The Derge ruling family traced its lineage to the ancient Gar clan, with roots in the 13th century when Sonam Rinchen (from the Gar Clan) established an estate in present-day Pelyül County. The kingdom truly rose to prominence in the 1630s–1640s. It gained significant territory after supporting Gushri Khan (of the Khoshut Mongols), who helped defeat rivals like the Beri king. By the mid-17th century, Derge had expanded into a large polity covering agricultural valleys and nomadic areas across parts of modern Derge, Pelyül, Sershül, and Jomda counties.

The kingdom reached its cultural peak under the “Dharma King” Tenpa Tsering (r. 1678–1738). He sponsored the famous Derge Printing House (Derge Parkhang), founded in 1729, which became one of Tibet’s greatest centers for woodblock printing of Buddhist scriptures (including the Kangyur and Tengyur). Derge was renowned for its fine metalwork, saddlery, calligraphy style, and as a hub of the non-sectarian Rimé movement. It maintained a balance between secular royal power and religious institutions, particularly the Sakya tradition and later other schools.

Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture stands out as the vibrant heart of eastern Kham — one of the three traditional Tibetan regions — and offers one of the most authentic and diverse expressions of Tibetan (Khampa) culture in China. It is often praised as “a full taste of Tibetan nature and culture without entering the Tibet Autonomous Region.” In 2005, Chinese National Geography named areas within Garzê among the “Most Beautiful Places in China.” It features dramatic snow-capped peaks, vast alpine grasslands (covering ~60% of the land), glaciers, sacred lakes, and virgin forests, all at high altitudes on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.