A square in Gyantse. In the foreground is a communist monument similar to the one found in front of the Potala. In the background is Gyantse's famous Dzong, or fort. This was the dwelling place of Gyantse's kings and administrators in previous times, but now has apparently been converted into a somewhat dubious museum of Gyantse's history, including a few crude statues illustrating the conditions of the pre-communist "feudal times," such as serfdom, taxation, etc. It's uncertain why this museum persists--I am told that Lhasa once had a far superior "feudal" museum, but the government shut it down, perhaps for reasons of foreign public image, or perhaps because it was an irritant to the local population. My guess is that the Gyantse museum persists due to lack of initiative to change it. Unfortunately we did not have time to go into the Dzong as we opted instead to see the monastery.