Tibetpedia

Category: Kham Tibet

Kham Tibet

Kham Tibet straddles three provinces and one autonomous region in modern day PRC: Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The region of Kham is very diverse geographically, containing large mountain ranges and vast grasslands. Four major rivers and six mountain ranges combine to make the scenery of this part of Tibet breathtaking. The headwaters of the Mekong, the Yangtse, the Yalong and the Salween, flow out of Kham Tibet from the East and South-Eastern parts of the Tibetan plateau.

Khamba Tibetans

The people of Kham Tibet, known as the Khambas (or Khampas) live up to their reputation for bravery and horsemanship when they compete in summer “horse racing” festivals. However, they are also known for cheerfully enduring a beautiful yet sometimes harsh environment, especially in the winter months. The huge mountain ranges that form the valleys through which the rivers flow are responsible for the divergent cluster of dialects that have developed due to the relative seclusion of these communities throughout most of history.

The traditional occupations of nomadic pastoralism and agriculture are still the backbone of Kham society while increasing numbers find positions in the growing towns as government workers or employees in local small businesses. It’s not unusual in one family to find hard-working farmers who still depend on the land, monks or nuns committed to lifelong service in a monastery, and young people with college degrees.

Entering Kham Tibet from Sichuan

Beginning in the Sichuan basin and ascending to the breath-taking heights of the Tibetan plateau, your lungs are conscious of breaking out of the sub-tropical soupy air of the lowlands to the invigorating cool and thin air that is home to one of the highest cultures in the world. Everything changes. Faces for starters: round and flat Chinese faces are replaced by the long and sharp-featured ones typical of Tibetans. High cheek bones tinted red by wind and sun, along with gold teeth, are emblematic of this people group comprised of a majority of farmers and nomads. Replacing modernity, temples and traditional homes dot the landscape and are often home to welcoming and friendly hosts. The landscape has surprising variance: tight narrow valleys with lush vegetation and steep ascents marked by countless switchbacks carry you to the vastness of the Tibetan plateau.

Transportation

The Chinese cities of Chengdu, Xining, and Kunming are the main gateway cities to Kham Tibet. From these three cities there is convenient access to a lot of the region via land or air. Public buses are more comfortable than most people think these days, and if you are traveling in a group it very economical to hire a private vehicle. Your guesthouse or hotel should be able to assist with arranging your ground transport depending on your needs. Airports are also conveniently located in Kangding, Shangri-La, Daocheng, Yushu, and Chamdo.

For a helpful introduction to the geography of Tibet’s three regions relative to each other and the rest of China, be sure to visit our page on Tibet Travel Essentials.

authentic tibet

  • Xinduqiao

    Xinduqiao

    Xinduqiao ( ར་རྔ་ཁ།) is a small busy Tibetan town in the Wild West of Sichuan. It is a two-hour drive (81 kilometers) from Kangding city and roughly a one-hour drive from Kangding airport. Xinduqiao is an impressive 3,300 meters above sea level and lies along the Sichuan-Tibet 318 National Highway.

    A Mix of Tibetan cultures

    Ninety percent of denizens are Kham Tibetan. Xinduqiao is a unique blend of grassland and farmland, meaning it is a mixture of two distinct subsets of Tibetan culture—nomad and farmer. But in the last ten years, a new industry has exploded and has changed the face of Xinduqiao: tourism. Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and bars now line the main artery through town. Other small business selling Tibetan handicrafts, clothing, and souvenirs have popped up on the back of the tourism wave. The two-or-so-kilometer stretch of new businesses and hotels bustles with noise and activity—a very new vibe from a town whose nightlife for millennia has consisted mostly of yak noises under quiet starlight.

    A Paradise for landscape Artists

    Xinduqiao is recognized as “paradise for photographers and painters”. The best time to travel Xinduqiao is from May to November. On the Tibetan plateau, the summer months are green and the weather is pleasantly warm. Billions of flowers are in full bloom. Locals set up tents and picnic on the grassland to enjoy the weather and community life. In the Fall, the trees, the grass, and the barley change color. Everything is decorated in shades of gold and auburn. Breathtaking. Meanwhile, Tibetans are busy in the fields gathering in the harvest.

    Sun Raising In Xinduqiao
    Be Prepared for All Seasons

    Weather can change quickly on the Tibetan plateau and it’s hard to depend on the forecast. Therefore, we encourage you to bring a versatile range of suitable clothing for your adventure. The sun can be very intense, and the temperature can drop rapidly when it’s raining.

    An Insider Recommendation

    There are many guesthouses and commercial hotels with cheap and reasonable prices. But if you want a 5-star experience, we don’t think anything compares with the Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge. It has a perfect view of Mt. Gongga and the surrounding area, because it is perched atop a small hill off of the main road in town.

    Road From Xinduqiao to Tagong
    A Short Drive to Tagong

    If you want more a nomad grassland experience, catch a ride up to Tagong, only 35 kilometers away to the north. There are many interesting places around Tagong to explore: the renowned Tagong monastery, the Golden Pagoda, and the Tashi Nunnery. The Tashi Nunnery houses more than 500 nuns and nestles on a hillside next to an impressively large Mani stone temple. In Tagong town, people offer horse riding for visitors starting at the Golden Pagoda.

  • Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge

    Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge

    Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge is located on a small hillside in beautiful Xinduqiao, a beautiful town in Eastern Tibet. Gongkar originally means “white mountain” but has come to mean “holy mountain” in the local area. Dzong literally means Lodge. The English name includes the word “castle,” as the stone lodge resembles a castle. Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge was founded by four young, passionate Tibetan entrepreneurs: Orgyen, Norbu, Gongbu and Niyma. They are all from the same area and love their hometown.

    The Dream is Born

    It all started in 2012 New Years when they returned to their hometown to celebrate with family. They discovered many kinds of new hotels and hostels popping up in their hometown. Yet, none of them seemed to provide an opportunity to show visitors the local culture and the stunning land. These four friends felt pity that visitors would travel such a long distance to get there, and then leave without experiencing the local authentic culture nor the real beauty of the land. One of them expressed, “No one knows our hometown better than us.” Another then said, “No one will do it if we young Tibetans don’t.” So, the idea of building a Tibetan style lodge in their hometown was born. All four jumped into action right away as most entrepreneurs do.

    A Labor of Love; A Vision of Beauty

    It took them four years to build the lodge. In those four years, they faced many challenges and difficulties. But with hard work, they overcame them all and successfully finished building the lodge in July 2015. They started receiving and guests to their lodge and helped them explore the surrounding area and experience their unique Tibetan culture. The Lodge is situated in a prime location to view Gongga Mountain from your bedroom window or from the lawn outside. Because Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge is built on top of a small hill, you can get the whole view of the entire valley from the Lodge. It’s an ideal place to take photos. Directly behind the Lodge, there is a small mountain that you can hike up to get an even higher perspective.

    Beautiful and Peaceful Morning in Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge

    Friendly Staff

    The decoration of the room is cozy and simple: wooden bed, wardrobe, and tables. One client claimed that the bed was the most comfortable in all of Kham Tibet. All of the staff are local and speak some English if you have any simple inquiries. If your question is more complex, find Norbu. He is one of the owners and speaks fluent English from his years in India. Norbu is very knowledgeable and humorous. In the evening, they invite their guests to join in a traditional Tibetan dance. Their restaurant is easily the best in all of Xinduqiao. They have a wide offering of local Tibetan, Chinese, and Western dishes.

    A Tibetan Hourse in  Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge

    A Dream Come True

    GongKar Dzong Castle Lodge is planning to build a meditation and Yoga center for visitors to mediate and practice Yoga in the future. The founders’ original dream was to provide their guests with a true Tibetan experience by giving them a peaceful, comfortable, and joyful time in a luxurious Tibetan home. They have done that and more. In fact, they have exceeded everyone’s expectations, including their own. We highly recommended the Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge even if you have to make a special trip to Xinduqiao just to experience it.

    Comfortable Bed in Gongkar Dzong Castle Lodge

    Contact Info:

    地址：四川省甘孜藏族自治州康定市 新都桥镇新二村让噶岗 ，近318国道

    Address: Xingduqiao Town, Nearby the National Road 318, Kangding City, Ganzi Prefecture, Shichuan Province.

    电话：(0836)7777171

  • Kailash Restaurant & Bar

    Kailash Restaurant & Bar

    In the heart of Shangri-la Old Town, down a stone paved street and through a small alleyway, there lies a modest and vibrant Tibetan restaurant—the Kailash Restaurant & Bar. Though surrounded by low buildings, it is easily found because of the large, white stupa outside its front door. The restaurant’s wooden frames and large windows hang like rare paintings in an art gallery. The warmly lit world within pulls passersby in through its open doors. The inside is simple and artsy. The Kailash’s atmosphere is set with intricate lighting, elegant artwork, and pleasant Tibetan music.

    The Creator and His Food

    Samten, the owner of the restaurant, started his business in May of 2008. With the help of his family, who each take on different roles in the business, the Kailash has blossomed into a restaurant of renowned fame. The family farm, eighty kilometers away from the city, sources the fresh livestock and vegetables used in their dishes. Though Tibetan flavors dominate their offerings, the menu is also infused with Indian elements as the family spent a decade in that country. Samten works hard to please the palate of his customers without losing the intensity of the original flavors.

    Local Tibetan Hotpot at Kailash Restaurant
    Local Tibetan Hotpot at the Kailash Restaurant & Bar

    The Famous Yak Hotpot

    The Kailash is known for its large clay pot yak hotpot. The yak meat is tender to the point of falling out of the bovine meat category and qualifying as a type of fish. The soup base magically transforms anything it touches into more of that thing. The radish becomes more of a radish. Potatoes come out more like potatoes. The soup incorporates their distinct notes, and the flavors keep compounding!

    Although the restaurant is already known for its innovative dishes, Samten is constantly trying to update their menu to keep creating and offering new local flavors for visitors to Shangrila. The Kailash Restaurant & Bar is a prime destination for tourists looking for savory food to please their taste buds (and fill their tummies!).

    People enjoy Local Tibetan food at the restaurant
    People enjoy local Tibetan food at Kailash Restaurant &Bar

    Kailash Restaurant is a perfect place to enjoy Local Tibetan food: Yak Hotpot, Yak meat momos and Yogurt.

    Contact Info:

    Address: Beimen Road Yi Mulang 19-B1, Shangri-la Old Town, Diqing, Yunnan Province

    Phone:139 8879 8788

    地址：云南香格里拉建塘镇独克宗古城北门街依若木廊19-B1号（ 香巴拉老街）

  • Pelyul County

    Pelyul County

    Pelyul County (or Pelyul- དཔལ་ཡུལ་རྫོང་།) is located in Kham Tibet and is one of eighteen counties of Ganzi Autonomous prefecture in Western Sichuan Province. In Tibetan, Pelyul means “a holy and happy place.” Pelyul is on the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region and is roughly 3,000 meters above sea level. There are over 50,000 people here with 94% being Tibetan and the rest are Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities.

    Getting to Pelyul

    Traveling to Pelyul from Chengdu is very doable with a little bit of patience. It’s roughly a 900km journey and takes around 18 hours by bus. A new highway from Ya’an to Luding is now open to private vehicles and will be available to public bus traffic in June of 2018. This cuts at least four hours off the journey, making the total ride possible in one day. This is still not recommended though, as it is always best to ascend elevation slowly with regular periods of acclimatization. We suggest spending at least a night or two in Kangding on the way up.

    Well Worth the Trip

    The landscape and scenery are so worth the trip: nomadic grassland, glaciated peaks, deep river valleys, stunning mountain lakes, diverse Tibetan architecture, and the unique culture. Pelyul is only 97 kilometers (a 2 hour drive) south of Dege. Dege is the center of culture, art and medicine in Kham area. It’s one of the best places to experience Tibetan religious culture and learn Kham Tibetan history.

    Sights to See around Pelyul

    You can easily spend two to three days in Pelyul visiting monasteries and nunneries. Pelyul and Katok Monasteries are one of the three biggest Nyingma-tradition monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kham Tibetan region. Pelyul monastery was founded in 1665 by Kuchen Sherab in Pelyul County. After Pedma Norbu Rinpoche’s death, Karma Kuchen Rinpoche became the monastery’s twelfth leader. The monastery is located in a hillside above the county town and is within walking distance. From the monastery you can get the whole view of the town.

    Katok Monastery was founded by Katok Dampa Deshek in 1159. It’s located on a hillside in a town called Horpo 51 kilometers away from Peyul county. It has a nearly 850 year history and the greatest scholars in Tibet have come out of Katok. Katok is a must-see if you want to dive deep into the history of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

    Yarchen Monastery was founded by Achuk Rinpoche in 1985. It lies in an isolated valley 4000 meters above sea level. The monastery is associated with the Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s the largest concentration of nuns and monks in the world. Nuns drastically outnumber the monks, so much so that Yarchen is also known as “The City of Nuns.” The place is covered with thousands of small huts where nuns do their meditation. Yarchen is an amazing place to learn about Tibetan Buddhist nun’s lifestyle and religious customs. Yarchen is between Pelyul County and Ganzi County, roughly equidistant from both. Traveling from either Pelyul or Ganzi to Yarchen takes about three hours by private vehicle.

  • Minya Konka (Mount Gongga)

    Minya Konka (Mount Gongga)

    On the eastern edges of the Tibetan plateau, in the Kham region south of Kangding and Xinduqiao, lies Mount Gongga (Minya Konka), the 7,556-meter sentinel of the Mount Gongga mountain range. The mountain is the third largest peak outside of the Himalayas. At one point in the 1930s, its height was miscalculated and thought to be over 30,000 feet, which would have made it the tallest mountain in the world. The myth was short-lived as the National Geographic Society quickly disproved the claim. It does stand head and shoulders above every other peak in the region and its prominence from some of the deep, surrounding gorges make it easy to understand how some might have mis-calculated its height.

     

    Viewing Minya Konka

    Minya Konka lies shrouded in clouds amongst the other peaks of the Gongga Range
    Minya Konka lies shrouded in clouds amongst the other peaks of the Gongga Range

    Catching an unhindered view of Mt. Gongga’s peak is a rare occurence as it typically carries with it its own weather system. Even when the rest of the sky is relatively cloudless, Gongga will still wear a shroud of clouds. The steep valleys surrounding Gongga make it difficult to see even though you may be walking through its own foothills. There are a few common vantage points available for viewing Gongga, though you still need a good dose of luck to see it. The Kangding Airport road provides a clear, though distant view of Gongga and the surrounding mountains. You can also potentially view it from the Riewuqie pass on the Gongga through-trek. There are parts of the 318 Highway between Yajiang and Kangding from where you can also see the mountain. But the best viewing spot for Gongga is at the pass above Zimei village.

     

    A Wonderland of Adventure

    Surrounded by awe inspiring landscapes
    Surrounded by awe inspiring landscapes

    During late spring and early summer, Tibetans comb the valleys and mountains around Gongga for caterpillar fungus. More and more trekkers are finding their way to Mt. Gongga. There is a popular trail hike that begins just to the south of Kangding and ends in Zimei village, which visits one of the most isolated monasteries on the planet. Visitors have the option of even staying the night at the monastery itself, which was build over 700 years ago nestled into a steep valley on the western side of Minya Konka. It typically takes 5 to 8 days to traverse the 70-kilometer journey.

    This 700 year old monastery is one of the most isolated on the planet
    This 700 year old monastery is one of the most isolated on the planet

    There have been many attempts to summit Mt. Gongga. And many fatalities. It has been successfully summitted only a few times, most recently in the summer of 2017 by a group from the Czech Republic. But for the average adventurer, Minya Konka is a veritable alpine playground. Boasting some of the most inspiring and breath-taking landscapes in the region, the Gongga Valley is a trekker’s, and mountain biker’s, dream.  It doesn’t get any better than this.

    Trekking through the Gongga Valley
    Trekking through the Gongga Valley

     

     

  • Dartsendo (Kangding)

    Dartsendo (Kangding)

    Dartsendo (དར་རྩེ་མདོ། ) or Dardo (དར་མདོ། ) is a major gateway city on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau. Also known as Kangding (康定) in Chinese, it rises 2,600 meters above sea level and is the first Tibetan city you come to when traveling west from Chengdu. Kangding teeters on the Eastern edge of Tibet and, historically, has been a trading post between Tibetan and Han Chinese cultures. Bricks of tea came by horse over the mountains from Ya’an – the center of westward tea distribution in ancient China – while Tibetans bartered their nomad wares and yak milk products with the Chinese tea merchants.

    Kangding is also the seat of political power for the majority of Kham Tibet.  It is the county seat and prefectural capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan known as Garnze (甘孜 “Ganzi” in Chinese). Unlike most other towns further west and higher on the Tibetan plateau, Kangding is a turbid mixture of Tibetan and Han cultures with an approximately 50/50 split population of 100,000 people, with a small population of other ethinic minorities.

     

    kangding_river_night
    Fed by nearby Gongga Mt and Zheduo Mt, the river cuts Kangding in half and fills the streets with a constant roar

    A small, but rapidly moving river divides the narrow valley city into Northwest and Southeast halves. The noise from the rushing waters echoes throughout the city streets. Summertime is accompanied by higher volumes of rainwater and thus higher volumes of river noise. Wind rips through the valley bringing with it a significant wind chill. Thus, even many Tibetans consider Kangding a colder place to spend the winter months than in their high plateau hometowns. Towering over the Southeast part of the town is the famous Paoma (“Running Horse”) Mountain. Residents and visitors regularly climb to the top of the hill for a view of the city, or for festivals or cultural events that the city hosts.

    While in Kangding there are several places that travelers may wish to explore. With multiple monasteries, the Nanwu Monastery to the west side of town is the most active in the area, but the Ngachu Monastery might be one you wish to visit as it is conveniently located in town and has less traffic. The Lhamo Tse Monastery is about 2 kms from downtown, and Dentok Monastery lies at the top of Mt. Paoma, with travelers either taking the cable car or hiking to the top. Those wandering People’s Square in the morning are likely to find Tai Chi, but at night the square is filled with Tibetan or Western-style dancing. Most travelers enjoy joining in on the community fun.

    There are plenty of options for day hikes around Kangding. A good source for information on nearby activities is Zhilam Hostel which is located on the west side of the valley on the hillside above Kangding Hotel. Outside of Kangding there is plenty to do as well. For active travellers there is the option of arranging a trek in the incomparable alpine wonderland of Mt. Gongga (Minya Konka in Tibetan) south of the city. The area around Gongga Mountain can accommodate any length of trek from one day to multi-day, and even extended backcountry treks for up to two weeks or more. For those who prefer a less active adventure, 40min by car west of the city sits a gorgeous alpine lake known locally as Mugecuo. Though the lake area has become commercialized with tourism in recent years, it still remains a good option for a scenic day trip.

     

    gongga_mt_trek
    Camping within one day’s trek of Kangding, near Gongga Mt. (Minya Konka)

     

    Mugecuo_near_kangding
    Mugecuo is a local alpine lake about 40min drive from Kangding

     

    There are multiple transportation options in and out of Kangding. The bus station sits at the northeast entrance to town just before the road drops toward Chengdu. There are multiple daily departures from Kangding to Chengdu and most major travel nodes in Eastern Tibet (Litang, Ganzi, Dege, etc.). Private vehicles are also for hire around the bus station. Travelers are now also able to fly into and out of Kangding via the recently built airport on the plateau, a 45min drive from the city. Leaving Kangding it is a 30km drive of nonstop climbing to the top of Zheduo Pass to reach the third highest airport in the world at 4,280m. On a clear day the airport has breathtaking views of the nearby Gongga and Yala mountain ranges.

     

    Zheduo_pass_kangding
    Zheduo pass (4200m) between Kangding and the airport

     

  • Yulshul (Yushu)

    Yulshul (Yushu)

    Mostly inhabited by Tibetans, Yushu (ཡུལ་ཤུལ།)  is located in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the southern Qinghai province of China. The town, also referred to as Jyekundo (སྐྱེ་དགུ་མདོ།), Gyêgu, Gyêgudo or Jiegu is a multi-ethnic town with Tibetan nomadic residents and Han Chinese traders. Yushu lies at an elevation of 4,000 meters and has the fountainheads of Asia’s three great rivers – the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Mekong River. The rivers are part of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in the region.  Besides the Tongtian River Bridge, a stone column inscribed with the reserve’s name was given by the former president, Jiang Zemin.

    Jyekundo Dondrubling Monastery

    The Jyekundo Monastery is found on a hill overlooking Yushu Town and belongs to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In the past, a Bon Temple was present on the site, but later in 1398, Jyekundo Temple was constructed in its place. It consisted of 16 temples and was home to around 500 monks before the earthquake of 2010 hit the area.

    Gyanak Mani Temple

    About 6 kilometers east of Jyekundo Town is the Gyanak (Jiana) Mani Stone Field which has an enormous collection of carved prayer stones depicting Buddha sculptures ad mantras. There are over 2 million prayer stones stacked on top of each other spread across a square kilometer and reaching a height of 3 meters. Pilgrims from across the region pay a visit to the temple and make koras of the stone pile.

    Temple of Princess Wencheng

    Located 20 kilometers south outside of Yushu Town, the temple honors  Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she was on her way to Lhasa in the 7th century. Every Tibetan New Year, devotees visit the temple and perform a kora. The area surrounding the temple consists of thousands of prayer flags and offers picturesque views of the grasslands below and snowy mountains far away.

    Yushu Tibet - Small
    Row of stupas in Yushu

    Qinghai Yushu Horse Racing Festival

    Every year on 25th July, a Horse Racing Festival is held in the grasslands of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Qinghai Province for sturdy Khampas to display their sportsmanship. The Yushu Horse Racing Festival is attended by Tibetan nomads across the Kham region, who set up tents for the week-long festivities. The warm weather transforms the valley into lush green spaces ideal for camping and horse racing. Apart from the traditional horse races, there is also folk singing and dancing, Buddhist ceremonies and various other sports and activities as part of the festival. Tibetan herbs and handicrafts are also widely sold during the event. Women dress in their best traditional gowns and ornaments, while monks are seen clad in red robes. The tribal men wear robes with tiger stripes or panther skins.

  • Nyiden (Yading)

    Nyiden (Yading)

    Yading Village is small rural establishment in Daocheng County of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province of China. Located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yading village is 3,700 meters above sea level. Yading village and its surrounding sights are part of the Shangri-la Natural Tourist Zone. Yading in Tibetan is referred to as Nyiden (ཉིན་སྟེང་།), which means ‘facing the sun’. Yading Village serves as base for exploration to the breathtaking Yading Nature Reserve.

    Yading Village Field Tibet
    Field found in Yading with beautiful landscape of the mountains in the background, untouched by industrialization.

    Yading Nature Reserve

    Honored as the last Shangri-la, the last pure land on earth and the holy land in the sun, Yading Nature Reserve is characterized by snow-covered mountains, vast green meadows, crystal clear rivers, glacier-fed lakes, and dense forests. It occupies an area of 1,344 square kilometers and has an average altitude of well over 4,000 meters. This mountain sanctuary comprises of the three holy mountains that have an altitude of around 6,000 meters – Chenrezig, Jampayang, and Chenadorje. The Yading Reserve serves as an important Tibetan pilgrimage location as the Fifth Dalai Lama sanctified the three mountain peaks.

    The three holy mountains are in a triangle formation cradling clear rivers, forested valleys, pristine lakes and exquisite wildlife. The area surrounding the three mountains is called Rigsum Gonpo. The highest of the three is Mount Chenrezig at 6,032 meters and signifies the Bodhisattva of Mercy. At the foot of the mountain is the clear Pearl Lake (Zhenzhu Hai). Mount Jambeyang, with an altitude of 5,958 meters, represents the Bodhisattva of Wisdom while Mount Chanadorje, with similar height, represents the Bodhisattva of Power.

    Gongga Chonggu Temple

    This 800-year old temple built during the Yuan Dynasty is now just fragments of broken walls as it has been severely damaged over the years. The remnants of Chonggu Monastery lie at the foot of Mount Chenrezig and consist of a Shijia sculpture in the chapel. Nevertheless, lamas can be seen reading Buddhist scriptures and murmuring religious songs at the Chonggu Monastery.

    Luorong Pasture

    Luorong Grassland is an elevated plateau (4,150 meters) that offers a spectacular vantage point of the three sacred mountains. It consists of lush green grass and winding streams and ponds. Not only does it offer a place for cattle and sheep to graze, but also lodging facilities to visitors.

    Wusu (Five Color Lake) and Niunai Lake (Milk Lake)

    Yading Milk Lake
    The jewel like lakes in Yading are fed by glacier run-off. This one is known as “milk lake”

    Milk Lake is created from a glacier runoff and boasts a milky turquoise color. It is bordered on one side by mountain-sized cliffs. Close to Milk Lake is the Five Color Lake which is surrounded by mountains on three sides and flows into the Zheduo River. Both these lakes are between Chenrezig and Jambeyang mountains and in sunlight, present an awesome burst of kaleidoscope colors.

  • Yachen Monastery

    Yachen Monastery

    History of Yachen Monastery

    Hidden away in a remote valley between Garze (Ganzi) town and Baiyu town, Sichuan, is the isolated Yachen Monastery ( ཡ་ཆེན་དགོན་པ།). Established in 1985 by a Nyingma Rinpoche, the current population of this monastic community is approximately 17,000 monks and nuns, with nuns holding the majority. Despite living conditions becoming more difficult and strains on supplies becoming more common as the population grows, people are still coming to the monastery to live and have shown remarkable perseverance in doing so.

    Yachen Monastery: Padmasambhava Idol (Guru Rimpoche)
    A several story high image of Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) dominates the landscape at Yachen Monastery. This Indian tantric master is regarded to have established Buddhism in Tibet

    Remote Living Conditions

    Many people call the area surrounding this Nyingma Sect Monastery a camp, and they don’t seem to be very far off. At over 4,000 meters elevation, temperatures here can drop well below freezing at times, making living conditions dangerous. Yachen Monastery is simply running out of living space, yet the population continues to rise. Food and water shortages have recently become an issue, with supplies running dangerously low. Even clothing is scarce, adding health risks to the list of challenges this monastic community faces each and every day.

    Electricity is almost nonexistent and there is only a short window from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. where electricity is available for use. However, with a large portion of the population living in only tents and crudely constructed huts, electricity is not an option for everybody. While the monastery does not see too many visitors outside of the region, there are still a few places for visitors to stay. Most lack any bathroom or toilets with rooms that are often shared with other people, and keys are not provided. The exception is the large hotel on the right hand side as you arrive at the main gate. It has both decent rooms and good food in the attached restaurant. During the summer season, finding sleeping arrangements can be challenging for tourists, and it is highly recommended to bring ample amounts of water, food, and even camping equipment if necessary.

    Yachen monastery
    The winter landscape of the village and surrounding geography.

    Lama Achuk Rinpoche

    Most recently, Lama Achuk Rinpoche was the last to reside over the sect at Yachen Monastery. A former head of the Nyingma Sect in China, Lama Achuk Rinpoche was an incarnation of Longsal Nyingpo of Kathok Monastery, who was an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. Born in 1927, he spent 43 years in retreat with Tulku Arik Rinpoche, his master. After becoming a realized Buddhist Master, he was highly regarded up until his passing in late 2011.

  • Chaktreng (Xiangcheng)

    Chaktreng (Xiangcheng)

    Located in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan province in China, the town of Xiangcheng (乡城) is in a scenic valley which stands at an altitude of 3,200 meters. Xiangcheng Town is also referred to as Chaktreng Town (ཕྱག་ཕྲེང་།) in Tibetan, which means ‘rosaries in Buddha’s hands’.

    From a Small Village to a Bustling Town

    Previously, Xiangcheng was a small village up in the highlands of northern Tibet. Relying heavily on agriculture, Xiangcheng Village was nestled between wheat paddy fields, and produced dairy products to sell across the county. Local Tibetans built large, cubical stone houses with white walls and colorful decorations around the windows, located alongside the Shuqu River. These small castle-like houses are very different from traditional Khampa houses and radiate a North African flair.

    Today, Xiangcheng Town still has acres of wheat fields and traditional square houses, but has seen heavy development converting it into a bustling rural town. Hotels, restaurants, outdoor cafes and stores selling essentials and Tibetan artifacts have sprung up in town. Xiangcheng Town, is a beautiful valley village with a modern Chinese downtown.

    History of Xiangcheng Village

    Xiangcheng was regarded as the White Wolf State during the rule of Eastern Han, Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since the Xiangcheng region is surrounded by huge mountains from all sides, it remained as a remote location along the ancient caravan route that connected Yunan with Sichuan and Tibet. Strategically located, Xiangcheng people had firm characters displaying ruthlessness and unfriendliness to outsiders. When Joseph Rock came to see the area more than 80 years ago, he found Xiangcheng difficult to access as it was ruled by Sashatimba, who was an outlaw chief living at the Sangpiliang Monastery.

    Chaktreng Monastery

    Chaktreng Monastery, also known as Chaktreng Gompa or Xiangcheng Monastery, was originally built in 1669 and belongs to the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chaktreng Monastery stands above the town and provides great views of the agricultural valley and stone houses. The Chaktreng Gompa overlooks the Chinese Martyr’s Cemetery. The Chaktreng Gompa has been reconstructed beautifully by painters, carvers, and carpenters to reflect the original temple.

    Bamu Mountain

    Bamu Mountain falls just outside the two to the west and is an impressive peak of many granite spires. There are a lot of waterfalls, the famous Bamu Lake, bizarre stones, protected animals, and rare flora in the Bamu mountainous area. Bamu Mountain and Lake are spread over 432 hectares. Bamu Mountain is considered to be holy as the spirit Jawarenga is said to dwell in the mountain.

     

  • Lhagang (Tagong)

    Lhagang (Tagong)

    A small, picturesque town located in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of western Sichuan Province, Lhagang (ལྷ་སྒང་།) is home to scenic grasslands, devoted monks and Tibetan nomads with their thousands of thick-coated yaks. Lhagang, also known as Tagong (塔公) in Chinese, is situated in the ancient Kham region in southwest China at an altitude of 3,700m. This treasured place in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau is around 110 kilometers from Kangding city. The town of Tagong features traditional Tibetan-style houses built from stone.

    As a tourist attraction, Tagong is a Wild West town offering an insight into the local Tibetan Buddhist culture with its monasteries, as well as horse riding, hiking, and Tibetan homestays.

    Historical Temples

    Tagong, meaning ‘favorite place of bodhisattva’ in the local language, is home to Tagong Monastery and Lhagang Monastery. The historic Tagong Monastery (Lhagang Gompa) is right in the town center while the Lhagang Monastery is at a ten minute walk south of the town center.

    Tagong Monastery (Small Jokhang Temple)

    The famous Tagong Monastery was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911) to honor the journey of Princess Wencheng on her way to Lhasa for her wedding to Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo. It houses the replica of the sacred statue of Jowo Sakya-muni Buddha at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa along with scriptures of the Sakya Buddhist sect and other cultural relics more than 10,000 years old. A major three-day Buddha event is held at the end of June every year at the Monastery.

    Lhagang Monastery

    At the foothills of the sacred snowcapped mountain lies the Lhagang Monastery. The Lhagang Monastery consists of the Muya Golden Pagoda, which was built in 1997. The Muya Golden Pagoda was gifted by a Living Buddha of Zhuqing Monastery. It has a 100-kilogram pure gold roof in the center of the monastery’s four towers and honors the Living Buddha 10th Panchan.

    Tagong People of Tibet
    Meeting at the monastery to learn and pray.

    Tagong Grasslands

    Tagong Grasslands are a vast expanse of meadow covering an area of 712.37 square kilometers. These beautiful grasslands are home to Tibetan nomads grazing their herds of yaks and living in traditional black yak wool tents. A Horse Race Festival is held in the grasslands every year at the beginning of the eight month of the lunar calendar. Local Tibetan herdsmen in great numbers get together to watch the sport and attend the Tibetan opera. These festivities are witness to the authentic Kham Tibetan culture.

    Yaks near Tagong
    Yaks travelling across the grasslands of Tagong

    Mount Yala

    Mount Yala is located at an altitude of 5,820m in the midst of Danba, Kangding and Daofu and is covered with snow all year round. With the magnificent Golden Padoga and captivating grasslands, Mount Yala presents spectacular views and hiking opportunities. Mount Yala is worshiped by Tibetan people as the area’s patron saint. The Yala river sprouts from the Yala Mountain and merges with the Dadu river up ahead.

     

  • Sershul (Shiqu)

    Sershul (Shiqu)

    Shiqu Town (石渠), also known as Sershul (སེར་ཤུལ།), Serxu, Dzachuka, or Shiquis, is a town in Shiqu County in the Garze Autonomous Prefecture in the northern part of the Chinese Sichuan Province. Shiqu County is spread over 25,000 square kilometers and lies approximately 4,200 meters above sea level on average. Mostly covered by green pastures and grazing yaks, Shiqu is home to a majority of ethnic Tibetans with most of them being nomadic herdsmen.

    Shiqu has become an important center for trade for nomads who regularly arrive in town to buy and sell goods. The town now also has restaurants serving local food and decent hotels for visitors.

    Sershul Tekchen Dargyeling Monastery

    The Sershul Monastery is large monastery in Shiqu which belongs to the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddism. The monastery, housing the Buddhist Monastic University, has authorization to teach the highest Tibetan Buddhist Geshe Degree. The monastery consists of six main temples, several halls and a residential building housing hundreds of monks. Two huge chanting halls with artifacts dedicated to the founder, Je Tsongkhapa, are present in the largest temple. There are also other rare and sacred Buddhist pieces in the monastery, some of which date back to 2,000 years. Every year, a Molam Festival or Prayer Festival is held in the monastery in October which is heavily attended by nomads from Dege, Yushu and Nagchu.

    Shiqu Horse Festival

    Every summer in July, a Horse Festival is held in Shiqu where nomads from across the region gather to show their sportsmanship and engage in several different sporting events. The Shiqu Horse Festival creates a festive atmosphere for Tibetans who dance, drink and enjoy horse races. During the festival, Tibetan women are seen wearing colorful robes and decorative waist bands, huge necklaces, amber hair decorations and fancy embroidered hats.

    Shiqu Statue Tibet - Copy
    Shiqu statue showing King Gesar.

    The Legend of Sershul

    According to legend, when King Gesar defeated one of King Hal’s brothers i.e. the King of Yellow Tent, he let some of his previous followers stay in the region. Although they lived peacefully, they felt the need of a place of worship. A man named Sershul suggested them to build a monastery after seeking permission from the descendant of King Gesar, the Derge King. The former followers of Hal Kingdom sent Kagyu Lohrong Dondeng to convince the King of Derge to allow a religious site to be set up. The local people named the monastery as Sershul Monastery once it was built to laud the person who proposed this idea.

     

  • Shangri-La

    Shangri-La

    Shangri-La (སེམས་ཀྱི་ཉི་ཟླ།) is a name that conjures images of an idyllic paradise: cloud-carpeted sunrises with grassy outcroppings in a utopian society that lives in perfect harmony with nature. Zhongdian, Yunnan (now known as Shangri-La) is definitely some of those things. It has snow-capped mountains, clouds, sunrises (and sunsets), a mighty river, and remarkable gorges. It stands at an elevation of 3,000 meters in the northwestern corner of Yunnan, China.

    Shangrila farms
    Farms in Shangrila, on the outskirts of town

    Shangri-La is the capital of Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is sandwiched between the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to its west and Sichuan to its east. It is about 315 kilometers to the north of Dali and 659 kilometers from Kunming. Shangri-la town is at the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is a door to the UNESCO World Heritage Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. These three major rivers include the Salween, the Yangtze, and the Mekong. They all flow in the same north-to-south direction among the mountains.

    From Zhongdian to Shangri-la

    Once known as Zhongdian, the town’s name was changed to ‘Shangri-la’ to attract tourists after James Hilton’s famous novel The Lost Horizon featured a lost paradise in the Tibetan highlands. Every town in the region rushed to claim to the title. But after much effort by Zhongdian’s mayor, it won the right to wear the crown: Shangri-la. In Tibetan, Shangri-La translates to the Land of Peace and Sacredness. Originally, its Tibetan name is Gyaitang or Gyalthang which means Royal Plains. Shangri-la town is home to mostly Tibetan and Han residents. Small pockets of Yi, Naxi, Lisu, and Bai minorities also hail from here. Outside the city, the countryside is dotted with Tibetan nomads.

    Shangrila old town
    Shangrila old town

    Songzanlin Monastery (Ganden Sumtseling Monastery)

    The Songzanlin Monastery is perched on a hill a few kilometers to the north of Shangri-La town. Being the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, Songzanlin is home to about 700 “Yellow Hat” monks. This impressive structure represents Tibetan culture and was built in the style of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. This spiritual center hosts images of Tsongkapa and Sakyamuni. It also contains portraits of the revered tenth Panchen Lama, an important religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Songzanlin Monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but has been rebuilt to reflect its past glory.

    Pudacuo National Park

    Pudacuo National Park, a treasure trove of flora and fauna, is 20 kilometers east of Shangri-la town at an elevation of 3,500 to 4,000 meters. It is one of the first National Parks in China and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Three Parallel Rivers Scenic Area. The Pudacuo Park has diverse topography and a variety of wild animals and plants. Lakes Bita and Shudu are nestled there between forest-covered mountains.

  • Sertar (Seda)

    Sertar (Seda)

    Seda (色达) is located at an elevation of about 4,000 meters in a remote valley on the Tibetan Plateau, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the western part of Sichuan province in China. The Tibetans know Seda by the name of Sertar (གསེར་ཐར།), which means Golden Horse.

    Though Sertar is located in the historical Kham region of the Garze Prefecture, it is traditionally part of the Golok region where natives speak Amdo Tibetan language. This is why Sertar is referred by to by Tibetans as Golok Sertar. The Setar region, a treeless remote valley, has gained immense popularity because it is home to the largest Tibetan Buddhist school in the world.

    Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

    At a distance of about 780 kilometers from Chengdu, this monastery in Larung Gar, Sertar, is home to 40,000 Tibetan monks who have devoted their lives to studying Buddhism. The institute, belonging to the Nyingma sect (red sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, is where tens of thousands of Lamas (local male Buddhists) and Juemus (local female Buddhists) practice monastic study. They practice in red houses, thousands of which look like red dots scattered around this spiritual valley.

    The surrounding hills of the monastery are also sprinkled with tiny, red, wooden houses built close together. The monks and nuns are separated by a massive wall right across the middle of Larung Gar. Monks and nuns are required to stay in their designated area. Only the area in front of the main monastery assembly hall is open to both.

    Seda city
    View of both the Monestary and the population of monks coming to live and study in Seda

    Establishment of the Buddhist Academy

    The living Buddha, Jinmei Pengcuo, founded this Buddhist Academy in Larong, Seda in 1980. Back then, this Bhuddism sect had only 32 followers and was approved by the Seda government in 1985. The academy received its official name of Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in 1997. Since then it has developed into the largest Buddhist institute in the world.

    The Larung Buddhist Monastery in the highest grassland plateau is open to all devotees from various sects of Tibetan Buddhism: Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya unlike other monasteries. Buddhism is taught at the Monastery in both Tibetan and Mandarin languages because students come here not only from Tibetan areas but also from across the rest of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore. It takes six years of study to complete formal training while higher levels of Monastic study require up to thirteen years.  Apart from monks, nuns and students, the Monastery attracts thousands of pilgrims across Tibet. Visitors to the institute can watch readings in the morning and student debates in the evening.

    Note 

    As of 2017 Sertar  Monastery is not open to western travellers. We don’t have exact information of an opening date. But we will update once we know the opening date.

     

  • Sertar Larung Gar (school & monastery)

    Sertar Larung Gar (school & monastery)

    Population Explosion at Sertar Larung Gar

    Known around the world as the largest school for Tibetan Buddhism, Sertar Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Institute and Monastery (གསེར་རྟ་བླ་རུང་དགོན་པ།) has caused the population of its surrounding town to grow exponentially in recent years. This monastic community is located in a remote and treeless valley of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region, in Sichuan Province. The dormitories nearby house over 10,000 monks from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism including Gelug, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma. At the center of the academy you can find the main Monastery, surrounded by living quarters, elaborately decorated Buddhists statues, and large halls for the 5:00 p.m. debates on scripture, which are open to the public.

    Larung Gar wide view
    Wide view of the city, one can see the compacted housing inside Larung Gar

    History

    Sertar Larung Gar first began in 1980 after the Cultural Revolution and has been growing ever since, starting with small numbers and an even smaller community. It was founded by Master Jin Mei Pengcuo with only 32 followers. It took nearly five years for the Seda government to approve of the Buddhist’s teachings at the academy and two more years before a committee was put together to even nominate its pending name, the Seda Larung Wuming Buddhist Academy. It wasn’t until 1997 however, that the school finally received its official name and the population explosion began.

    Community Today

    Today, people have flocked to the area, known to the Tibetans as Serthar, building homes that place the monastery at the center of the town, with some simply travelling from far away just to pray here. In fact, it is one of the most popular locations today as a final destination for those ending their pilgrimage. Many of the monks who come here to learn will stay with two or three other monks, living in small quarters for periods upwards of three years at a time.

    Monastery stands tall, with the movement of many monks coming to study the religion.

    A Unique School

    In contrast to many Monasteries today, Wuming Buddhist Academy is open to practically anyone wishing to learn. In fact, students can be taught in Mandarin as well as the Tibetan language and currently there are over a thousand mandarin speaking students in the community. These students mostly come from Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Also surprising is the fact that almost half of the students here are women, a number not often heard around other Monastic academies.

     

  • Mt. Yala

    Mt. Yala

    Geography

    Located near the border of Daofu County, Danba County, and Kangding County, of Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture, Yala Mountain (བཞག་བྲ།)is one of the most popular mountain treks in the Sichuan region. With snow covered peaks year round, Mt. Yala has an elevation of 5,820 meters and offers several trek options for mountain enthusiasts. The area around the border of Kangding that includes the mountain range is also a nature preserve.

    History

    Aside from being a large attraction for visitors to the area, it is also one of four holy mountains worshiped by the local Tibetans. It is mentioned in the Epic of King Gesar in this way and held highly by the locals in this regard. In ancient Tibetan texts, the mountain is referred to as “Shambhala the Second” and also “Oriental White Yak” and contains many religious and prayer flags hung all around the mountain. Its name in Chinese is Yala Xueshan. Tibetans have been coming to Mt. Yala for centuries to hang their prayer flags in honor of the mountain spirits.

    Yala mountain and grasslands
    Beautiful contrast with the grasslands and snow capped foothills. (As seen from Tagong)

    Scenery

    Surrounding Yala Mountain to the north and northwest are the Tagong (Lhagong) Grasslands, creating a stunning contrast between the snowy mountain side and the grasslands below.  Nearby villages can also be reached, including Danba, one of the most beautiful valleys in the region. It is popular to begin a few days trek to the mountain starting at Kangding or an even closer point around Zhonglu village, to have the best experience.

    Yala Mt Trek
    Trekking route on the East (Back) side of Yala Mt

    Trekking around or across Mt. Yala can take days and properly preparing should be a priority. Zhonggu sits at an altitude of around 3,000 meters and is a great location to ascend Mt. Yale’s eastern pass, which roughly sits around 4,216 meters. The trek is not steep and can be climbed with not too much difficulty. This can also make the change in elevation easier for those not used to such high altitudes. As Sichuan’s second highest mountain range, on a clear day you can see for miles, making this scenic trek very worthwhile indeed. Off in the distance, you may even be able to spot the peaks of Minya Konka, covered in snow.

    Yala Mt Trek
    Yala Mt offers both great trekking and backcountry cycling options

    Planning a Trip to Mt. Yala

    If you plan on making the long trek and camping out in the area, there are a few things you should prepare for. The temperatures can drop well below 0 degrees at night, so a good four season tent is recommended, as well as sleeping bags that can handle these sub-zero temperatures. Plenty of layers of clothing to adapt to the changing temperatures throughout the day is also critical. Talk to Zhilam Hostel in Kangding if you’re looking to hire a local guide on location in Kangding, or contact Extravagant Yak for a quote on an all inclusive package tour from Chengdu.

  • Manigangou

    Manigangou

    Located in Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan Province in southwest China, Manigangou (མ་ཎི་གད་མགོ།)is a small yet active town at an elevation of 3,950 meters. It is a town exhibiting typical nomad culture with Tibetan herdsmen riding on horses, Khampas on flashy motorcycles passing by and people enjoying drinks in wooden Tibetan houses. Manigangou is a single-street cowboy town at the edge of the grasslands near Chola Mountain, which has a lot to offer within and around its surroundings.

    Strategic Location of Manigangou

    This small nomad town lies at the intersection of three main roads: Kandze at 85 kilometers to the southeast, Derge at 110 kilometers to southwest, Yushu and Serxu 429 kilometers to the northwest. Truckers coming from and to Tibet make a stop at Manigangou to take a sip of Yak buttered tea and unwind before moving ahead on their journey. In the past, Manigangou was regarded as an important transfer and hiatus station on the Tea Horse Road where caravan fleets would stop.

    Manigangou_yak_trading
    Locals gather to trade yaks in Manigangou.

    Yilhun Lhatso Lake

    Yilhun Lhatso, also known as Xinluhai or Yulong Lake, is a gorgeous lake at an altitude of around 4,200 meters, just 11 kilometers west of Manigangou town. This sacred and beautiful glacial lake is nestled amidst the rocky, snowy Chola Mountains of Trola range. Offering beautiful sceneries, Yilhun Lhatso Lake is a protected nature reserve. On the shores of this lake one can find dozens of religious, carved prayer stones, as this is a holy lake. The stunning alpine lake is said to provide meditation opportunities for those who wish to achieve enlightenment. Several monks come from the nearby monasteries to meditate. The grasslands around Yilhun Lhatso Lake are perfect for hiking, camping and horse riding.

    Dzogchen Gompa Monastery

    About 30 kilometers from Manigangou is the Dzogchen Gompa Monastery. Dzogchen Monastery is among the largest Monasteries of Nyingmapa School in Kham region, and is an active center of spiritual study and practice and a major pilgrimage site. Dzogchen Gompa was built in the late 16th century by First Dzogchen, Pema Rigdzen on the order of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Dzogchen Monastery has been home to many great masters including Khenpo Pema Vajra, Khenpo Shenga, Patrul Rinpoche and Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso. The monastery was destroyed by fire in 1936 and was later rebuilt but destroyed again by the Chinese in 1959. As per the directions of the 14th Dalai Lama, the Dzogchen Monastery was re-established in South India in the late 1950s. Since the early 1980s, the original monastery has been undergoing reconstruction.

  • Lithang (Litang)

    Lithang (Litang)

    Lying at the edge of a vast grassland valley, Lithang (ལི་ཐང་།) is the administrative hub of Litang County. Also known in Chinese as Litang town (理塘) , the town is situated in the southwest of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Litang is a historic town at an altitude of around 4,000 meters above sea level, even higher than Lhasa, which is why it is even known as a ‘town up in the air’.

    This town in the midst of grassy hills is a major center of Tibetan culture in Kham and bustles with trading activities of Tibetan people and nomadic shepherds. The population of Litang town is around 60,000 with the majority being ethnically Tibetan. Litang town is a blend of tradition and modernity with fortress-like brown stone houses, satellite dishes and power lines.

    Litang collection of Tibetan Language in stone
    A stupa is seen surrounded by thousands of inscribed stones in a mani pile.

    Significance of Litang

    Litang town has been home to several important and renowned Buddhist personalities including the seventh Dalai Lama, the tenth Dalai Lama, four Pakpalhas, Zebutsundaba Lama of Mogonia, the 7th Gyamuyang Lama, and the first three Xianggen living Buddha.

    Litang Horse Race Festival

    For hundreds of years, Litang is famed for its horse racing festivities where Khampas gather together from all across Tibet and Southwest China. The festival not only gives a chance for Kham Tibetans to display their sportsmanship skills, but also provides opportunities for trading supplies, singing and dancing. The Horse Race Festival usually takes place in the first week of August and lasts for about a week. Tibetan nomads set up tents on the grasslands and wait anxiously for the big event. The horse festival is not a mere race, but a matter of socio-economic hierarchy, and honor and prestige in the participating Khampas. At the festival, people and horses dress to impress. Women wear their finest robes with impressive jewelry and head gear while participating horses are adorned with colorful fabric.

    Litang Monastery

    The Litang Chöde Monastery lies at the north of the town and was built in 1580, honoring the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso, 1543-1588). The Litang Monastery is the biggest Gelukpa monestary in the Kham region making it important to Tibetan Buddhists. In 1956, a major portion of the Monastery was destroyed when resistance erupted to communist reforms in Kham. Over time, many buildings of the Monastery have been reconstructed. It is said that the seventh Dalai Lama had resided in one of the chambers of the Monastery.

     

     

  • Garze (Ganzi)

    Garze (Ganzi)

    Lying in the vast expanse of the beautiful Ganzi Valley (甘孜) at an altitude of 3,800 meters, surrounded by the majestic Chola Mountain, green hills dotted with yaks and rocky ridges, is the active Ganzi town. Ganzi town (also known as Garnze, Ganze, and Kandze (དཀར་མཛེས་རྫོང་།)) is the capital of Ganzi County situated in Garze Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province of China. The town, about 385 kilometers northwest from Kangding town, overlooks the stunning snow-peaked mountains of Minya Konka (Mt. Gongga / Gongga Shan) range and has Rongcha River passing through it.

    Ganzi

    Ganzi Town

    The lively market town is populated by a majority of Tibetan people, and is an interesting area in terms of landscape and culture as it is traditionally part of the Kham Tibetan region. The town radiates a strong sense of Tibetan tradition and culture as tough Khampas (the name given to the people of Kham) and yaks can be seen roaming around town. The main intersection is crowded with people, trucks, cabs, motorcycles, and even a few horses. A central street in the town is Chuanzang Road, which is lined with small shops selling traditional Tibetan clothing, jewelry and others accessories. There are also shops that display antiques, traditional Tibetan hand-carved furniture, as well as monk’s garments, and religious artefacts. The town also features modern supermarkets selling food, beer, Chinese wine, music CDs, and DVDs.

    Ganzi Monastery

    Ganzi Monastery, known as Ganzi Gompa in Tibetan, is found at the north of the town and belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This large monastery was built in 1642 by Mongols after they took control of the area. During the Chinese Revolution, the monastery was partially destroyed, but was later rebuilt in Han Chinese style with white tiles and plastic window panes.

    Therefore, when compared with other monasteries, Ganzi Monastery has lost its original Tibetan charm and is now a fusion of Tibetan and Chinese architecture. With over 1,500 monks, the Ganzi Monastery is the largest Gelugpa religious site besides the Litang and Chamdo Monasteries in the Kham region. The halls and terraces of the monastery offer amazing views of the surrounding beautiful valley with its lofty hills and the bustling Ganzi town.

    Ganzi monastery

    This 540-year old monastery is adorned with a considerable amount of gold. The walls of the grand main hall are lined with hundreds of small golden Buddha statues (Sakyamunis) while an inspiring, large statue of Jampa (Maitreya or Future Buddha) clad in a silk robe stands in a smaller hall to the west of the main hall. With many resident monks and devotees from the town and nearby areas circling the little chapels with giant prayer wheels, the temple is bustling throughout the day.

     

  • Derge (Dege )

    Derge (Dege )

    Derge (སྡེ་དགེ ) in the native tongue which means land of mercy in Tibetan, is located in the Garze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in the Kham area of the Tibetan Plateau. The town is regarded as the cultural hub of the Kham region in the northwest of Sichuan province, close to the border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The town of Dege sits in a valley close to the Tibetan border and is made up of a mix of traditional Tibetan colorful houses and modern Chinese concrete buildings.

    History of Dege

    This town, along with Lhasa and Xiahe, was a historic center of Tibetan culture and the seat of kings of the Dege Kingdom. Being an influential kingdom in Kham, the Kingdom of Dege was recognized as a hub for politics, religion and industry. In the 15th century, the town became the kingdom’s capital under the rule of Lodro Tobden. The Chinese government took control of the kingdom in 1727, and in 1733, its king was elevated to the status of Hsuan Wei Ssu. In 1895, the town was taken over by forces sent by the Governor-General of Szechuan, and the king and his family was taken as prisoners to Chengdu. By the time China intervened, the king died leaving behind two sons who struggled to take over the throne. From 1908 to 1918, China had direct control over Dege.

    Barkhang (Parkhang) Scripture Printing House

    The Dege Parkhang Printing House is a cultural treasure in Tibet, housing publications of different sects of Tibetan Buddhism and culture as well as works of science and technology, medicine, history, mathematics and language among others. With over 250,000 hand-engraved wooden blocks of knowledge, the Dege Barkhang is home to 70% of Tibet’s literary heritage. Even today, artisans continue to carve wood to preserve Buddhist scriptures, and expert printing staff handprint books.

    Dege Printing House

    Derge Sutra Printing Temple, as it is also known, was established in 1729 by the fortieth Dege King, Kemba Tsering and took about 21 years to be constructed. Surprisingly, the Dege Parkhang remained unaffected during the campaigns of Gonpo Namgyal, the early twentieth century succession struggles and religious and cultural suppression under the Chinese Communist Party.

    The Barkhang also holds religious significance to Tibetans who come here from across the region to walk holy koras around it.

    Gonchen Monastery

    Gonchen Monastery, also known as a Derge Monastery, is a huge Sakya sect Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. It was built in 1448 by renowned Buddhist polymath and physician, Thang Tong Gyalpo. Derge Monastery came under attack during the Cultural Revolution but was restored in the eighties and is now home to about 300 monks. The monastery boasts a unique design and is adorned with white, dark red and gray colors linked with the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism.