The Treasury of Lives

Wangchuk (dbang phyug) was the Fifth Sakyong (sa skyong) of Chone (co ne), a semi-independent kingdom in Amdo. He was likely born in the late fifteenth century, and succeeded his father, Gakye (co ne sa skyong 04 dga' skyes, b. fifteenth century) in 1506, the fire-tiger year of eighth sexagenary cycle. The family clan was Ga (dga').

In 1512 (some sources state 1508), Wangchuk visited the Zhengde Emperor (明武宗, r.1505-1521), the Tenth Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in Beijing. During the visit he received substantial rewards, several official titles, as well as the Chinese surname Yanghong (杨洪). From this point forward, Chone royalty commonly used Yang in place of Ga as their surname. Sources state that Wangchuk was regarded as the most influential ruler in the Taozhu (洮州) area during his time. Wangchuk had a brother who served at the abbacy of Chone Gonchen Ganden Shedrub Ling (co ne dgon chen dga' ldan bshad sgrub gling).

During his visit to the Emperor, Wangchuk purchased a substantial number of Buddhist texts which he offered to Chone Gonchen. In addition, his rule expanded to include the Chinese farming communities in nearby Taozhu. Wangchuk introduced a policy whereby the local farming community was obliged to act as a militia during times of warfare.

As in previous and subsequent generations, the elder son succeeded the father as king while the younger sons entered religious life at the monastery. The date of his death is not certain, though he was succeeded by his son, Gonpo Dargye (co ne sa skyong 06 mgon po dar rgyas), in 1538.