Mcburn's Travelogue: XIAHE - LABRANG

The one journey to China that make your heart beat when you approached this little town from the Qinhai Province, via the mountainous region of this autonomous state. The winding road, where one of the worst road condition in China. Much to argue on the infrastructure situation, where at time I do wonder being autonomous may not mean being a better state.So much with the beaten track or the terrible road from Qinhai Province via the mountainous region of the border of Gansu and Qinhai. We reached Xiahe almost midnight..the bone shaking rides is taking most of our energy, endurance and spirit of the group. What we want now is just sleep,sleep and need a quick fix on our exhaustive adventure.

One of the monastery in Labrang, Xiahe

The weather is cold at about -1 degree centigrade, winter is approaching in the next few days. Nothing that can comfort us now, but just a fast check in, into Hotel Labrang, just to sleep and rest. Tomorrow will be another early departure, just a fast and quick tour of Labrang, Sangke Grassland the Tibetan settlement and we will have another long distant bus ride to Xining.

Now we are in Xiahe, the land of monastery and the traces of ancient beliefs of the ethnic inhabitant of this mountaineers region, the highland and plateau.

The town lies along one main street parallel to the Daxia River. The Chinese section lies to the eastern end of the road and the Tibetan section lies at the western end. In between lies the monastery.

Labrang Hotel Entrance..

Xiahe has developed along with the influx of visitors. Some old timers may bemoan that it has lost its off-the-beaten-path charm, but Xiahe is still far from being overrun with hawkers, karaoke or foot massage joints as have many other attractions in China.

The town is compact and most guesthouses cluster near the monastery, about 10mins walk from the bus station. For most travellers, Labrang Monastery will keep them occupied for couple of days or more. Apart from the graceful landscape and colourful people, Xiahe doesn't offer much else of interest. The surrounding region harbors a few worthwhile day-trip destinations.

Labrang Monastery

Literally the centre of town, the monastery is the main focus for visitors and residents alike with all social and commercial activity deriving from it. The Monastery was established in 1709 and expanded greatly in following centuries to become one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa sect (Yellow Hat) of Tibetan Buddhism. The resident monks wear saffron robes, black UGG-style boots and shaggy yellow Mohawk shaped hats, sometimes pitched to impressive heights.

The pristine water of river Daxia in Labrang, Xiahe

Despite its venerable history, many of the buildings and religious artefacts were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. What you see now was built during the late 1980s or even more recently. The buildings construction differs from others in the region, being built with stone blocks rather than rammed earth, but the whitewashed multiple-level square designs follow the typical style of Tibetan monastic buildings.

Hotel Labrang, Xiahe China

It'd be easy to spend days meandering about the alleys between monks quarters and prayer halls, or follow pilgrims spinning prayer wheels on a loop around the Kora. Despite all the tickets and tours, it's still an active Monastery and you may chance upon the monks engaged in their religious activities.

Another view of the blue water of river Daxia.

There are few English signs (except for the ubiquitous No Photo, Ticket needed), making it somewhat beguiling to understand what you are looking at. An English tour leaves from the ticket office at 10AM and 3:15PM. Though the guide provides decent explanations as they take you though the halls, some may feel the experience is a bit rushed. As you would expect, no photos are allowed inside buildings and the monks outside are camera shy when conducting a ceremony. "THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER FLOWING DOWN RIVER DAXIA...BLUISH IN COLOR FROM THE REFLECTION OF THE PLAIN BLUE SKY"

The highland of Tibetan plateau..grassland

You can explore most of the grounds freely but a ticket is needed to enter some of the smaller chapels or the main halls , whether you join the tour or not. Even with a ticket in hand the halls may be closed or off limits while a ceremony is being conducted. If you prefer to try before you buy, it's not difficult to blunder in for a look
without anyone asking for a ticket.

Some places worth seeking out include;

Gongtang Chorten, (Near the river). A newly built golden topped Chorten that you can climb.

Man Jus'ri Temple, (The rear of the courtyard behind the ticket office). Definitely the most impressive hall with several enormous, elaborately decorated, Buddha statues along the rear wall and a pair of small rooms behind. Pilgrims make a clockwise circuit, stopping to make monetary offerings to brightly coloured yak-butter sculptures and pray to silver Chortens containing living Buddhas. At times the hall may reverberate with chanting monks.

The Sangke Grassland of Tibetan High Palteau.

Prayer Wheels. Lining about half of the minor Kora are brightly painted wooden drums, spun by an endless procession of mainly elderly pilgrims hoping their efforts will be rewarded in the next life. On each corner is a small room housing huge lumbering wheels that ring a bell with each rotation.

Thangka sunning Terrace, (Over the river on the hillside). A flat stone slope on the hillside where a giant Thangka is rolled out during the Tibetan New year. The rest of the time its a nice place to sit and get an overview of the Monastery. Free.

Small village, high on top of the Tibetan Plateau.

Another monastery and Tibetan rituals emblem.

A few other worthwhile sights lay within a 20km radius. Your only transport options are to hire a taxi from Xiahe for about RM100 per vehicle, per day (5-8 hours round trip) or bicycle. Adventurous travellers can take the early morning bus to Tongren/Repcon and get off at Ganjia Town (Ganjia Xiang )From there it would be at least a 10-12 kilometre round trip hike to Bajiao Cheng. You would need to get back to Ganjia town by lunch time to get the bus coming from Xining or Tongren, or catch a motorcycle, taxi, or tractor back to Xiahe. You can book tours in a lot of hostels or hotels. If you need a Tibetian English speaking guide, sorry to say you may not get one here. You should have one earlier in the major cities, Urumqi, Xian, or Guanzhou. Where they can guide you to Tongren, Langmusi Snowy Mountains, Qinghai-Lake or on a Tour to Langmusi-Songpan-Chengdu and Qinhai lake.

Tibetan's favored dumpling.

Sangke grasslands; wonderful grasslands with many nomad tents and herds of yaks and sheep. 12 km outside Xiahe is Sangke town, where most people who rent a bike go to. There is nothing to see in the town, you really need to go INTO the grasslands to enjoy the wonderful views.

Ancient town of Bajiao (Bajiao Cheng A walled village that was originally built in the Han Dynasty (around 2000 years ago). Bajiao Cheng is still inhabited today.

Ganjia Grasslands. The whole region is covered in grasslands during the summer months and makes an enjoyable place to see some wide open spaces.

Another community of the Tibetan people.

White Rock Cliffs (Northern end of the valley). As you get closer to Bajiao Cheng, you won't be able to miss the cliffs high up in front of you. A small monastery sits right at the foot of the White Rock Cliffs. There is a small village together with the monastery. Darzong Lake. A highland lake located at just above 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.). Forested mountains surrounding the lake on almost all sides and forests all around.

Up-close view of the pristine blue river of Daxia.

A taxi round trip (2-3 hours) costs around RM100 or USD 30 take a bus going to Linxia or Hezuo and get off 20km (about half an hour) down the highway when you see a big sign on the right side of the road. Tell the driver that you want to go to Darzong Lake and he should let you know when you arrive at the turnoff.

Catch another bus from the highway back to town. Hike in the hills. take a trek for a nice view over the town or the distant snowy peaks while enjoying the peace and tranquility, disturbed only by occasional wayward yak.

The Sangke Grassland, enjoying the tranquil moment.

Hike in the hills. take a trek for a nice view over the town or the distant snowy peaks while enjoying the peace and tranquillity, disturbed only by occasional wayward yak. The forest behind the Thangka sunning terrace may look inviting but the amount of rubbish covering the ground detracts greatly. A better option is to follow the canal at the Monastery's entrance uphill and head along the dry floodway till you find a suitable point to ascend the hillside. mad Travel. Do book a tour in Xiahe with this excellent tour company. They offer a wide variety of tours in and around Xiahe. Thier guides are well informed. Company's service is excellent. Highly recommended. Their office is in the Nirvana restaurant, parallel to Xiahe's main street. 50 meters from the Red Rock youth hostel.

The bluish water of Daxia River, water from the Shan Mountain Range in the North.

The tilts land of Xiahe...Labrang

Another captivating view of the Sangke Grassland,

There are dozens of shops along Renmin XiLu selling locally made crafts including colourful textiles, silver jewellery, Tibetan hats and fake antiques. Bargaining is a must.

One product you should not buy are the many furs for sale. Some clothing with fur trim might may be fake but the hides of entire animals are the real thing. Many of the skins are poached and may be of endangered species. Asia's wildlife is quickly disappearing as China's appetite for illegal animal products increases. Please don't contribute to this crisis.

Another fascinating view of Sangke Grassland

Most of the eating options are clustered within a 100m radius of where Renmin XiJie enters the Monastery. Most of their menus are indistinguishable from the one next door, serving tolerable Chinese dishes and the ubiquitous Tibetan Momo. A wider search will win adventurous taste buds more authentic local dishes such as Tsampa (barley flour and Yak butter ball) or JueNia Fan (rice with a deliciously sweet local root). More circumspect travellers can stick to western food the well-trodden backpacker places. For Muslim we need to book the restaurant to cater the halal food. Anyhow I would rather keep my wholesome bread which I bought in Hami and Turpan for lunch and dinner,notably no muslim staying in Xiahe and need to be clear of intention to come here. Our whole objective is to observe the typical daily life of the Tibetan people, their culture and habit. However, we do came across Muslim Tibetan in ZienJang Province where we have a sumptuous lunch in their home...that's is real...drinking hot Yak milk with salt. Anyhow noodle like maggi and saji mee from Malaysia will give high level of comfort for halal food. Ha..ha..
It is lovely to see the crystal and pristine water of Daxia River...the mountain scape and the fantastic scenery by the food of the mountain range from the northern territory.

Xiahe this small township, is located in a typically secluded area on the autonomous Tibetan highland plateau, bordering Qinhai and Gansu Provincy. Part of the Silk Road Map, where merchant of that time travel not only for trading of goods but to find solace and discovering new beliefs.