Archaeological Site of Xiangxiong Kingdom

The ancient elephant kingdom was once prominent on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Today, there are countless ruins of the ancient Xiangxiong Kingdom, which was merged with the famous Daguo Snow Mountain and the "Holy Lake" Dangrayongcuo, in Nyima County, Nagqu City, Tibet Autonomous Region.

Such a mysterious place is naturally an indispensable part of the "Scientific Expedition of No Man's Land in the Northern Tibetan Plateau" that I participated in.

In the midsummer of 2001, in the light rain in the early morning, we drove from Nima County and started to climb the mountain without going far.

The car drove about 100 kilometers bumpy on the rugged mountain road, and over the high mountain pass, the snow-capped mountains, meadows, lakes, farmland and villages were greeted with extraordinary scenery.

This is the beauty of Dangqiongcuo Lake in Beicun, Wenbu Township (Photo by Tang Zhaoming in 2001)

Here is the renamed North Village of Wenbu Township, where the township government is located. It used to be called the Wenbu District of the Wenbu Office. There is a lake in the village called Dangqiongcuo, and there is a monastery in the village called Dangqiong Temple. A large number of fossil plants of different types and caves inhabited by ancient elephant males have been found on the mountain.

Along the North Village Dangqiongcuo to the south for more than 30 kilometers, is the beautiful "holy lake" Dangriyongcuo. The north bank of Dangyayongcuo is the former Wenbu Township of Wenbu District of the Shuanghu Office, and the former capital of Wenbu District is now renamed Wenbu Township Nancun.

This is Dangqiong Temple in Beicun, Wenbu Township (Photo by Tang Zhaoming in 2009)

On the other side of the wide lake is the beautiful Daguo Snow Mountain. Daguo Snow Mountain and Dangya Yongcuo are sacred mountains and holy lakes in the hearts of Bon believers. They are famous for a long time, and both are located here. It is said that its worth is equivalent to the famous Mount Kailash and the holy lake of Mount Kailash and Mapang Yumco. The Buddhas and Bon believers on the plateau in northern Tibet say that if you visit this mountain and this lake, you don't have to go to other mountains or lakes.

In the deserted northern Tibet, Dangyayongcuo has a unique climate of "small Jiangnan". This is the only place where crops can be grown in the western part of northern Tibet, and it is rich in high-quality Kashmir cashmere.

The ancient elephant kingdom is said to be built here. Later, I don't know why it quietly fell into the dust and smoke of history. Scholars have different opinions on this.

Qiongzong, more than 20 kilometers away from the South Village of Wenbu Township, is a stone mountain tens of meters high. With a radius of one hundred and ten meters, the gray rock reflects a thick black shadow under the scorching sun on the plateau, like a prehistoric beast, crouching by the lake drinking water, as if silently guarding the plateau "holy lake", silently witnessing the vicissitudes of history .

Here is the ruins of the legendary ancient Xiangxiong Kingdom, a holy land in the hearts of many Tibetans. People trekking through mountains and rivers come here to turn mountains, and then set foot on their way home contentedly.

The azure water of the lake below the hillside is shimmering, deep and dreamlike. There are several places on the cliffs that are said to be the ruins of the ancient state of Xiangxiong. Layers of rocks are piled up, facing the wind of the plateau, the perseverance and eternal silence, the dilapidated wall under the sun symbolizes the ruthless imprint of time.

This is the wall of a house painted with the Bon symbol "swastika" in Nancun, Wenbu Township (photographed by Tang Zhaoming in 2001)

Many white "swastikas" are painted on the cyan rocks on the roadside, all counterclockwise. This is the biggest clockwise difference between Bon and Tibetan Buddhism.

The ancient Xiangxiong not only formed its own unique Xiangxiong script, but also was the birthplace of the traditional Tibetan indigenous religion "Bon", which had a profound impact on the later Tubo and even the entire Tibetan culture.

Dangra Yongcuo near Qiongzong is the "holy lake" most valued by Bon believers. There is a temple built in a cliff cave near the lake, Yuben Temple, which is said to be the oldest temple of Bon religion, and its incense is very strong.

Bon religion advocates that all things have animism and is the oldest religion in Tibet. Dun Ba Xinrao, the founder of the historical Bon religion, was the first king of Xiangxiong. Qiongzong is located to the west of the middle section of the Daguo Mountains. Its ruins are backed by the Idaguo Snow Mountain and bordered by Dangya Yongcuo to the west. The terrain is majestic and rich in the power of the capital of the kingdom. The site covers an area of ​​about one square kilometer, like a dangerous and dangerous Dashibao cottage.

Ancient elephants are generally divided into upper, middle and lower elephants. The upper elephant male is centered on the Gangdise Mountains and Mapangyongcuo, and it is basically the Ngari area; the middle elephant male is centered on the Daguo Snow Mountain and the Dangyayongcuo, and it is basically the Nagqu area; the lower elephant Xiong is dominated by Liufeng Mountain in Dingqing County, which basically includes parts of Nagqu and Qamdo.

This is a Tibetan scripture transliterated in Xiangxiong language found in Wenbu Township (photographed by Tang Zhaoming in 1998)

Our scientific investigation found that Wenbu Township was indeed one of the places where Xiangxiong civilization prevailed in the ancient times. The climate here is mild, suitable for human habitation, and farmland can be cultivated. In particular, I discovered the Bon temples of the primitive religion native to Tibet. Daguo Snow Mountain and Dangya Yongcuo were regarded as the protector gods of Bon religion, and the contents of the rock paintings are almost inseparable from Bon religion, and there is the sun of Bon religion. God, Moon God, Dapeng, reverse time "swastika" symbols, etc.

In addition, we also discovered the language of ancient Xiangxiong, discovered that many names of Tibetan kings during the Tubo period were related to Xiangxiong, and also discovered that place names such as "Daguo", "Epu" and "Omo" were related to Xiangxiong.

This is a Tibetan woman watering the farmland in Nan Village, Wenbu Township (Photo by Tang Zhaoming in 2001)

At the same time, it was also discovered that most of the lyrics of "Guo Zhuang" sung by Wenbu Township were related to the history of ancient Xiangxiong and the local human geography. Although Xiangxiong's civilization has long since disappeared, the glorious history is still an indelible memory among the folk songs and dances of the townsfolk.

Dangra Yongcuo is surrounded by ridges and ridges. Some peaks are more than 6000 meters above sea level, and the snow on the peaks does not melt all year round. Most of the mountains in this area run east-west, while the mountains around Dangyayongcuo clearly extend north-south. On the southern foothills of the northeast bank, huge cliffs composed of fault triangles stretch for several kilometers. In some places, the smooth quartzite walls are two to three hundred meters high. The mountains on the east coast are nearly 6,300 meters above sea level, with modern glaciers developed, and many intact ice buckets, suspended ice valleys and other ancient glacial terrain are preserved. The nearby ancient ice mine moraine stretches into the lake.

There are dozens of houses on the bottom of the mountain on the northeast side of Dangya Yongcuo Lake, next to a large ditch more than 10 meters wide and 20 meters deep. There is a clear stream at the bottom of the ditch, and it hits the rocks and continuously splashes several meters high waves, making a roar. At the bottom of the ditch, there are several green pines and willows that people tried to plant in the past, as well as a lush bush. This is the only green tree I have seen in western Tibet.

Although I visited the "Xiaojiangnan" Wenbu Township in western Tibet, I came and went in a hurry. But the fascinating scenery there, the ancient Xiangxiong culture there, and the quaint style left an indelible impression on me.