Labrang monastery is another of the great six Gelukpa sect monasteries of Tibet. It is located in Xiahe county, Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in southwest Gansu province. This area is in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo. Labrang was founded in 1709 by Ngawang Tsondru. It was the last of the great 6 monasteries to be built.
Labrang is located at an elevation of 2900m / 9512 feet on the far eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Labrang sits in a valley along the Daxia River. Mountains and thick evergreen forests surround the monastery. The Sanke Grasslands are found west of Labrang where nomads with their yaks can be found living in tents. The small town where Labrang monastery is found is called Xiahe. Xiahe has a mixed population of Tibetans, Chinese and Hui (a Muslim minority group found in western China). The monastery is located on the far side of town in an area where Tibetans make up the majority of the population.
Most of the monks at Labrang monastery are Tibetan, though Mongolian and Han (ethnic Chinese) monks can also be found. In the 1950's Labrang had over 4000 monks. Today it has around 1800. Large parts of the monastery were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The monastery was rebuilt in the late 1970's and opened again in 1980.
Today Labrang Monastery is a popular tourist destination for both foreign and Chinese travelers. The summer months are the busiest. Because of the beautiful setting of the area it is easy to see why it is a popular place to go. There are many good restaurants (with English menu's), hotels and guesthouses in Xiahe. Several travel agencies in town can arrange trips out to the grasslands or to other local destinations. There are multiple buses from Lanzhou to Xiahe (250km / 156 miles). There is also a daily bus from Xining to Xiahe that takes between 5 and 6 hours. Another popular route to take is to go from Xining to Repkong (also known as Tongren) and then from Repkong to Xiahe. There are multiple buses per day going from Xining to Repkong and one daily bus from Repkong to Xiahe. This route would take you through some interesting regions of Amdo province, Tibet.
Larry...send us an email at info@tibetanconnections.com and we will get back to you asap with more info.
Posted by: Losang | September 01, 2008 at 06:04 PM
I am interested in several of your trips but right now I am interested in a trip to Labrang for the Monian or Great Pray Festival in 2009. Please advise asap as to approximate cost for 7-8 days for myself along with cost of guide, hotel (best available) and specific dates of festival. I am also interested in summer, 2009 for a trip to Amdo and Kham. I have been before.
Posted by: larry snider | August 21, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Upset at Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 - an autonomous state . Was gravely wrong . Chinese need to withdraw from Tibet now . Thank you . Jack Patterson
Posted by: Jack Patterson | March 16, 2008 at 11:09 PM