County · Tibet (Xizang)

Gonjo County 贡觉县

Gonjo County (贡觉县) contains the tower houses of Sanyan (三岩), a region in the eastern part of the county on the west bank of the Jinsha River (金沙江).

Location of Tibet (Xizang), the surrounding province-level areaView province guide

Get to know Gonjo County

Gonjo County (贡觉县) — representative view · 绿色高原山坡上的村庄
Representative view in Gonjo County · 贡觉县代表景观。绿色高原山坡上的村庄 · Source photographer · License not provided
Photo adjustments

EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.

Administrative area
County · 县
Part of
Qamdo
Chinese name
贡觉县
Local areas
County guide

Area & population

Area in the source
6,322.55 km²
Population · 2020
40,009

Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.

Four floors beneath a drying roof

The houses climb the slopes in groups. Their earthen or stone outer walls enclose timber frames, with small lookout and firing holes instead of windows. The county government describes four-storey houses more than twenty metres tall: livestock occupy the lowest level, kitchens and bedrooms the second, a prayer room and granary the third, and storage the fourth. The flat roof serves as a drying area.

A Sakya monastery

Tangxia Monastery (塘夏寺) stands in Xiangpi Township (相皮乡), about thirty-five kilometres from the county seat along the Gongqing Road (贡青公路). This Sakya Buddhist monastery was founded in 1096 and rebuilt in 1988.

Sources for this guide

三岩碉楼 · Gonjo County People’s Government

名胜古迹- 昌都概况 -华龙网 · Hualong News; Qamdo Municipal People’s Government

Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-27.

Entry & permits for Tibet (Xizang)

Foreign tourists need Tibet entry approval, commonly called a Tibet Travel Permit, and an organised visit arranged through a specialist travel agency in China. Confirm your approved route before booking transport. Requirements differ for Taiwan residents and for travellers using mainland or Hong Kong/Macao Chinese resident documents; check the document guide before you book.

Check the travel-document requirements →

Policy scope verified: 2026-09-06. UK FCDO: China regional travel advice ↗ State Council Taiwan Affairs Office: Tibet entry approval ↗ Xizang Department of Culture and Tourism: Medog border permit notice ↗

Explore Gonjo County

Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.

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More in Qamdo

Sources & geographic information

Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.

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