Tibetpedia

Tag: Nature Reserve

  • 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.