Brief Introduction: Labrang Monastery is situated 1 km in the west of Xiahe County. Da Xia river flows by the basin between the Longshan and Fengshan (dragon and phoenix mountains), which is called the treasure basin by Tibetan people and where the Labrang monastery is located . Labrang monastery is an inflection of the Tibetan word "Ratzhang", which means the residence of the Living Buddha Master. Together with Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Gandan Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet and Ta 'er Monastery  in Qinghai, they are collectively known as the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect (yellow sect) of Lamaism in China. It is known as the "Tibetan institution of the world". At its peak, the number of monks reached more than 4,000, and in 1980 it was opened for tourists. In 1982, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. 

The monastery was firstly built in 1709,the 48th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). There are 18 golden Buddhist halls and more than 10,000 monk's houses. Row upon row of regular Buddhism buildings with golden tiles and red walls show extraordinary momentum.The monastery is oriented south and north. It covers a total area of 866,000 square meters ,with a construction area of more than 400,000 square meters.There are more than 90 main temples, including six institutes, 16 Buddhist halls  and 18 Angao (the Great Living Buddha Palace), monks' abode, Buddhist altar for lecturing, Buddhist hall for printing sutras, and pagodas, etc., forming a group of magnificent buildings with Tibetan characteristics. Among them, the six Zacang are most famous ,which means institute in Tibetan language. The six institutes are Wensi institute for learning Buddhism and praying, Medical institute for learningTibetan medicine, Kalachakra Institute for learning astronomy, Xi Jinggang(pleasant king) institute for learning Buddhism laws, Shang Xubu,(upper tantra) institute and Xia Xubu(lower tantra)institute for learning Vajrayana.Among them, Wen Si institute is the center of whole monastery with three main halls of front hall, the main hall and the back hall. In the front hall is a statue of Songtsan Gambo, King of Tibet in the 8th century. An inscribed board of Huijue temple presented by the emperor Qianlong are hung in the main hall. The main hall ,with140 columns, is 100 meters wide and 75 meters deep, which can hold 4,000 lamas simultaneously reciting sutras. In the main hall various colorful flags, more than 100 butter lamps,coiling insence smoke display a Buddhist atmosphere . In the Labrang monastery there are also two altars for lecturing sutras and a sutras printing house, tens of thousands of cultural relics and more than 60,000 volumes of Tibetan classics as well. Labrang Monastery has 18 Lacan which means Buddhist temple in Tibetan language. Lacan is the place where the lamas from all over the monastery gather to chant sutras. Among them, Shouxi Temple is the largest, with 6 layers and more than 20 meters high. Inside the temple, the Buddha statue of Sakyamuni is about 15 meters high. The exterior is magnificent with the gold dragon coiling around the roof and the lion squating by the side of the wall . So being known as the highest Tibetan institution of Buddhism is well  deserved.

The Level: 4 A scenic area

Admission fee: 40 yuan/person

Opening Time: 8:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m.

Better Seasons to Visit: all seasons

Visiting Time : around 1.5-2 hrs

Travel Tips: 1, The average altitude of Gannan is about 3200 meters, and the oxygen content of the atmosphere is only about 70% of that of the ground, so New walkers may have mild or severe mountain reaction. As long as you drink plenty of boiled water, take plenty of rest, and take spirulina rhodiola single crystal sugar and glucose, the symptoms will disappear soon, there is no need to worry and fear. Do not run, do not hold breath, do not catch a cold, do not smoke, do not drink, and prevent colds, usually drink more water, keep enough sleep, pay attention to  keep warm;

2, If tourists suffer from heart disease,hypertension, asthma, lung disease, respiratory system disease, severe diabetes,anemia and other diseases, and doctors deem it inappropriate to enter Tibet or the plateau, they cannot join the tour group. If they conceal their condition,all the consequences shall be borne by the tourists themselves, and the travel agency does not assume any joint and several liability;

3, The folk customs of Gannan area are deeply influenced by the Tibetan religion, and some phenomena and habits cannot be measured and treated with the mentality standard of urban people. Please respect local custom ,and remember not to leave the group to observe the celestial burial. If you are careless, you may offend the local people and cause unnecessary trouble.

4, The outer buildings of the general monastery can be photographed at will, but taking photo or video is strictly forbidden inside the palace. In some places, it is marked with "pay for filming”, so do not secretly take pictures. Photographers should also be careful, as Tibetans may not always like to be photographed. To avoid unnecessary trouble, you'd better say hello and get their agreement before taking the scene.( In the monastery you may ask the Tibetan docent where you can take photos or not.)

5, Tibetans do not like the habit of spitting everywhere.They  don't like to be touched, and don't like to be so loud;

6, Be careful when you go out and don't give out at will, otherwise you may not easily get away. The local security is good, but if you go out in remote areas or at night, you should travel with a group. Don't go alone. Don't fall behind or leave the group.

7, In Tibetan areas, political issues are very sensitive, so it is inappropriate to discuss them on any occasion;

8, The UV is very strong here, so please bring your own sunscreen;

9,Normally as tourists visit the monastery,the local Tibetan lama guide will show you around it. But the time of arranging the lama guide is fixed, which is 10:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. So please reach to the meeting point with the lama guide in advance, which is in front of the big prayer hall.

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