Saumyasingh at 10:52, 4 August 2021

2021-08-04T10:52:20Z

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{{distinguish|Kerung VDC}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Gyirong Town
| native_name = {{bo-textonly|སྐྱིད་གྲོང་}} · {{lang|zh-Hans|吉隆镇}}
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| etymology =
| nickname =
| coor_pinpoint = Gyirong Town government
| coordinates = {{coord|28.3933|N|85.3292|E|type:city_region:CN-54_source:Gaode|format=dms|display=it}}
| coordinates_type =
| coordinates_region =
| elevation_m = 2700
| pushpin_map = China Tibet topography
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Tibet Automomous Region
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[China|People's Republic of China]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Autonomous regions of China|Autonomous region]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Prefecture-level city]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Shigatse]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Counties of the People's Republic of China|County]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Gyirong County|Gyirong]]
| website = 
| official_name =
}}
'''Gyirong Town''' ({{bo|t=སྐྱིད་གྲོང་}}; {{zh|s=吉隆镇 |t=吉隆鎮 |p=Jílóng zhèn}}; {{lang-ne|केरुङ}}), also referred to as ''Kyirong'' or ''Kerung'', is situated in the southern part of [[Gyirong County]] in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], China. The town is situated on the east bank of Gyirong River (Gyirong Zangbo), a tributary of the [[Trishuli River]] with an elevation of about {{convert|2700|m|ft}}. It has a subtropical mountain monsoon climate, with reasonable precipitation and warm weather, unusual for Tibet.

The town is located {{convert|70|km|mi}} south of the county seat [[Zongga]] and roughly {{cvt|25|km}} north of [[Rasuwa Fort]] on the [[China-Nepal border]] where a [[border crossing]] into [[Nepal]] is located.

In Gyirong Town, there is a village of ethnic [[Nepalis|Nepali]] referred to as [[Daman people]]. They are descendants of Nepalese [[Gurkha]] army centuries ago. Previously [[Statelessness|stateless]], they were granted Chinese citizenship in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web| title = "Eastern Gypsies": Damans in Tibet
| last = Woebom| first = Tenzin| website = Vtibet| date = 2014-12-23| access-date = 2017-02-13| url=http://www.vtibet.com/en/calture/popular/201501/t20150107_270124.html}}</ref>

==History==
After the division of the Tibetan Empire, descendants of [[Songtsen Gampo]] fled to Gyirong and then founded the Gongtang Kingdom, whose ruins are now in Gyirong.
[[File:Rasuwa_Fort_01.JPG|thumb|right|Rasuwa Fort is a China-Nepal border crossing located 25 km south of Gyirong Town.]]
Historically, Gyirong Town has been an important town in the cross border trade between [[China–Nepal border|China and Nepal]] as it was located on a major traditional trade thoroughfare between the two countries. In 1961, Gyirong was established as a [[port of entry]] from [[Rasuwa Fort]] in Nepal by the Chinese government.<ref>{{cite web |language= zh-cn |author= 李月 |publisher= Xinhua News |script-title=zh:西藏吉隆：加速发展的边境小镇 |trans-title = Gyirong, Tibet: Accelerated Development of the Border Town|url=http://tibet.news.cn/gdbb/2009-11/04/content_18139347.htm|date= 2009-11-04 |access-date= 2011-11-16 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818194304/http://tibet.news.cn/gdbb/2009-11/04/content_18139347.htm |archive-date = 2011-08-18 }}</ref> In December 2014, the Gyirong [[port of entry]] was opened to international users<ref name="murton_crosscurrent">{{Cite magazine| title = A Himalayan Border Trilogy: The Political Economies of Transport Infrastructure and Disaster Relief between China and Nepal| first = Galen| author = Murton| magazine = Cross-Currents E-Journal| date = March 2016| issn = 2158-9674| access-date = 2017-02-09| url = https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-18/murton| quote = On December 1, 2014, the Sino-Nepal border at Rasuwaghadi was officially opened for commercial business.
}}</ref> and this route between China and Nepal was considered to be more reliable than one through the [[Zhangmu]]-[[Kodari]] border crossing.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Rasuwa-Kerung road spells new heights in trade| website = Timure| date = February 17, 2010| access-date = 2017-02-13
| url = http://timure.over-blog.com/article-rasuwa-kerung-road-spells-new-heights-in-trade-45118568.html| quote = Technically, the Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road is more reliable than the Kodari Highway, said Sitaula.}}</ref>

===The April 2015 earthquake===
Gyirong/Rasuwa played a minor role as a cross-border trade route until about a year after the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake]] as the cross-border route through the Zhangmu-Kodari border crossing was more badly damaged, only reopening on 29 May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Kodari Checkpoint To Open Today| work = The Spotlight Online| date = 2019-05-29 | access-date = 2019-06-28 | url = https://www.spotlightnepal.com/2019/05/29/kodari-checkpoint-open-today/}}</ref> Both corridors sustained quake damage and had been closed<ref name="murton_crosscurrent"/> due to the collapse of the border bridges at both locations and due to continuing rockfall from unstable hillsides, the Gyirong/Rasuwa crossing being technically easier to re-open.

The Gyirong-Rasuwa Fort route experienced quicker recovery<ref name="Tibet Train">{{Cite web | title = The Tibet Train | last = Rai | first = Om Astha | website = Times of Nepal | access-date = 2019-07-01 | url = https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/the-tibet-train | language = en | archive-date = 2020-10-29 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201029141613/https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/the-tibet-train | url-status = dead }}</ref> since it is favoured for trans-Himalayan connectivity due to lower elevation and gentler pass slope. A temporary bridge was constructed in place of the damaged concrete bridge while a new concrete bridge was constructed and opened on 7 June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web| title = New China-Nepal friendship bridge comes into operation | website = Times of India | date = 2019-06-07| access-date = 2019-07-01| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/new-china-nepal-friendship-bridge-comes-into-operation/articleshow/69692230.cms| language =en }}</ref> However, hillside stabilization had yet to be addressed as of Nov 2018 and this was necessary before major infrastructure work could progress. Bridges remain damaged and only recently begun reconstruction. Additionally transnational electricity projects are expected to pass through the area, although funding is still a question mark and Nepali government remains cash strapped and overburdened with competing projects.<ref name="Tibet Train" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Township-level divisions of Shigatse Prefecture}}
{{China–Nepal border crossings}}

[[Category:Gyirong County]]
[[Category:China–Nepal border crossings]]

{{Shigatse-geo-stub}}

Gyirong Town - Revision history

Saumyasingh at 10:52, 4 August 2021