Labrang Monastery

The Labrang Monastery 1 kilometer west of Xiahe Town stands in the fertile valley between the Dragon Mountain and the Phoenix Mountain. It along with the Drepung Monastery, Gandain Monastery, Palkor Monastery in Tibet and the Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai is regarded as the six major Buddhism monasteries of Gelug Sect(Yellow Sect) of the Tibet Buddhism. Labrang is Tibet language which means a place housing Buddhism monasteries.

The monastery was first built in 1710 by a monk from the nearby village of Ganjia named E'angzongzhe, who was to become the first of the monastery's Living Buddha. It was reconstructed and renovated in the next hundreds of years with its basic style and layout remained without many changes. Now the monastery is the Tibet Buddhism center of the Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan regions.

The monastery has 18 grand halls, six prestigious Buddhist institutes (the Institute of Esoteric Buddhism, the Higher & Lower Institute of Theology, the Institute of Medicine, the Institute of Astrology and the Institute of Law) and over 10,000 monk chambers. In addition the monastery holds over 60,000 Tibetan sutras and thousands of rare Buddhist relics and a large collection of Buddhism scriptures.

Sangke Prairie

Sangke Prairie is located 1 kilometer southwest of Xiahe Town. It is a fertile alpine grassland surrounded by mountains on four sides. Sangke Prairie is famous for its verdant grass and beautiful scenery with blue sky, fluffy clouds, vast lush grassland dotted with herds of sheep and cattle.

The Prairie presents its stunning beauty in summer. Grass turn green, variety of flowers are in full boom, vying with each other in beauty. The weather condition is very comfortable with clear sky and crisp air.

If you are enamored of the prairie’s tranquil environment and it natural beauty, and reluctant to leave, you can stay at the yurt hotels. Horse-rental service is available at the site and visitor can pay a small fee to buy hours’ of galloping around the vast land like the locals.

Sangke Prairie is a secluded hideout, another world away from the hustling and bustling city. It’s a place for people to get close to the nature.People in the grassland still live a traditional lifestyle and until recently and the prairie begun opening up to tourism.