Zhanang County
Zhanang County or Dranang is a county of Shannan (Lhokha) in the Tibet [Autonomous Region], China.
The capital town of county is Dratang town, with a monastery named Dratang.
Geography
Dranang County is home to Samye Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, and many other monasteries, including Mindrolling Monastery.Dranang County is separated into northern and southern parts by the Yarlung [Tsangpo River]. In 2015, a bridge near Dratang Town was finished, connecting the northern and southern parts of the county.
History
Historically a strategic hub since the Tibetan Empire, it served as a cultural and administrative center under the patronage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The county's name, Dranang, meaning "thorn grove" in Tibetan, reflects its early settlement patterns in the arid valleys.Zhanang was established as a county in April 1960 following Tibet's democratic reforms, initially under the Lhoka Special Administrative Region. Its boundaries were formalized in 1987, encompassing 5 townships and 3 towns by 2015. A major restructuring in 2021 merged rural townships into urban units, reducing divisions to 3 towns and 2 townships. The county's 2,173 km² area blends agricultural plains with rugged mountains, sustaining barley farming and traditional crafts like Tibetan incense production.