Gannan is a place of no excessive ultraviolet rays and no Gobi desert or no altitude sickness. Gannan is an excellent choice for those people who want to go to Tibet but are afraid of painstaking and lack of physical fitness. The natural scenery and humane culture in Gannan is not inferior to that of Tibet.
Gannan is located in the southwest of Gansu Province. It is such an existence–I went once, even if a gap of a couple of years, in retrospect, I still remember what it’s like. When traveling to Gannan, I recommend the following tourist attractions.
Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery is located in Xiahe County, Gannan. More precisely, the county is built around Labrang Monastery. Labrang Monastery is one of the largest monasteries in China and enjoys the reputation of World Tibetan Institute.
Labrang Monastery has the longest prayer corridor in the world. Multistage corridors compose a closed-loop and surround the monastery. If you want to walk around the corridor a circle, it will take an hour. There are always Tibetans make their pilgrimage in the long corridor from morning to night.
Zagana
Zagana is located in Diebu County, Gannan. Zagana means stone box in Tibetan, here is indeed a typical stone city. The whole village is located in a intermontane basin, surrounded by mountains. From a distance, a clear blue sky over our head, green grass beneath our feet, a superb panorama of the mountains before us, the ancient village still retains the simplicity and quiet.
The neat farmlands, criss-crossed rivers and row upon row of residences with the surrounding mountain forests and grasslands against each other. Yaks and Tibetan sheep take a walk at leisure on the grass carpet, like the blooming flowers on the grassland. A pastoral life is presented in front of our eyes.
Nine-story Buddhist pavilion
The nine-story Buddhist pavilion is located in the north of Hezuo City, Gannan. Founded in AD 1777, dating back over 200 years. The nine-story Buddhist pavilion is very special. Each floor of the nine-story Buddhist pavilion has a different theme,They represent a sect or era of Tibetan Buddhism, and include famous Tibetan cultural celebrities that have been deified in the past.
In the pavilion, there are many statues of Vajra-based Buddhas, many guarding Buddha statues of various types, and many other types His murals are of superb painting skills. On the outer wall of the Buddhist pavilion, there are an endless stream of Tibetans walking and worshiping every day, turn to, and pray for the Buddha to give them a beautiful and stable next life.
Langmu Monastery
Backed by the green hills, the golden dome of Langmu Monastery glitters with gold. Langmu Monastery is divided into two by the river, one belongs to Gansu and the other belongs to Sichuan. The former is dominated by traditional Tibetan culture and small town commercial markets, while the latter is dominated by primitive natural landscapes.
The best time to visit Langmu Monastery is from May to September when the climate is the most agreeable. Though winter here is cold, there are various Buddhist festivities at this time of year when visitors can get a glimpse of the folk customs.
Gahai Lake
As the largest freshwater lake in Gannan, Gahai is a holy place in the minds of Tibetans. According to one legend, a long time ago, on the beautiful grassland of Gahai beach, the seven fairies sang and danced. When they picked wild flowers, they dropped a jade and turned it into a holy lake with boundless blue waves. Since then, Gahai Lake has become the source of moistening the life of Gahai grassland.
Rich water and flourishing grass in the lake, the blue sky and white clouds are reflected in the water, the water and the sky are of one hue, mists and waves stretch far into the distance.
Tibetan food
The traditional diets in Gannan is Tibetan food. When you travel here, you must taste a unique gourmet food with characteristics. Such as the snow-white and thin-skinned Gannan Tibetan buns, the fragrant buttered tea, the dry fried lamb chops with tender meat and crispy skin, the fragrant fern hemp pork, the appetizing Gannan yogurt, the nourishing lamb sausage and so on. Tibetan food is good in color, flavor and taste. It’s addictive.