Baiyu Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Yarchen Uddiyana Meditation Monastery Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
A real-life Kingdom of Women! Thirty thousand women practice here, forbidding adult men to enter
For the sake of cultivating their inner selves, even in the face of the harsh environment of the high-altitude plateau, they chose to stay, building 'square boxes' with a few planks of wood. The lower part of the wooden board is deeply inserted into the soil layer, the top is covered with waterproof cloth, and then a layer of simple mud is applied. This is their hand-built, only a few square meters of simple living room, also known as the matchbox room and such living rooms, there are more than 20,000 on the open ground next to the Yaqing Temple in Baiyu County, Sichuan. If you are eager to find a pure land of the soul, this is definitely a good choice!
Recommendation reasons:
1.🏞The natural scenery is beautiful, isolated from the world, like a fairyland.
2.🕉Deep Tibetan Buddhist culture, feel the baptism of the soul.
3.📸Photography spot, every shot is screen saver level.
Schedule:
Morning: Arrive at Baiyu Yaqing Temple, visit the temple, understand Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Afternoon: Explore the surrounding natural scenery in depth, such as hiking, cycling or quietly watching the clouds.
Evening: Participate in the local bonfire party, singing and dancing with the local Tibetans.
Hotel recommendation:
🏨Baiyu Yaqing Temple Hotel: Fully equipped, clean and hygienic, most importantly, it is super close to the scenic spot!
Food recommendation:
🍲Yak meat hot pot: The meat is fresh and delicious, paired with local wild vegetables, it's extremely delicious!
🍺Barley wine: Be sure to taste the local specialty wine, the taste is mellow, and the aftertaste is endless.
Precautions:
1. The altitude is high, pay attention to altitude sickness.
2. Respect local customs and religious beliefs.
3. Pay attention to environmental protection, do not litter at will.
4. Please do not disturb others when taking pictures, try to ask for consent before shooting.
Practical guide:
It is recommended to book hotels and transportation in advance.
Bring sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, the sun here is very toxic! ☀
Prepare more cash, because some places may not have ATMs.
Small Tips:
1. If you are interested in Tibetan Buddhism, you can ask a guide to explain, they will tell you many interesting stories.
2. Here you can try to paint Thangka, make butter tea and other traditional activities, experience the life of the locals.
3. If you have the chance, you can attend a sky burial ceremony, although it is a bit shocking, but this is the Tibetan people's understanding of life.
4. Remember to bring a small notebook, record your feelings and insights, this will be your precious memory in the trip. 📔Yaqing Temple
silas_atticus_winterbourne Travel to Western Sichuan
It is recommended to spend 4-5 days on this route. You will see both natural and cultural scenery here.
D1: Chengdu - Kangding - Provincial Road 434 - Tagong - Daofu
D2: Daofu - Garze County - Xinluhai - Dege
D3: Dege Juehe Ranch - Garze County
D4: Garze County - Ganbai Road - Yaqing Temple - Garze County - Daofu (You can go directly to Baiyu to Batang without going back, and then take the 318 back, which will take longer.)
The 'Kingdom of Daughters' where adult males are forbidden, allows you to perceive a different life
🌟 Explore Yaqing Temple: A more secluded and shocking practice holy land than Seda 🌟
🔍 Mysterious Buddhist holy land: Yaqing Temple 🔍
'Beyond Seda, there is Yaqing.' 🌈 Yaqing Temple, this mysterious Buddhist holy land, is located 300 kilometers away from the Seda Lama Wuming Buddhist Academy, and its primitive and shocking beauty is beyond imagination. 🏞️
🏡 The tranquility and uniqueness of the 'Water Buddha Country' 🏡
Yaqing Temple, known as the 'Water Buddha Country' comparable to Seda, faces Tibet across the river. Here, time seems to stand still, there is no internet, and electricity has only been available in recent years. 🌌 It is not easy to reach Yaqing Temple, but for this reason, the primitive beauty here is well preserved. 🛤️
💧 Red wooden houses and peaceful practice life 💧
Yaqing Temple has thousands of red wooden houses, surrounded by rivers, forming a unique practice environment. The practice atmosphere here is strong, the living conditions are hard, like Seda ten years ago. 🌄
🧘♀️ 'Kingdom of Daughters': The feature of Yaqing Temple 🧘♀️
This is China's largest nunnery, with more than 20,000 female practitioners. Inside Yaqing Temple, there are strict distinctions between life and practice, as well as strict boundaries between men and women. 🚫
🙏 Strict practice and life rules 🙏
Life in Yaqing Temple is full of precepts and rules, and practitioners must follow strict living habits and schedules. These rules not only limit material desires, but also help practitioners focus on spiritual improvement. 📜
🌅 Closed practice: The practice tradition of Yaqing Temple 🌅
The closed practice of Yaqing Temple is particularly strict, and those who close must undergo strict physical examinations and assessments. During the closing process, practitioners are completely isolated from the outside world and focus on inner spiritual practice. 🧘♀️
💭 Transcendent lifestyle 💭
In Yaqing Temple, there are no conveniences of modern life, and the lives of practitioners depend entirely on their own labor and practice. Their lives are hard, but their hearts are full of richness and peace. 🌼
📚 Yaqing Temple opens: An opportunity not to be missed 📚
After five years of closure, Yaqing Temple is open to the outside world again. For those who long to explore this mysterious holy land, this is an opportunity not to be missed. But remember, respect local rules and traditions. 🚪
Seda and Yaqing Temple are my long-awaited places! After yesterday's one-day Bi Penggou trip, I was exhausted and finally got out of the clouds! The scene in front of me seems to have returned in my dreams! For a moment, it is refreshing, and now it is a diverse world. Everyone has a lot of worlds outside the world. You don't have to be surprised by other people's lifestyles. Maybe you are intoxicated with buying famous brands, string wineries, playing cards, and bustling names. They are here every day, they are turning their heads, turning to pagodas, endlessly practicing Buddhism, and comprehending the mysteries of heaven and earth. . Worship, feeling mother, spiritual practice... everything that is strange and familiar. Here is a world without earth and earth, a pure land that never disappears in the depths of the soul! Meditation in this land! It is my longing for life!
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Xinlu Hai Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Wondering where to go for May Day, college students?
📍Detailed Address:
Western Sichuan
Yulong Laco, also known as Xinluhai, is located at the foot of Que'er Mountain in Dege County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, beside the G317 route of the Northern Sichuan-Tibet Highway, at an altitude of 4000 meters. Yulong means 'enraptured heart,' and Laco signifies 'holy lake,' so Yulong Laco translates to 'the holy lake that enchants at first sight.' It is said that the beloved consort of King Gesar fell in love with it at first sight and lingered by the lake, hence its name. The name Xinluhai is said to have been given by the people who built the Sichuan-Tibet Highway back in the day.
Yulong Laco is the largest and most famous glacial lake on the Northern Sichuan-Tibet line, as well as the highest and largest glacial lake in Sichuan. The lake is fed by the melting snow of the Que'er Mountain glacier and several small rivers. The emerald green waters lie quietly surrounded by mountains, with primeval forests and meadows encircling the lake.
Dege Free Travel | Comprehensive Guide for Qingming Festival Tourism
It's already 2024! You must visit Dege County for the Qingming Festival!
🌈🌈🌈Two-day Tour Recommendations for Dege County
DAY1⃣ Cuotong Cui Lake--Yulong Laco, Muri Lake--18th Army's March into Tibet Que'er Mountain Memorial Museum--Jueri Pasture (Scenic Viewing + Horse Riding) Dining in Yaoquan Town
DAY2⃣ Dege Printing House--Southern Tibetan Medicine Exhibition Hall Visit--Maisu Handicraft Park--Yutuo New Village--Gangto 18th Army's March into Tibet Crossing
🚗🚗🚗Itinerary Recommendations
DAY1⃣ Cuotong Cui Lake--Yulong Laco, Muri Lake--18th Army's March into Tibet Que'er Mountain Memorial Museum--Jueri Pasture (Scenic Viewing + Horse Riding) Dining in Yaoquan Town
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🏔️ Cuotong Cui Lake
Another day exploring the secret spots of Western Sichuan, a niche attraction not yet discovered by many, perfect for photography!
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🏔️ Yulong Laco
A popular photo spot along the 317 self-driving route, at an altitude of over 4000 meters, every frame is beautiful.
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🏔️ 18th Army's March into Tibet Que'er Mountain Memorial Museum
This is the highest altitude highway museum on the Sichuan-Tibet line, very impactful after learning about the red education, a meaningful attraction.
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🏔️ Jueri Pasture
Here you can enjoy the scenery, ride horses, and leisurely appreciate the beauty of nature.
DAY2⃣ Dege Printing House--Southern Tibetan Medicine Exhibition Hall--Maisu Handicraft Park--Yutuo New Village--Gangto 18th Army's March into Tibet Crossing
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🏔️ Dege Printing House
Known as the 'Encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture', established in 1729! Rich in historical and cultural heritage!
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🏔️ Southern Tibetan Medicine Exhibition Hall
This is part of China's intangible cultural heritage, friends interested in medicine can browse in detail here, and learn a lot.
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🏔️ Maisu Handicraft Park
Located in the southeastern part of Dege County, this town park has inherited many folk handicraft cultures. If you are interested in the handicrafts of the Tibetan area, welcome to visit.
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🏔️ Yutuo New Village
A village with rich folk customs, houses with ethnic characteristics are scattered in an orderly manner.
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🏔️ Gangto 18th Army's March into Tibet Crossing
As the 'First Village of Tibet Liberation', it carries many red memories, very meaningful for learning.
📝📝📝Practical TIPS
🌀 Be sure to take care of your valuables during the trip, don't lose them!
🌀 The altitude here is high, be sure to watch out for altitude sickness, rest plenty.
🌀 Bring your ID card, power bank, and data cable~
Going to Western Sichuan, you really need a telephoto lens!
Western Sichuan Plateau, as beautiful as a fairyland! To capture the beautiful moments, appropriate photographic equipment is essential, and the telephoto lens is a must-have artifact for the trip to Western Sichuan!🌄
🏔The snow-capped mountains are far away, but the telephoto lens combined with the compression of the foreground can create an incredibly shocking visual effect, whether it's landscapes or portraits, they can be beautifully elevated!🧡
This time I used the Sony70-200G2, the image quality is super great, it also has macro, big scenes and small flowers, all taken down!🤩
🚗Route recommendation: Provincial Road 434 towards 317 direction, less people and beautiful scenery, along the way Ganzi County, Ganbai Road, Xinlu Sea, Dege Jue and pasture, are all beautiful! It is recommended to play for 4-5 days.🎈
🏞Natural and cultural landscapes, all in this trip! The Western Sichuan in summer and autumn is even more beautiful, worth going again and again!🤗
📷Photographic equipment: Sonya7r5.70-200G2
Come to Western Sichuan, use a telephoto lens to freeze the beauty!😍
10-day self-driving tour guide for the small loop in Western Sichuan
We were a group of 16 people, who set off from Chengdu on July 9, 23 years ago. We wanted to share our travel guide with everyone at the end of the trip, so that more friends who love nature like us can refer to it, but due to time constraints, we only write it now:
Day 1: Chengdu to Danba County, stay in Danba, the altitude of Danba County is 1600
Day 2: Visit Jiaju Tibetan Village and Zhonglu Tibetan Village in Danba, see the ancient towers and Tibetan houses for a thousand years, stay in Danba;
Day 3: Depart from Danba in the morning, pass through Yak Gully (also called China Panda Avenue) to Daofu, go along the valley, with cliffs and strange rocks on both sides, known as natural bonsai, the scenery is charming, after lunch in Bamei Town, continue to go, you can stay in Daofu Longdengba Grassland for 1 hour, see the grassland wildflowers, take children to ride horses, etc., stay in Daofu, the altitude of Daofu County is 3000
Day 4: Visit the Tibetan houses in Daofu in the morning, then go to the next stop, Ganzi County, along National Highway 3 1 7, pass through Kasai Lake in Luhuo County (right next to National Highway 317), on a sunny day, you can enjoy the view of Kasai Lake reflecting the blue sky at the foot of the mountain on the hillside full of wild flowers, stay in Ganzi County, the altitude of Ganzi County is 3390;
Day 5: Depart from Ganzi County in the morning, go to Xinluhai at the foot of Queer Mountain, this lake is right next to National Highway 317, this is a glacial lake, formed by the melting of glaciers and snow on Queer Mountain, it is one of the sources of Coqu River, the lake water is clear and transparent, the key is that there are not many tourists, the scenic spot is currently free, the altitude of Xinluhai is 4040, we returned to Ganzi County for accommodation;
Day 6: Depart from Ganzi County to Hongshan Scenic Area in Xinlong County, the unique plateau Danxia landform here is spectacular, the altitude of the scenic area is above 4200, pay attention to prevent altitude sickness, in the afternoon, go directly from the scenic area to Xinlong County, if the time is right, you can check in at Boriqiao, known as the first bridge in Kangba, stay in Xinlong County, the altitude of Xinlong County is 3066;
Day 7: Depart from Xinlong in the morning to Coka Lake, this lake is named after Coka Temple by the lake, the lake is not big, but the lake water is crystal clear like jade, the temple by the lake is mainly in bright red and yellow, and the blue sky, white clouds, green trees, and green mountains are reflected in the lake, it is beautiful, like a fairyland on earth, there are groups of fish swimming in the quiet lake, in the afternoon, go from Coka Lake to Yajiang via Litang, stay in Yajiang, the altitude of Yajiang County is 2700;
Day 8: Depart from Yajiang in the morning, go along National Highway 318 to Guogangding in Yajiang, Guogangding is a mountain named after a flower, because the mountain top is full of a kind of yellow Guogang flower every summer, the mountain top of more than 3000 square meters is full of fresh flowers, and there are two small lakes of the sun and the moon, which are mutually reflecting, the mountain top with abundant grass, horses and cattle are leisurely eating grass, the ancient site of the White Wolf Kingdom adds a historical mark to the mountain top, being in it, you also become a part of the scenery, especially like this pure natural scenery, the uploaded photos are all taken here, the scenic spot is currently under development, the road has been repaired, there is a parking lot, no tickets are required, you need to bring your own dry food, return to Yajiang in the afternoon, stay in Yajiang County;
Day 9: Go to Pamuling in Yajiang in the morning, there is a large-scale Pamuling Temple on the top of the mountain, you can also go around the mountain to watch birds, it is known as a bird watching paradise, stay in Yajiang County;
Day 10, Depart from Yajiang in the morning to Xinduqiao, in order to see the scenery along the way, we chose to go to Kangding along Provincial Highway 4 3 4, from Kangding to Chengdu on the Yaye Expressway, the trip ends.
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Baiyu Temple Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Separated by just a river from Tibet! The beautiful but often forgotten small county town in Western Sichuan
You must have heard of Batang!
You must have heard of Dege!
You must have heard of Gongjue in Tibet!
But did you know
To the north of Batang, to the south of Dege
Across the Jinsha River from Gongjue
There lies a beautiful small county town in Western Sichuan!
Baiyu County
This place is a must-pass on the 317 route into Tibet!
But few people pay attention to it
If you have time to stroll around here slowly
You will definitely like this beautiful and tranquil small town!
It seems that people here like to sleep in late!
The shops on the street only slowly open their doors after the sun is well up in the sky!
Groups of people sit on the street, chatting and drinking tea, slowly enjoying the day!
If you're tired from walking, you can also find an authentic Tibetan restaurant
To try some blood sausage and tsampa!
I wonder if you like their taste as much as I do!
📸Photo taken: Mid-August
📷Photography suggestions:
🟠Baiyu is a great place to take photos of people and culture. If you have time, visit the Baiyu Temple on the mountain opposite the county town, and you're sure to find some pleasant surprises
🟡You can also rent a traditional Tibetan outfit and walk around the streets and alleys, you will definitely take some satisfying photos
📍Location: Sichuan, Garze, Baiyu
🚗Transportation: Navigate to Baiyu County
❗TIPS:
❤️It is highly recommended to visit Baiyu Temple, where you can see many butter sculptures!
🧡Travel civilly, do not litter! Along the way, you will see people littering, let's despise them together!
Follow me for more travel, self-driving, photography practical guides
Gatuo Temple Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
The Secret Land of Western Sichuan: Baiyu Gatuo Temple
Also known as Gatuo Temple, full name 'Gatuo Doji Dan', Gatuo is also translated as Gatu, (Gatuo, Gado), the Tibetan meaning is 'above the Ga character', 'Doji Dan' means 'Vajra Seat'. The temple is named after a huge smooth white stone on the temple site, which naturally forms a Tibetan letter, pronounced 'Ga'.
Gatuo Temple can be called the mother temple of the Nyingma Sect. Guru Rinpoche personally consecrated Gatuo thirteen times and recorded in the 'Autobiography' and many hidden scriptures 'the best holy land in the snow area, the source of the promotion of the secret method of Kongxing Yixi Cuo Jie', its blessing power is the same as the Indian Vajra Seat, so it is also called 'the second Vajra Seat'.
Gatuo Temple was founded by the Nyingma Sect high monk Gadang Badexie (1122-1192) in the third Shengsheng Tu Rabbit Year of the Tibetan calendar (1159), which has been 840 years ago, and is now the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
The temple preserves the remnants of the Lotus Birth thorn products bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty, the seal given to the temple by Basiba, the Manjusri Buddha statue of the Ming Dynasty, the 'Keben Complete Collection' scripture bestowed by the Qing Dynasty emperor, porcelain bowls and the arrow clusters, single-eared bronze pots, beast shapes and other precious cultural relics from the Gesar period.
On October 5th, on the way from Baiyu to Dege on the Sichuan-Tibet line, I made a special detour to visit. The temple is located on the hillside of Duonianshan in Bailonggou Town, Baiyu County, Ganzi Prefecture, Western Sichuan, only one mountain away from Tibet. Leaving the 458 provincial road, after the forest fire inspection station, all the way up are mountain roads, the road is narrow and very steep, and there are many large loops! Vehicles on the plateau inevitably lack power, which is a test of driving skills. When you get to the gate of the mountain, the buildings of Gatuo Temple are densely packed on the slopes of the three sides, which is very spectacular! Even with a super wide-angle lens and a drone (the altitude is too high and it can't fly too high), it's impossible to take it all in one shot. The entire temple has few foreign tourists and is very quiet. Because it is far away from the county town and the main traffic road, it is not easy to come here, it is really a niche among the niches. In addition to a few main halls, the small houses of practitioners are basically built on steep cliffs, and the original taste of the temple is relatively preserved.
Special note, many introductions including Baidu Encyclopedia, claim that the altitude of the temple is 4800 meters, according to the actual measurement of many people on this trip, it is around 4000, as long as you do not do strenuous exercise, slow down all activities will not have any adverse reactions.
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