Litang (Changqingchunke'er Monastery · Letong Ancient Town)
The 'City in the Sky' on the G318 route: the county seat sits at 4,014 m elevation, and 'Litang' means 'a grassland flat as a bronze mirror' in Tibetan
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- Open all day
- Ticket
- Ancient town combo ticket approx. CNY 60
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
The 'City in the Sky' on the G318 route: the county seat sits at 4,014 m elevation, and 'Litang' means 'a grassland flat as a bronze mirror' in Tibetan; Changqingchunke'er Monastery is one of the largest Gelug (Yellow Hat) monasteries in the Kham region, while the Renkang Ancient House in Letong Ancient Town is revered as a holy site as the birthplace of the 7th Dalai Lama; the fame of being Ding Zhen's hometown has brought Litang into the public eye; in August the 'August 1 Horse Racing Festival' is a grand horse-racing gathering of Khampa men, with the vast Maoya Grassland serving as its opening pasture.
Getting there: G318 self-drive (approx. 220 km)
Photos
More in Daocheng
- Daocheng Yading Scenic Area
A national nature reserve in Daocheng County, Garze Prefecture: known as "the last Shangri-La" after the Shangri-La imagery in British author Hilton's Lost Horizon
- Milk Lake · Five-Color Lake
A glacial lake in the col below Mount Yangmaiyong: at approx. 4600 m, named for the ring of milky-white travertine around its waters
- Pearl Lake (Zhuomalacuo)
A short-hike alpine lake at the foot of Mount Xiannairi: Tibetan name Zhuomalacuo, reached via a 2 km boardwalk; the snow peak reflected in emerald water is Yading's easiest spot for photos with a sacred mountain
- Yading Village · Shangri-La Town
Yading Village is a Tibetan village inside the scenic area: at elevations of 3,100-3,900 m, guesthouse windows open straight onto views of Mount Xiannairi and the starry sky — superb conditions for stargazing photography
- Haizi Mountain · Tu'er Mountain (Rabbit Mountain)
Relics of an ancient ice cap between Litang and Daocheng: at around 4,500 m, 1,145 glacial stone lakes of all sizes dot the barren plateau — the largest ancient ice-body relic on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "City in the Sky"
- Sangdui Red Grassland · Zhuojie Monastery
Autumn water-meadows in Sangdui Town, Daocheng: from mid-October to early November the aquatic grasses turn red, and the red grass flats, poplar woods and Tibetan villages compose Daocheng's signature "red grassland + golden forest" photo spot