Things To Do in Shigatse

When Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci visited, he found the dzong (fortress) in the north of town (a model for the Potala) to be "huge and dreary," but he needn't have worried. A few years later, PLA artillery did a thorough job. The government then waited until the completion of the railway to make amends and reconstruct the dzong. As yet, there's nothing inside.

Shigatse bazaar stands in the shadow of the newly reconstructed dzong, and aside from catering to the tourists, it has changed little. Khampa and Hui vendors hawk large knives, wooden tea bowls, prayer wheels, "bronze" statues, "ancient" coins, Tibetan medicine, incense from Calcutta, and cowboy hats and boots. A good selection of handmade carpets can be found at Gang-Gyen Carpet Factory (tel. 0892/882-6192; www.tibetgang-gyencarpet.com; 9am-7pm) on Zhufeng Lu near the intersection with Buxing Jie. Proceeds go to local Tibetan communities and monks. The best-stocked supermarkets are Sifang Chaoshi (9:30am-10:30pm), and Shanghai Square Supermarket, (9am-11pm) beneath the Dicos, both on Zhufeng Lu. For outdoors gear, head for Toread (9:30am-9:30pm) near the Shigatse Hotel on Shanghai Lu.

If you haven't had a chance to hit a nangma yet in Tibet, Shigatse gives you an opportunity with Huaiyu Minzu Biaoyi Zhongxin, on Shanghai Lu just south of Zhufeng Lu (tel. 0/136-489-21222). A lively performance with dancers dressed in yak costumes leaping on stage to techno-Tibetan music begins at 11pm and continues to the small hours.