Things to do in Hualong

Xiaqiong Temple

Founded in 1394, Xiaqiong Temple is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist temples in Qinghai and the birthplace of Zongkoba, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism Gelug. The terrain of the temple is unusual, elegant and beautiful, and the cliff behind the temple is shaped like a vulture bird spreading its wings, so it is named "Xiaqiong Temple". Since its establishment, Xiaqiong Temple has successively built Miaoyin Bodhisattva Hall, Maitreya Hall, Jinding Hall, Atisha Hall, King Kong Buddha Hall, Zhizha Buddha Hall, Simmering Sang Hall, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall, Jianhe Maitreya Hall, and Mountains. The Buddhist Hall constitutes an ancient building complex combining Han and Tibetan artistic styles. In 1788, Emperor Qianlong gave it the name "Fajing Temple", and gave him a plaque with four inscriptions, including Han, Tibetan, Mongolian and Manchu, with the inscription "The Prosperous Land of Mahayana".

Lijiaxia Reservoir

Lijiaxia Hydropower Station is located in the middle section of Lijiaxia River Valley, the main stream of the Yellow River at the junction of Jianzha County and Hualong County, Qinghai Province. It is 1,796 kilometers away from the source of the Yellow River and 3,668 kilometers away from the mouth of the Yellow River. It is a large-scale hydropower station in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The Lijiaxia Hydropower Station is currently the largest double-row machine hydropower station in the world. Before the Laxiwa Hydropower Station was built, it was the largest hydropower station in the northwest.

Deji Village Scenic Area

Deji Village is located in Jianzha County and is a well-known ethnic minority village with many farm stays. The village is situated in the Yellow River valley at an altitude of approx. 1,900m, and its unique natural conditions are very suitable for the growth of Tibetan tea.

shan zong shui yuan

Yellow River First Bend Scenic Area

Gangshan Secret Realm Scenic Area

Gangshan Secret Realm Scenic Area is located in Xiongxian Tibetan Township, Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Haidong City, Qinghai Province. It showcases Tibetan and Buddhist cultures, featuring stone-carved sacred statues and precious Buddha artifacts. This comprehensive tourist attraction centers around pristine mountain landscapes, blending natural adventure, leisure sightseeing, and ecological experiences. Nestled among rolling mountains, canyon streams, and dense forests, the area offers tranquil surroundings and untouched views, earning its reputation as a "secret realm" far from urban bustle—a perfect retreat to reconnect with nature.

Qutan Temple

Qutan Temple, known in Tibetan as "Zhuocang Laguo Dande" or "Zhuocang Duojie Qiang," meaning "Ledu Vajradhara Temple." The temple is nestled against mountains and by water, with a rectangular overall layout covering 1.5 hectares. It is a surprising anomaly among the many Tibetan Buddhist temples in the Amdo region, reminiscent of the Han-style Tibetan Buddhist temples in Beijing and Chengde. If you only have time to visit one temple in eastern Qinghai and are interested in ancient architecture and mural art, then Qutan Temple is your best choice. The temple is one of the larger ones in the Ledu Nanshan area and is also one of the best-preserved Ming Dynasty architectural complexes in Northwest China. Its overall structural layout is similar toThe Palace Museum, which is why it is known as the "Little Forbidden City." Qutan Temple has stood for over 600 years since its founding during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. This temple is famous throughout the Northwest for its majestic simplicity, precious cultural relics, and massive, highly artistic colored murals. It is revered as a sacred Buddhist site by Tibetan, Mongolian, Tu, and other ethnic groups who practice Tibetan Buddhism, drawing pilgrims from afar to offer incense and worship. It is also one of the famous venues for the Hua'er Festival in Qinghai Province.

No. 3 of Best Things to Do in Qinghai

Kumbum Monastery

Kumbum Monastery is one of the important monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism and the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Hat sect. The monastery features magnificent architecture, abundant treasures, and a strong religious atmosphere, making it one of the more popular travel destinations in Xining. Overview of the visit It has distinct differences in architectural layout compared to Han Chinese Buddhist temples in inland China: the complex here is not symmetrically arranged along a central axis. The monastery is an ancient architectural complex composed of numerous halls, scripture halls, stupas, and colleges, with each sutra hall, main hall, and stupa irregularly distributed on a small hill. Travelers can explore the site in a relatively free manner rather than following a straight path along a central axis. The Great Golden Roof Hall of Kumbum Monastery is the center of the entire architectural complex. It is said that Master Tsongkhapa was born here, and when he was born, his umbilical cord blood dripped on this spot, from which a bodhi tree grew. Later, a stupa was built around the tree, and a monastery was constructed, hence the name. Believers hold that this tree and stupa are the embodiment of the master. The three unique features of the attraction: butter sculptures, murals, and appliqué embroidery. Butter sculptures are made by mixing butter with various pigments to mold and carve into figures of Buddhas, people, flowers, birds, animals, and pavilions. Travelers can admire exquisite butter sculptures at the butter sculpture hall inside the temple (located far from the main gate). Vibrant centuries-old murals can be appreciated in the main halls, corridors, and front galleries of the temple. Appliqué embroidery involves cutting colored satin into desired shapes, such as Buddha figures or animals, stuffing them with wool or cotton, and embroidering them onto cloth hangings. In the temple's great sutra hall, two rare large appliqué embroidery pieces—"Sixteen Arhats Displaying Divine Powers" and "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea"—hang on either side. The four major religious festivals (based on the lunar calendar): 1. Cham dance (14th day of the first month) and butter sculpture exhibition (15th day of the first month); 2. Cham dance (14th day of the fourth month), Buddha unveiling, and Cham dance (15th day of the fourth month); 3. Buddha unveiling, Cham dance (6th day of the sixth month), and golden Buddha procession (8th day of the sixth month); 4. Full-day Buddha unveiling (22nd day of the ninth month) and Cham dance (23rd day of the ninth month). During these festivals, activities like Buddha unveiling and ritual dances take place, attracting large crowds of devotees and travelers, creating a lively atmosphere.

No. 2 of Best Things to Do in Qinghai

Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum

Qinghai Tibetan Culture MuseumIt is a comprehensive museum themed on Tibetan medicine culture and featuring Tibetan culture.Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum(also known as Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum) is located in Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It officially opened in September 2006. The museum has basically formed a "one museum with two halls" layout, featuring 16 exhibition halls including the Silk Road and Tibetan civilization, the grand view of Chinese Tibetan art painting, and the history of Tibetan medicine.Qinghai Tibetan Culture MuseumThe collection is rich, historic, and diverse, possessing high historical, scientific, and artistic value. The museum houses the Guinness World Record-holding thangka masterpiece, "The Grand Thangka of Tibetan Culture and Art," which is 618 m long. It was planned by renowned thangka master Zongzhe Lajie and completed by 400 painters over four years. Its content encompasses the Tibetan understanding of the universe, the formation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, history, religion, medicine, culture, art, and folklore. With its intricate details and brilliant colors, it is a magnificent sight and can be called an encyclopedia of Tibetan culture, hailed as a "contemporary national treasure." Through four major series—ancient books and documents, Tibetan medical thangkas, ancient Tibetan medical instruments, and Tibetan material specimens—the museum comprehensively displays the long history, profound theoretical system, clinical practice, and unique preparation techniques of Tibetan medicine, with four ancient books included in the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books. The Silk Road and Qinghai-Tibet Civilization exhibition hall uses history as its temporal dimension and the vast plateau landscape as its geographical dimension. Through thousands of precious cultural relics such as silk, gold and silver ware, and coffin paintings, it highlights Tibetan cultural elements and showcases the origin, inheritance, rise, and prosperity of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau civilization throughout the long river of history. The Tibetan carpet exhibition hall is one of the largest exhibitions of ancient carpets in China, displaying more than 400 Tibetan carpet artifacts from different periods and eras, featuring magnificent patterns, intense colors, and unique ethnic styles and local characteristics. At the same time, there are also Tibetan-style architectural exhibition halls, Tibetan calligraphy art exhibition halls, as well as temporary exhibition halls, multimedia screening rooms, academic lecture halls, and cultural relic storage rooms, providing strong capabilities for inheritance, protection, and research, as well as conditions for cultural exchange.Qinghai Tibetan Culture MuseumIt will continuously improve the level of cultural relic preservation, exhibition design, scientific research, and management operations, becoming a platform for promoting ethnic unity and social development, a broad stage for cultural dissemination and academic exchange, a research center for cultural relic protection and Tibetan studies, and an exhibition center for treasured literature and collections, showcasing the splendid civilization and culture of the Tibetan Plateau to the world.

No. 1 of Best Things to Do in Qinghai

Chaka Salt Lake

Chaka Salt Lake is a salt field with a history of over 3,000 years. The lake water has a high salt content and naturally crystallizes into a white lake surface, reflecting the sky, clouds, and mountains on the opposite shore in the water, creating a very beautiful scene. Visitors can also walk barefoot onto the lake surface to view and photograph their own reflections, just like a mirror of the sky. On sunny days, the brine in Chaka Salt Lake crystallizes to a high degree, revealing a thin layer of brine over the pure white salt lake, with clear and pristine scenery and reflections. In the sculpture area of the attraction, you can see the stone-carved Guardian Goddess of the Salt Lake. Besides this sculpture, the other dozen or so large sculptures are all salt carvings, including figures such as the Maitreya Buddha and Genghis Khan. Walk along the path to the lakeside, and you will see the pure white Chaka Salt Lake, where you can enjoy yourself to the fullest. In the middle of the lake, a railway extends into the lake, and at the starting point is where you can take the mini train to travel deep into the lake, where the scenery is even purer.