Tibetpedia

Tag: Amdo

  • Hong Yuan (Krhongche)

    Hong Yuan (Krhongche)

    The city of Hong Yuan（红原) is located on the Tibetan Plateau in the Amdo region of Sichuan, and is also known in Tibetan as Krhongche (ཁྱུང་མཆུ།). Hong Yuan sits at an altitude of 3,400m (11,000ft.), and has a population of about 50,000 people. The town was named in 1960 by the Chinese Prime Minister Zhouenlai in memory of the Long March by the Red Army through the grasslands in the 1930s. This town is known for several things including the surrounding grasslands, nomads, and for producing yak meat and dairy products.

    Things to Do in Hong Yuan

    There are several things to do in and around Hong Yuan including a visit to Moon Bay, enjoying the nomadic life, and trying your coordination at the community Tibetan Dancing.

    Moon Bay (Yueliangwan)

    The most well known of these is a visit to Moon Bay located just 3kms to the west of the town. Moon Bay is a wonderful site to see White River zigzagging its way through the grasslands filled with yak herds. Organized activities here include a zip-line, short horse rides, and rafting, while this also makes a great place to enjoy a picnic lunch.

    Beautiful Moon Bay in Hong Yuan
    Beautiful Moon Bay in Hong Yuan

    Nomadic Life

    For those wishing to experience Nomadic Tibetan Life, there are several places in the area that have opened tent hotels and offer guests trail rides across the plateau. Those who choose to stay in one of these options do so for the sake of experiencing nomadic life complete with tent, campfires, and stars.

    Tibetan Dancing

    Every night all ages can be found dancing in the town square in the traditional Tibetan style. This is open to the public, and as this is a circle dance, joining in is easy. While you will get some curious smiles as you learn the steps, the dancers are friendly to those willing to try, so copy the person in front of you, and you will soon catch on.

    Tips for the non-dancer: some of the dances are more complicated than others, so if one if proving a little too challenging, take a breather, and enjoy watching the pros. Also, if you are really struggling with the footwork, concentrate on the arms, and shuffle your way along. Otherwise, relax, enjoy yourself, and keep trying (they all learned this once too)!

    IMG_2447
    Yaks grazing on the beautiful Hong Yuan Grassland.

    Flower Sea

    During the months of June and July visitors to Hong Yuan enjoy a visit to Flower Sea. This “sea” is actually a carpet of grassland wildflowers, and is approximately 30 minutes drive from the town.

    Things to Know in Hong Yuan

    When looking for a meal in town, there are two primary streets for food. While the main street (S 209 Road) holds quite a few nice restaurants, the prices here indicate they profit a bit from the tourists. If you are looking for the more reasonably price food, head over to Jiangxi Street to find the places the locals tend to frequent.

    When looking down the streets of Hong Yuan, it seems that there are concrete and bricks being laid everywhere! This city appears to have had quite the facelift in recent years, making for some fairly pretty and fairly wide streets.

    Inside Hong Yuan Town
    The river running through Hong Yuan County Town.

    Getting There

    Hong Yuan Airport is located 48kms southwest of the town, and is only open for certain months of the year. The exact dates of operation change slightly every year, but the rule of thumb is flights tend to only run in the summer months. This airport is fairly new as it only opened in August of 2014.

    If you don’t choose to fly, one of the best ways to get into Hong Yuan is the bus which comes from most of the major towns in the area daily (Chengdu, Maerkang, Aba, Ruoergai, etc.). The bus station has just been renovated, and is conveniently located on the main road of the town.

  • JiLi Long Yangqin Tents Guesthouse

    JiLi Long Yangqin Tents Guesthouse

    Many colourful tents are set up on the broad grasslands surrounding Hongyuan, in the Amdo Tibetan region. Here, one can see herds of yaks, sheep, and horses spread over miles of grassland spotted by the black tents of nomadic herders. In this guesthouse, you are welcome to stay as a guest with local nomads.
    Tent option for guesthouse
    Colorful tent option as a rainbow shines in the background

    Ciwang Danzhen is an educated nomad. He is very happy with his nomadic life, where he spends his days herding yaks, sheep, and horses, but he feels happier when he has the chance to show his nomadic life and culture to friends from all over the world. So Ciwang and his family opened the tent guesthouse on the fascinating Hongyuan grasslands in 2015. Named JiLi Long Yangqin Tents Guesthouse. Currently, there are 12 employees at the guesthouse. 5 of them are family members and the rest come from the surrounding local communities.

    Hotel room for JiLi guesthouse
    Hotel room option for guesthouse

     

    As a guest, you have the option of staying in their hotel, but for those wanting a little more authentic experience, you may stay in one of their guest tents made with the traditional black yak wool. While you stay, enjoy the healthy food, because everything you eat is organic with nomads! For example, fresh milk, tsam pa (barley flour), yoghurt, yak meat, etc., might find its way to the bowl in front of you.  If you are interested, you can even help the guesthouse prepare the food that you and the other guests will be served. When you are ready for a drink, the guesthouse has a very nice teahouse, where you can go to drink yak milk, black tea, and yak butter tea.

    Guesthouse one bed option
    One-bed hotel options with beautiful view

     

    You are also welcome to join and enjoy the local Tibetan entertainment, such as, traditional games, dancing, singing, horse riding, and archery. In Tibetan tradition, people hold outdoor parties, where they hold hands and dance around the campfire. Maybe you will be lucky enough and find yourself learning to dance like a nomad!

    As the sun sets, take a moment to stop and stargaze. In such a vast sky, the moon and the stars seem brighter, and you might lose yourself for a quiet moment before you retire to your tent or hotel room for a good night’s sleep.

    Tents Guesthouse nighttime
    Night sky over the tent houses

    Chiwang Danzhen hopes that he can bring a positive impact to his local economy, and he hopes that more and more young Tibetans can stand on their own two feet by starting their own small business.

    We recommend Jili Long Yangqing Tents guesthouse if you have chance to visit the Hongyuan Tibetan area. We are confident that you will have a pleasant stay living with local Tibetan nomads and experiencing the rich culture that they have to offer.

     

    Contact Info:

    地址： 红原县霞穹中街红原牦牛肉食品公司东北400米

    手机: 赤旺丹增13438791502

    前台：0837-2661119

    Address: Xia Qiong Zhong Jie, Hongyuan County, Nearby the Hongyuan Yak Meat Food Company.

    Phone: Ciwang Danzhen: 13438791502

    Front desk: 0837-2661119

  • City Nomad Guesthouse

    City Nomad Guesthouse

    In the city of Xining, you will find a cozy and welcoming guesthouse called City Nomad. While you won’t be staying in the grasslands with sheep, yaks, and horses, you will experience a taste of the nomadic spirit in the midst of the city. In this sweet and comfortable guesthouse, one can experience the nomadic passion and enthusiasm for life.

    This guesthouse is run by a young, educated, and knowledgeable Tibetan nomad named Tashi. He opened City Nomad guesthouse in April 2015.

    City Nomad bed option
    While a little crowed for some foreigners, City Nomad provides a nice place to rest and sleep for groups of travelers.

    Tashi started the business, first, because he wanted to support his family financially. Secondly, as a Tibetan, he felt strongly that it was his duty to introduce Tibetan culture and places to people from all over the world. Tashi believed that people would have a better understanding of perspectives from different cultural backgrounds if they had a better platform and opportunity to exchange ideas and share stories.

    City Nomad has 3 Tibetan staff who are very helpful, friendly, and who want to ensure you have a pleasant stay. The two-story guesthouse is very comfortable and clean. In fact, it might just be one of the cleanest in the area, and shoes are not allowed to be worn inside. While they don’t provide food, they do offer drinks for guests to purchase.

    City Nomad bed option 2
    For those looking for a nice bed, City Nomad also offers beds with more of a home feel.

    Tashi himself speaks fluent English, and would be very happy to help you if you have questions related to travel in Xining or other Tibetan areas. Tashi has direct contacts with many Tibetan communities across the plateau, and sometime he can also be found leading trips to other communities. These trips bring benefit to both his guests and fellow Tibetans.

    Tashi wants City Nomad to become a successful and sustainable business, providing a model that other young Tibetan entrepreneurs can learn from. He hopes that his guesthouse might become a leader in the hospitality industry in Tibetan areas, and that City Nomad may make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of the Tibetan economy.

    We highly recommend city nomad guesthouse to travelers stopping in Xining. In the words of one of his clients: “Dear Tashi, Thanks for the best experience I could have asked for in Xining.  You are the kindest, most gracious host I have ever had, I really enjoyed getting to know you and your friend. – Enka”.

    Contact Info:

    Address: 南山路建新巷陇原叠翠小区 6号楼 3单元 11 楼 3111室

    Address: Room 3111, 11th floor Unit3 Building 6 Nanshan road Jiaxin street. Long yuan die cui pinnacle lane commun Xining city Qinghai Province, China.

    Phone: 15897141336

  • Tsering’s Homestay

    Tsering’s Homestay

    Situated on the top of a mountain in the Amdo Tibetan Region, travelers can find Tsering’s Homestay. Overlooking a quiet valley, the farming community is a peaceful place to visit. With only 34 families in the village, one is never far from a pure view of the mountainside.
    Tsering's Homestay 1
    High on a mountain, you will find a small village in a valley

    Tsering received both her bachelor and master’s degrees at a university in Chengdu. She is the only one who has gotten a master’s degree in her village. She values education and has seen the many benefits that she has received as a result of her studies. With this in mind, Tsering has organized workshops in her village to share the importance of education, and to encourage parents to send their kids to school. Tsering has also been assisting a few students in her village with their tuition by helping them to find sponsorship. Tsering loves her village, and by using her education, she wants to help her village flourish.

    Tsering is very passionate about introducing Tibetan culture to people. When she was a student at university, she took some of her foreign friends and students to her village. Over the years, her friends and students (to whom she teaches English) have enjoyed staying with her family, exploring the village, hiking, and learning local culture. As a result, her and her family have experience in hosting tourists in their home. So far, her family is the only house in her village that receives tourists. Her hometown is a popular tourist destination, but not her village just yet. Although her house is not fancy, you will have a pleasant stay if you get the chance to visit.

    Tsering's Homestay 2 - small
    Such breathtaking images shows an amazing landscape, who wouldn’t want to come here?

    Tsering hopes that she can bring a positive impact to her community through her small business by educating the local people, encouraging young people to start their own small businesses, and by helping more students with their educational dreams.

    By staying with Tsering’s family and having her as your tour guide, you will have the opportunity to experience authentic local Tibetan culture. Guests who have stayed with her family before have had a great time getting to know her family and some of the other villagers. Tsering’s parents think that it is their honor to have guests from all over the world, and they are happy to share their life and home with all of their guests.

     

    Contact Info:

    四川阿坝若尔盖县铁布麦刚村。

    电话： 13882198591。

    Address: Maigang Village, Conger Township, Ruoergai County, Aba Prefercture and Sichuan Province.

    Phone: 13882198591

  • Bsang chu rdzong (xiahe xian )

    Bsang chu rdzong (xiahe xian )

    Located in Gansu Province, bsang chu rdzong (བསང་ཆུ་རྫོང་།), known as Xiahe’s (夏河)in Chinese.The main road runs parallel along the Daxia River. While some areas outside of town may have difficulties with running water or electricity, the well-worn tourist travelled areas does not experience any of these issues.  Within a short distance of the town there are many historic and natural sites to visit. Both the Sangke Grasslands and Ganjia Grasslands are home to many nomadic herders and can be reached by renting bicycle in town. To see forested areas surrounding a beautiful lake near a small Tibetan village, Darzong Lake is only a couple hours away. For those who do not wish to wander on their own, there are many guides who are willing to give walking tours of the surrounding area’s natural and amazing landscape.

    Shopping in Xiahe (Labrang)

    Along the main road in Xiahe there is a vast array of shops selling everything from jewelry and hand-crafted items to modern clothing and fabrics, made by hand from yak wool. Bargaining is a common sight among these shops and with a little negotiation, you will often get great prices. While you may find many unique and beautiful items here among this strip, one thing to stay away from is fur. Although not every fur item here is fake, there are enough in the market to make any visitor cautious. Some fake furs may contain real hide however, and are sometimes obtained illegally from endangered species.

    The Magnificent Labrang Monastery

    The most popular destination here by far is the Labrang Monastery. Some visitors spend days taking in its enormous temple and grounds. Built in 1709, the monastery was expanded over the years and has become one of six great monasteries of the Gelukpa sect of Buddhism in Tibet. Still an active monastery, there is a chance you will find the monks here engaged in a religious ceremony, while you wander freely through prayer halls, living quarters, and open grounds.

    Gongtang Chorten

    Like many monasteries, Labrang’s artifacts, walls, and history were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. During the 1980’s much of the monastery was rebuilt. Some additions are much more recent, such as the Gongtang Chorten. For a small price, you can climb this golden topped Chorten near the river.

    Man Jus’ri Temple

    One of the most impressive sites of the monastery however, is the Man Jus’ri Temple, housing several extravagant Buddha statues within its walls. Often, visitors can hear the monks’ chanting echoing through the halls. Beyond the temple, quietly sitting on a hillside, is the Thangka sunning terrace. Every Tibetan New Year, an enormous Thangka is displayed across this flat slope, but every other day of the year it is a great place to get a view of the entire monastery and the hills behind it.