康定 Kāngdìng - or དར་རྩེ་མདོ། Dartsedo as it’s known to Tibetans - is the first town across the border from Sìchuān in what was once the Tibetan kingdom of ཁམས Kham. For centuries it was a trading outpost, where Tibetans exchanged wool, pelts and warhorses for Chinese tea, silk and porcelain. ཁམས་པ Khampa people were the most feared warriors of the ethnic groups now referred to collectively as ‘Tibetans.’ While it lies outside of what the Chinese call 西藏自治区 ‘Tibet Autonomous Region,’ Kham is essential for understanding Tibetan history.
We first visited Kāngdìng, the gateway to Kham, as fresh-faced twenty-somethings back in 2013. Back then the bus ride from Chéngdū took ten hours. We've wanted to return ever since, but Covid restrictions and our dogs being scared of cars made the trip impossible. Now both those obstacles have been lifted, we were so excited to return! We hope you enjoy revisiting the area with us.
For more information about the history of Kham, visit dogmatic.substack.com