Go to Chomolungma to Find the Highest Guandi Temple of the World

In the morning of November 15, 2009, the holy city Lhasa was still in a hazy dimming， but we started off by Toyota off-road vehicle to the direction of Chomolungma, the highest point of the world. 
There were four people in the car: chairman of Guandi Temple of New York, USA Feng Dexin, vice chairman and secretary-general of World Guan Gong Culture Association Zhu Zhengming, Tibetan driver Luobu and a Tibetan girl Baima Zhuoma. Baima means lotus and Zhuoma means goddess in Chinese; so the name means “lotus goddess”. Won’t you feel refreshed hearing this name? 
The off-road vehicle ran to the west along Yarlung Zangbo River, and plateau ballads were filled in it.

The car ran to the west on national highway 318. The highway just covers over 1000 kilometers from Shanghai to my hometown Yangtze River shore. It has covered over 5100 kilometers here. At the 5188th kilometer, we stopped to take a set of bold pictures. I knew that we would arrive at Zhangmu Port where China and Nepal bordered if we continued along this road. I also knew that we would reach the native place of Budda Sakyamuni later. 
The sun has been high above when we arrive in Tingri. We resolutely decided to find the site of the highest Guandi Temple of the world. 
Tang Wu, the vice minister of United Front Work Department of Tingri county committee led the way by off-road vehicle, and we started again. After having run for over 70 kilometers to the west, we came to Ganga County and the secretary of the Party Committee Dawa Ciren has waited for us early. In the street of Ganga County, the car ran to a peak which is the grand folding screen with Jiang Zeming’s inscription “Chomolungma National Nature Reserves”. The peak after the folding screen is just the site of Tingri Guandi Temple. 
Dawa Ciren told me that this mountain named “Ganga Mountain”. Rubbles cover all over the peak, but we can still clearly see the trace to Guandi Temple. On the cliff of the top Tibetans Mani stack as well as colorful prayer flags chasing the wind. Looking outside, stretches of Chomolungma peaks are so clear and sacred dozens of kilometers away!
What a grandness and heavenliness! 
I remembered that I went to Tibet for the first time in 1995 and I ascertained the history how Guandi culture was introduced from inland to Tibet. The Guandi Temple of Tibet stands for unity of the Tibetan and the Han nationalities, and is also the testimony that Panchen Lama and Dalailama united to resist foreign invasion. In the waist of Ganga Mountain, we caught sight of over two hundred rocklands and these are the last resting place of Qing officers and soldiers who resisted foreign invasion at that time. In order to safeguard our land, they left in this plateau forever. 
At the site of Guandi Temple located at Ganga Mountain, we showed the first Guan Gong Tangkar found in Lhasa. We reverently coiled the Guandi Temple with the colorful prayer flags that we brought from Lhasa Jokhang Temple. In the reflection of snow-topped Chomolungma peaks and in the strong Himalaya wind, the colorful prayer flags will pray for the once highest Guandi Temple of the world in place of us. 
From the top down, we visited Ganga Village, and the village party branch secretary Luobu, village head Danzeng, villagers Wangbu, Wangjie, etc. introduced to us the history of Chomolungma Guandi Temple. This Guandi Temple was intact before the early days of “the Great Cultural Revolution” last century originally, but failed to survive the “Revolution” at the climax of “Four Old Abolitions”.    
Looking away Chomolungma, we made a silent wish: we will come back to help our Tibetan friends to restore the highest Guandi Temple of the world. 
It occurred to me suddenly that Tibetan friends gave me a name “Ganga” because I loved Snow Mountain very much when I came to Tibet for the first time 15 years ago. After returning to inland, I liked using the name “Ganga” for the published pictures about Tibet. 15 years has elapsed rapidly, and I have gone to Tibet for eight times, and I realized the wish of renovating Lhasa Guandi Temple during the former several times. We finally found the site of the highest Guandi Temple of the world this time, and it is at the top of Ganga Mountain of Ganga Village, Ganga Town that it is located. What a “Ganga”!
The next day, we set out from New Tingri County and got on Chomolungma base camp after climbing over more than 110 kilometers of bumpy winding mountain road… …( Author: Zhu Zhengming)

In the morning, the first piece of sunlight shines over the golden dome of Potala Palace, burning brightly (taken by Zhu Zhengming) 

National Highway 318 that stretches from Shanghai to Nepal border goes into Chomolungma abuttal, looking bleak, solemn and bold (taken by Zhu Zhengming)

The site of the highest Guandi Temple of the world is located at the top of Ganga Mountain of Ganga Village, Ganga Town, Tingri County, Tibet (taken by Zhu Zhengming)

Showing the Tibetan Guan Gong Tangkar at site of the highest Guandi Temple of the world (taken by Zhu Zhengming)

The grandpa and grandson of Ganga Village are basking beside the site of Guandi Temple (taken by Zhu Zhengming)