Ü () is a geographic division and a historical region in

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. Together with Tsang (, ), it forms Central Tibet

Ü-Tsang Ü-Tsang is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the north-east, and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Geographically Ü-Tsang covere ...

(, ), which is one of the three

an regions or ''cholka'' (). The other two ''cholka'' are

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...

(, ) (Dotod) and

Amdo Amdo ( �am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...

(; ) (Domed). According to a Tibetan saying, "the best religion comes from Ü-Tsang, the best men from Kham, and the best horses from Amdo".

Constituent districts

Taken together, Ü and Tsang are considered to be the center of Tibetan civilization, from historical, cultural, political and economic perspectives. They are centered on the valley of the

Yarlung Tsangpo River The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The upper section is also called Da ...

, which flows eastward at about above sea level. Of this territory, Ü constitutes the eastern portion, up to Sokla Kyao in the east where it borders to Kham. It includes the

Lhasa River The Lhasa River, also called Kyi Chu (, ), is a northern tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The Yarlung Tsangpo is the upper section of the Brahmaputra River. The Lhasa River is subject to ...

valley system, where

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

is situated, and the Yarlung and Chonggye valleys to the south of the Tsangpo. During the period of

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

rule at the end of the 13th century, Ü and Tsang were divided in thirteen myriarchies (''trikor''). The exact list of myriarchies varies somewhat from source to source. According to ''The Song of the Spring Queen'', the chronicle of the

5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (; ; 1617–1682) was the 5th Dalai Lama and the first Dalai Lama to wield effective temporal and spiritual power over all Tibet. He is often referred to simply as the Great Fifth, being a key religious and temporal leader ...

, those of Ü were Gyama, Drikung, Tsalpa, Thangpochewa, Phagmodru, and Yazang. Some lists have Taglung instead of Thangpochewa.

Historical status

The traditional centers of power in Tibet, such as the

Yarlung Valley The Yarlung Valley is formed by Yarlung Chu, a tributary of the Tsangpo river, Tsangpo River in the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet region of China. It refers especially to the district where Yarlung Chu joins with the Cho ...

and

Nêdong County Nêdong District (; ) is a district of Shannan in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Tradruk Temple, an important early Buddhist monastery dating to the reign of Songtsen Gampo, is located in the Yarlung Valley in Nêdong as is Yungbulakang ...

, are located in Ü. In the 15th century, the

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...

lineage gained great influence in Ü, while Tsang to the west tended to adhere to the rival

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...

school. The Gelug-Karma rivalry overlapped with the political rivalry between the leaders of Ü and Tsang. This turbulent era remained until 1642, when the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

and his allies inaugurated the theocratic rule of

.Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, 1967, pp. 83-111.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:U (Region) Administrative divisions of Tibet

Constituent districts

Historical status

See also

References