Zhangmu
title: "Zhangmu" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-shigatse", "china–nepal-border-crossings", "township-level-divisions-of-tibet", "nyalam-county"] topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangmu" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Zhangmu Town |
| native_name | · 樟木镇 |
| settlement_type | Town |
| image_skyline | File:TIB-shangmu-stadt.jpg |
| image_caption | View of Zhangmu |
| pushpin_map | China Tibet topography |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | China |
| subdivision_type1 | Autonomous region |
| subdivision_name1 | Tibet |
| subdivision_type2 | Prefecture-level city |
| subdivision_name2 | Shigatse |
| subdivision_type3 | County |
| subdivision_name3 | Nyalam |
| timezone | CST |
| utc_offset | +8 |
| coor_pinpoint | Zhangmu town government |
| coordinates | |
| :: |
| name = Zhangmu Town | native_name = · 樟木镇 | settlement_type = Town | image_skyline = File:TIB-shangmu-stadt.jpg | image_size = | image_caption = View of Zhangmu | image_seal = | pushpin_map = China Tibet topography | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = China | subdivision_type1 = Autonomous region | subdivision_name1 = Tibet | subdivision_type2 = Prefecture-level city | subdivision_name2 = Shigatse | subdivision_type3 = County | subdivision_name3 = Nyalam | leader_title = | leader_name = | established_title = | established_date = | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | population_as_of = | population_note = | population_total = | population_metro = | population_density_km2 = | timezone = CST | utc_offset = +8 | coor_pinpoint = Zhangmu town government | coordinates = | elevation_m = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | website = | footnotes = | tib = འགྲམ། | wylie = 'gram | zwpy = Zhamv | thdl = Dram | c = | p = Zhāngmù | nep = खासा (Khasa) | l = neighbor in Tibetan
Zhangmu () or Dram in Tibetan (), or Khasa in Nepali,{{Cite web | title = Bordering on helplessness | last = Xu | first = Xiaotong | last2 = Liang | first2 = Siran | work = Atavist | date = 2015-12-18 | access-date = 2017-02-07 | url = https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/bordering-on-helplessness | archive-date = 2019-06-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190603001512/https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/bordering-on-helplessness | url-status = dead
History
In ancient times, Kodari, the Nepalese village on the other side, was the starting point of a trans-Himalayan caravan route. Newar traders headed north from Kodari and after crossing Kuti pass turned east to continue their journey across the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa.
The construction of the 115 km Kathmandu-Kodari Road occurred during the 1963–67 period. It was named China National Highway 318 in China and Araniko Highway in Nepal.
China has long planned and discussed building a railway connecting Lhasa with Zhangmu on the Nepal-China border, from 2008 onwards. It would be an extension of the 1956 km Qinghai-Tibet Railway. However, as of late 2018, its quite clear China is waiting for Nepalese government to actually seriously commit to a railway from there to Kathmandu through mountainous terrain, which is anticipated to take at least nine years to build. (The Chinese side of the route, 500 km, is essentially unpopulated) Therefore, any railway connecting the current terminus at Xigaze to Kathmandu would be unlikely before 2030.
In 2012, China signed agreement with Nepal to make this one of six ports of entries between Nepal and China.{{Cite web |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国政府和尼泊尔政府关于边境口岸及其管理制度的协定| trans-title = China-Nepal Agreement on Port of Entry| publisher = Chinese Embassy in Nepal| date = 2012-01-14| access-date = 2017-02-10| url = http://np.chineseembassy.org/chn/zngxs/zywj/t1059642.htm| language = zh}}
Zhangmu was evacuated after being damaged by the 2015 earthquakes, which also closed the route between Nepal and China (TAS region). It became a ghost town as trading could not return to previous levels. When the crossing was still closed, traffic began diverting to the border crossing at Gyirong Town and (on the Nepalese side) past Rasuwa Fort further west along the border. Chinese and Nepali officials met in December 2016 to discuss potential reopening of Zhangmu port in 2017, which was blocked by progress of road construction. The checkpoint finally reopened on 29 May 2019.
Transport
Zhangmu is just north of and above the Friendship Bridge border crossing where China National Highway 318 becomes Araniko Highway and immediately passes Kodari village in Sindhupalchok District en route to Kathmandu. Before the earthquake, tourists traveling between Nepal and the Tibet made substantial use of this crossing, and there was also substantial trans-border trade.
Chinese trucks traveling on the Tibet-Nepal Friendship Highway offload goods at Zhangmu and transfer them to Nepalese trucks. Even though the drive between Zhangmu and Kathmandu is only 5 hours, the sourcing logistics and bureaucracy of cross-border trade takes around two weeks, as such in 2013 it takes each Nepalese truck almost half a month for a round trip.
Gallery
File:Zhangmu Town, Tibet.jpg|Zhangmu town File:TIB-shangmu-hauptstr.jpg|Zhangmu main street, which is part of the Tibet-Nepal Highway (China National Highway 318). File:Zangmu frontiere.JPG|The Tibet-Nepal Bridge below Zhangmu, which is the border crossing between Tibet and Nepal. To the right is the Zhangmu Port Control Point. File:The Friendship Bridge at the Tibet-Nepal border.jpg|Gateway to China at the Tibet-Nepal Bridge below Zhangmu.
References
References
- "Kodari Road – Implications for Nepal, China and Inda". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies.
- "Nepal to get China rail link". Asia Times, 15 May 2008.
- "New Railroads in Tibet open up economic opportunities". Yo! Learn Chinese! 6 September 2009.
- "Kerung-Kathmandu railway should be built with Chinese grant: Minister Gyawali - Setopati - Nepal's Digital Newspaper".
- Rai, Om Astha. (17–23 June 2016). "Coming soon the tibet train". Nepali Times.
- Jiao. (December 30, 2016). "Zhangmu Port May Reopen in 2017-Tibet Travel News, Tibet Travel Blog". Tibet Travel Agency.
- (2019-05-29). "Kodari Checkpoint To Open Today". The Spotlight Online.
- "Kathmandu Kodari Trip by Car, Jeep, Van, Bus - Nepal Overland Vehicle Service".
- {{Cite episode. zh-Hans. 北纬30°·中国行. (2013-03-19). link
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