Gansu Tourist Attractions: 15 Top Places to Visit
Planning to visit Gansu? Check out our Gansu Travel Guide video and see top most Tourist Attractions in Gansu.
Top Places to visit in Gansu:
Zhangye Danxia Geopark, Mogao Caves, Labrang Monastery, Mingsha Shan, Maiji Shan Caves, Crescent Moon Pool, Gansu Provincial Museum, Yadan National Geological Park, Great Wall at Jiayuguan Pass, Iron Bridge of Yellow River, Dafo Temple of Zhangye, Bingling Temple Grottoes, Yumen Pass, Dunhuang Museum, Mati Temple Scenic Resort
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Visit Xiahe, Gansu Province, China 4K
Visit Xiahe, Gansu Province, China 4K - Labrang Monastery, Prayer wheels
Xiahe is an ethnically-Tibetan town in Gansu Province, China.
The town lies along one main street parallel to the Daxia River. The Chinese section (commercial) lies to the eastern end of the road and the Tibetan section lies at the western end. In between lies the monastery.
Xiahe has developed along with the influx of visitors. Some old timers may bemoan that it has lost its off-the-beaten-path charm, but Xiahe is still far from being overrun with hawkers, karaoke or foot massage joints as have many other attractions in China.
See
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For most travelers, Labrang Monastery will keep them occupied for couple of days or more. There is graceful landscape and colorful people. The surrounding region harbors a few worthwhile day-trip destinations, such as the Sangke and Ganjia grasslands. .
Labrang Monastery
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Literally the centre of town, the monastery is the main focus for visitors and residents alike with all social and commercial activity deriving from it. The Monastery was established in 1709 and expanded greatly in following centuries to become one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa sect (Yellow Hat) of Tibetan Buddhism. The resident monks wear maroon robes, black UGG-style boots and shaggy yellow Mohawk shaped hats, sometimes pitched to impressive heights.
Despite its venerable history, many of the buildings and religious artefacts were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. What you see now was built during the late 1980s or even more recently. The buildings construction differs from others in the region, being built with stone blocks rather than rammed earth, but the whitewashed multiple-level square designs follow the typical style of Tibetan monastic buildings.
It'd be easy to spend days meandering about the alleys between monks quarters and prayer halls, or follow pilgrims spinning prayer wheels on a loop around the Kora. Despite all the tickets and tours, it's still an active Monastery and you may chance upon the monks engaged in their religious activities.
There are few English signs (except for the ubiquitous No Photo, Ticket needed), making it somewhat beguiling to understand what you are looking at. An English tour leaves from the ticket office at 10:15AM and 3:15PM. Though the guide provides decent explanations as they take you though the halls, some may feel the experience is a bit rushed. As you would expect, no photos are allowed inside buildings and the monks outside are camera shy when conducting a ceremony.
You can explore most of the grounds freely but a ticket is needed to enter some of the smaller chapels (¥10) or the main halls (¥60), whether you join the tour or not. Even with a ticket in hand the halls may be closed or off limits while a ceremony is being conducted. If you prefer to try before you buy, it's not difficult to blunder in for a look without anyone asking for a ticket.
Some places worth seeking out include;
Gongtang Chorten, (Near the river). A newly built golden topped Chorten that you can climb. ¥20.
Man Jus'ri Temple, (The rear of the courtyard behind the ticket office). Definitely the most impressive hall with several enormous, elaborately decorated, Buddha statues along the rear wall and a pair of small rooms behind. Pilgrims make a clockwise circuit, stopping to make monetary offerings to brightly coloured yak-butter sculptures and pray to silver Chortens containing living Buddhas. At times the hall may reverberate with chanting monks. ¥60.
Prayer Wheels. Lining about half of the minor Kora are brightly painted wooden drums, spun by an endless procession of mainly elderly pilgrims hoping their efforts will be rewarded in the next life. On each corner is a small room housing huge lumbering wheels that ring a bell with each rotation.
Thangka sunning Terrace, (Over the river on the hillside). A flat stone slope on the hillside where a giant Thangka is rolled out during the Tibetan New year. The rest of the time its a nice place to sit and get an overview of the Monastery. Free.
From Xiahe to Langmusi, China
From Xiahe to Langmusi, China
17 October 2016
The journey from Xiahe ( to Langmusi ( should to be a boring travel day. And you have to travel if you want to see something. However, it was a great day. Yes, we spent some hours in the bus. But the landscape was beautiful, especially because off the fresh snow form the night before. So, we really enjoyed this travel day from Xiahe to Langmusi.
Music:
Ishikari Lore van Kevin MacLeod is gelicentieerd onder een Creative Commons Attribution-licentie (
Bron:
Artiest:
From Xiahe to Langmusi, China is part of the China Tour 2016. Please find the summary on YouTube:
In the same China tour you can find:
City trip Beijing, China:
The Great Wall of China (The Chinese Wall):
Terracotta Army and City Wall of Xian, China:
Xiahe and the Labrang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery:
From Xiahe to Langmusi:
The Kurte Tibetan Monastery and the Langmusi gorge hike:
Huanglong near Songpan:
Chengdu and the Chengdu Panda Reserve:
Shangri-la:
Hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek, China:
Lijiang, China:
The 3 famous Pagodas in Dali, China:
Yangshou in the Karst landscape, Guilin, China:
City trip Shanghai, China
All the videos of the China Tour are together in the following playlist:
Please find the blog of the tour on:
Do not forget to like, share and subscribe to my channel:
Xiahe | Xiahe China | China Xiahe | Xiahe travel | Langmusi | Langmusi China | China Langmusi | Xiahe Langmusi | Xiahe Langmusi China
Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu, China 4K
Labrang Monastery, Xiahe, Gansu - Travel China Guide 4K - Labrang Monastery tourism
Labrang Monastery
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About 0.6 miles (1km) west from Xiahe County in Gannan Prefecture, Gansu Province, there is the Labrang Monastery. A propitious place in the hearts of the Tibetan, it stands by the Daxia River and faces the Dragon Mountain. The monastery gains reputation for its rich Tibetan culture, imposing Buddhist buildings, unique Tibetan food and long corridor of prayer wheels. Since the famous Chinese movie “World Without Thieves” was screened in 2004, Labrang Monastery became known to visitors as the shooting place.
It is the holy place where Buddhism followers learn the essence of Buddhism. In its heyday, there were over four thousand monks. Early in the morning, monks chant sutras together. The Labrang Monastery holds seven large-scale assemblies a year, among which the Summons Ceremony in the first lunar month and the Buddhist Doctrine Explaining Ritual in the seventh lunar month are the grandest ones. The former one lasts for fifteen days from 3 - 17 in the lunar January.
Layout and Structures
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Covering an area of 2,140 acres (about 866 hectares), the monastery contains tens of thousands of rooms that are painted red, yellow and white according to function and class. At dawn or at dusk, when the sun sheds its lights on the golden spires, they all look imposing and majestic. Starry sky over the monastery is also very impressive.
Labrang Monastery, GansuThe architectural layout of Labrang Monastery presents typical Tibetan style. The symbols of the whole construction are the white stupas in the northeast and northwest. There is Wensi College, an Exoteric Buddhism college and five Esoteric Buddhism colleges in the monastery. Wensi College is the center of the monastery, also called the Grand Sutra Hall. Buddha halls are located in the northwestern part around the Grand Sutra Hall. Other halls spread in a shape similar to a crescent moon, all richly ornamented.
The Grand Sutra Hall is the dominant place for religious activities of the Labrang Monastery and for adherents' worshipping. On the inside walls there are portraits and shrines of Buddha and bookcases.
Located in the northwest of the Grand Sutra Hall, the Grand Golden Tile Hall is the highest building in the Labrang Monastery and is strongly tinged with Nepalese flavor. It is six-storied and the roof is covered with bronze bricks that are washed by gold. Inside the hall there is a bronze figure of Buddha created by Nepalese artisans.
Buddha statues in the temples are all lifelike with kind-looking faces. Also can be seen are various butter sculptures. Walls of those temples are decorated with colorful and elaborate paintings. Walking within it, one will feel inner peace.
To get a fascinating vista of the monastery, you need to pay extra CNY 20 for Gongtang Pagoda, which is situated at the southwest corner. Visitors can go to the top of the pagoda and admire the grandness of Labrang Monastery. Or, go across the wood bridge over Xiahe River and climb to the hill facing the monastery. It is the best place to have a panoramic view.
Long Corridor of Prayer Wheels
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Labrang Monastery boasts the longest corridor of prayer wheels over the world, with over 1,700 scripture wheels. The hexagonal wood cylinders are carved with different scriptures and patterns on each side. The whole monastery is encircled by the corridor, stretching as long as 2.7 miles (3.5km). Walking to the end of the corridor takes more than an hour. Walk clockwise along the corridor and rotate the wheels, you will get rid of woe.
Tibetan Meal
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In the dining hall, you will have a special local meal. Ordering is not needed. Instead, monks will serve you with local dishes one by one. The first is a bowl of milk tea, and then comes the boiled mutton and highland barley wine. Interesting is that you will not be served with rice until you finish the wine. The last one is Tibetan bun with mutton stuffing. In summer, the meal always ends up with a cup of cool yogurt.
Dos and Don'ts:
Take off hats when you enter the main halls.
Don't touch or point at the Buddhist statues.
Don't take pictures in the main halls and Gongtang Pagoda.
Transportation
1. From Lanzhou, visitors can catch a direct bus at Lanzhou South Coach Station to Xiahe County. It departs at 7:30, 8:30, 09:30, 14:00 and 15:00. The fare is around CNY 75 and the journey takes about five hours. Since it is a long distance, you’d better leave for Xiahe in the morning. After arrival, take a taxi to Labrang Monastery.
2. From Xining, you can take a bus at Xining Passenger Transport Center, which is located at the east of the South Square of Xining Railway Station. It departs around 07:00. The journey costs CNY 80 and takes about six hours.
3. From other counties like Linxia or Hezuo, there are buses to Xiahe every day.
Xiahe Gansu province China
Xiahe
Population: 130,000
Area: 8,037 square kilometers
Nationalities: Tibetan, Han and Hui
Zip Code: 747100
Area Code: 0941
Administrative Division: Labrang Town, Wanggeertang Town, Amuquhu Town, Sangke County, Ganjia County, Damai County, Madang County, Dian'ao County, Tangga'ang County, Zhayou County, Bola County, Jicang County, Yaliji County, Kecai County
Location: Xiahe County lies in the southwest of Gansu province and northwest of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. On the northeast edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is located between 35°12' north latitude and 102°31' east longitude.
Physical Features: The hypsography of slopes down from northwest to southeast with an average elevation of 2,900 meters-3,100 meters (9,514 feet-10,170 feet). The highest elevation is 4,636 meters and the lowest is 2,160 meters (7,087 feet).
History: It used to be the ley of Qiang Nationality in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC - 476BC). It was once occupied by Xianbei, Tubo and Mongolian nationalities. It has been named as Baishi County in the Western Han Period (206 BC - 24 AD), Longxi County in the Eastern Han Period (25 - 220), Jinxing County in the Western Jin Period (265 – 316), Huaiqiang County in the Northern Song Period (960 - 1127) and Labrang in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). It was finally named as Xiahe in 1928.
Climatic Feature: It has a typical plateau continental climate. It is temperate and semiarid in the north, cold and humid in the south. The weather is windy in spring and winter, as well as rainy in summer and autumn. Usually, it has a long frost period with the frost-free period only 56 days and a total sunshine of 2,296 hours annually. The annually average temperature is about 2.6C (36.7F) with the highest of 28.4C (83F) and the lowest of -26.7C (80F). The rainfall is 444millimeters (17.5 inches) annually.
When to Go: September to December is the best time to visit there due to the pleasant weather.
Local Highlights: The traditional 'Xiang Lang Festival' which is similar to the spring outing of Han nationality (the last ten-day of June in Chinese Lunar Calendar) is a very important festival in this area. You can know more about the local customs through this festival.
Local Product: Root of Silverweed Cinquefoil, Snow Lotus, Bezoar and Aweto
Labrang Monastery:
Located at the foot of the Phoenix Mountain northwest of the county, Labrang Monastery is the first must-see attraction. It is one of the six great monasteries of Gelukpa sect as well as the location of Gansu Provincial Buddhism College. The Labrang Monastery boasts tens of thousands of statues of Buddha made of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, as well as many Buddha hats and many Buddhist treasures adorned with pearls, jadeite, agate and diamonds.
Transportation:
1. There is no airport and railway station in this place, but Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport and Lanzhou Railway Station are nice options for passenger's convenience.
2. It is easy for passengers to take long-distance bus station to other places. Xiahe Bus Station is about 1.5km away from the entrance to the monastery and the main concentration of guesthouses. Frequent Buses operates onward to Xiahe in 3-4 hours and to Linxia in 2 hours. One bus daily runs to Langmusi in 4 hours and one bus daily leaves for Tongren in about 3 hours.
3. It is cheap to take a taxi to travel around the area. A round-trip between Xiahe and Sangke Prairie only costs about CNY40 by taxi.
For Booking Hostels:
Music Tracks used:
Buddha Bar sound tracks
References:
Travelling VLOGS - China Part 5 - Xiahe
We head even further west and up to an altitude of 3,500m to check out the Labrang Monastery and surrounding hills around Xiahe.
Music: Hong Ting
instagram.com/stingytravellers/
Xiahe and the Labrang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery
Xiahe
14 - 16 October 2016
Xiahe was the fourth location of our China Tour. After Beijing and Xi’an it is really a small village located in the foothills of the Himalaya. Xiahe was a part of Tibet for a long time. The population of Xiahe is mostly Tibetan. Most of the people are still dressed traditional. The purpose of our visit to Xiahe is off course the famous Labrang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery.
The Labrang Monastery is one the biggest and the most important Buddhist monastery outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Labrang Monastery is important for the people of Xiahe and of all the Buddhists in the region. However the monastery is popular for pilgrims as well. There are about 1400 monks in the monastery. That is more than what is allowed in a monastery in Lhasa, the former capitol of Tibet, and still the most important place of the Tibetan Buddhism.
We arrived in Xiahe in the afternoon. We had still some time to walk the Kora. The Kora is a meditative practice of the Tibetan Buddhists. They walk rounds around a sacred object or place. In the Labrang Monastery the walk around the monastery is 3km and counts 1174 prayer wheels. Usually they walk the Kora 3 times. Beside the 3km Kora, the Tibetan Buddhists walk Koras around a lot of other holy objects in the monastery. You also see some Buddhist prostrating. Some people are prostrating on one place. However you see them also prostrating the Kora of 3 km.
The next day we visited the inside of the Labrang Monastery and made a nice hike in the mountains near Xiahe.
The Labrang Monastery is of the Gelug school, also named Yellow caps. The next day we visited a monastery near Zuohaicun, north of Xiahe. The monks over there are called Black caps. But they were yellow caps as well. Maybe it is better to keep the Tibetan name: Karmapa. The black caps are walking the Kora as well. However they walk counterclockwise instead of clockwise.
At last we visited the town of Ka'ernangcun. The town has a 2200 years old city wall. Ka'ernangcun is situated in the Grasslands north of Xiahe. We drunk some hot Yak milk and eat some Tsampa.
Music
Dhaka van Kevin MacLeod is gelicentieerd onder een Creative Commons Attribution-licentie (
Bron:
Artiest:
The Voyage van Audionautix is gelicentieerd onder een Creative Commons Attribution-licentie (
Artiest:
Xiahe is part of the China Tour 2016. Please find the summary on YouTube:
In the same China tour you can find:
City trip Beijing, China:
The Great Wall of China (The Chinese Wall):
Terracotta Army and City Wall of Xian, China:
Xiahe and the Labrang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery:
From Xiahe to Langmusi:
The Kurte Tibetan Monastery and the Langmusi gorge hike:
Huanglong near Songpan:
Chengdu and the Chengdu Panda Reserve:
Shangri-la:
Hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek, China:
Lijiang, China:
The 3 famous Pagodas in Dali, China:
Yangshou in the Karst landscape, Guilin, China:
City trip Shanghai, China
All the videos of the China Tour are together in the following playlist:
Please find the blog of the tour on:
DO NOT forget to LIKE, SHARE and SUBSCRIBE to my channel:
Xiahe | Xiahe China | Xiahe Labrang | Labrang Monastery | Buddhism | Tibetan Buddhism | Tibetan | Tibetan monks | Sawadee | Sawadee Reizen
塔公鎮 Tagong town (China)
塔公鎮位於中國四川省甘孜藏族自治州康定縣北部,是一個純牧業鄉.「塔公」一詞為藏語,意為菩薩喜歡的地方.境內有塔公寺以及塔公平原,美麗的山川,草原與寺廟構成了風景區.塔公寺是康區著名的藏傳佛教薩迦派寺廟,電影天下無賊曾在此取景.
Zhang Ye Danxia Landform UNESCO Site - Aerial
Drone footage of the Danxia Landform in Zhang Ye, Gansu. Better known as Rainbow mountains. Shot using Mavic Pro.
Music - Written in Ink by Kai Engel.
China's Hidden Gems 【中国之宝】| Qinghai（青海）, Gansu（甘肃）
Places of Interest:
Qinghai（青海）: Qinghai Lake (青海湖)，Ta'er Monastery (塔尔寺)，Laji Shan (拉脊山)，Chakayan Lake (茶卡盐湖)，Phoenix Lake (翡翠湖)，Yadan Devil City (雅丹魔鬼城)，Zhuo’er Mountain (祁连卓尔山)
Gansu（甘肃）Mingsha Shan (鸣沙山)，Crescent Moon Lake (月牙泉)，Jiayuguan Pass (嘉峪关关城)，Mogao Caves (莫高窟)，Zhangye Danxia National Geopark (张掖七彩丹霞)
Music credits:
[China Electro] China-P (copyright free music)