide a rich source of food for the fish in the lake. So, it boasts a natural fish reservoir. The lake has abundant plateau fish, which feature thin skin, soft meat and a delicious taste. There are an estimated 200-300 million kilograms of fish in the lake. Some 666,000 hectares of grass surround the lake, forming one of the most famous pastoral areas in Tibet.

The scenery around Yamzhog Yumco Lake is very enchanting. Whenever a gentle breeze sweeps the bluish lake water, ripples expands lightly in the shining water surface. Yellow and gray ducks and magnificent eagles, as well as other birds frequently visit the lake. Reflections of mountain peaks can be seen in the green and clear lake water. Near the lake are flocks of sheep, herds of cattle and horse, and families of monkeys. A folk song once praised the lake saying, "the fairy land in heaven cannot the compared with the Yamzhog; the cattle and sheep of Yamzhog Yumco Lake are as numerous as the stars in the heavens."

Yamzhog Yumco Lake reserves abundant water resources. It is separated from the Yarlung Zangbo River by a mountain, with the nearest point being some 6 kilometers away. The waters leaving the lake drop some 800 meters before they reach the river. A hydroelectric station, the largest in Tibet, has been constructed along the banks of the Yamzhog Yumco Lake. It is playing a significant role in invigorating the Tibet economy.

Lhamo Namco Holy Lake

"Lhamo Namco" in Tibetan means "Buddhist Mother and Heavenly Lake". Located in Cuijor township of Gyacha County with an area of bout one square kilometer, the lake has clear, bluish green water. When viewed from the neighboring peaks towering 5,100 meters above sea level, the lake resembles a huge mirror. Legend has it that if the pious stares into the lake, they will be able to see their fate. Viewing the images is part of the rites of Tibetan Buddhism in the search for the reincarnated Dalai and Panchen Lamas. Every Dalai Lama must worship at this holy lake at least once in his life. Each year, Buddhist believers from home and abroad come to worship at the lake, so that the religious and cultural atmosphere of the lake are more attractive.

Yarlung Scenic Area

In 1988, the State Council approved the Yarlung Scenic Area as part of the second group of State level scenic and historical sites. It was also the first State level scenic area in Tibet. Located in the river valley at the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Yarlung Scenic Area has sufficient sunshine and fresh air. Its high elevation gives people a sense of low mountains and clouds and close stars. Centering around Zetang, the area extends to 58 scenic spots in 10 large scenic areas from east to west, forming a scenery network. With an area of 1,580 square kilometers, the Yarlung Scenic Area has an elevation between 3,450 and 3,600 meters on average. Also, Yagla Xambo Mountain has an elevation of 6,636 meters. The terrain is high in the south and west and low in the north and east. The turbulent waters of the Yarlung Zangbo River run through high mountains and deep valleys. It is spectacular and magnificent and rarely seen in the world. Along both banks of the river, the terrain is flat, the climate is pleasant, the soil is fertile and villages are closely linked one after another, showing a typical south Tibetan rural scene.

The Yarlung Scenic Area features the topography of a highland river valley full of Buddhist cultural heritage and combines Tibetan history and national Flavor. It provides a place for cultural reserves, sightseeing and pilgrimage, scientific research and academic studies.

The Chinese Government is investing massive funds to improve its transportation, communication, reception and service facilities. Efforts are being made to repair and renovate historical sites and scenic spots and conduct reforestation. This helps form an international highland scenery and Tibetan national cultural and tourism site with a good environment and advanced international facilities.