Shigatse

Shigatse, officially Xigatse, is a prefecture level city in the south-central and southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region of China, covering 182,000 square kilometers and corresponding to the historical U-Tsang region; it is notable for containing the Chinese half of Mount Everest, giving it the nickname Gateway to Everest. Its administrative seat, Samzhubze District, lies about 280 kilometers southwest of Lhasa and hosts Tashilhunpo Monastery, traditionally the residence of the Panchen Lama, making Shigatse the second largest city in Tibet. It was upgraded to prefecture level city status on July 11, 2014, becoming the second city with that status in the Tibet Autonomous Region after Lhasa. The 2020 census recorded a resident population of 798,153, a 13.49 percent increase over 2010, with Tibetans comprising 93.77 percent of residents and Han Chinese 5.32 percent.