Things to do in Yushu Prefecture

Kunlun Mountain has a prominent position as the "ancestor of all mountains" in the cultural history of the Chinese nation. The ancients called Kunlun Mountain the "ancestor of dragon veins" in China. Chen Yi's poem "Ode to Kunlun Mountain" says: "Kunlun's courage is so great that it is not famous for its hills and valleys." Kunlun Mountain is like an old man who has experienced many vicissitudes of life, bathing in the wind and wind all his life, and silently reading the spring and autumn. Summer vacation is coming soon. Friends who like self-driving tours can start from Xining along the "Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop", along National Highway 109 or Beijing-Tibet Expressway, and rest for one night after arriving in Golmud, and set off the next day. Along the way, there are "Nachitai Hot Spring", Taoist Palace "Wuji Dragon and Phoenix Palace", "Khekexili" and other attractions.

The Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve is located in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and southern Qinghai Province. As of February 2020, it has a total area of ​​123,100 square kilometers. It has jurisdiction over 12 townships and 53 administrative villages. It is the source of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Lancang River. It is known as the Chinese Water Tower and the Asian Water Tower. [1] It is the largest nature reserve in China; the highest natural wetland in China; and the nature reserve with the most concentrated biodiversity in the world's high-altitude areas.

It is a very worthwhile attraction to visit. The snow-covered nature reserve has Tibetan antelopes, Tibetan wild donkeys, eagles, and if you are lucky, you can also see wild yaks and wild wolves. Sanjiangyuan International Park and the Sonam Darje Conservation Station are built to commemorate Sonam Darje's efforts to protect the Tibetan antelope, which makes people stand in awe.

Jiegu Temple is located on Jiegu Mountain in Jiegu Town, Yushu, at an altitude of more than 3,700 meters. Jiegu Temple has a long history and profound origins. It is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yushu. The main buildings of Jiegu Temple are the cathedral, the Buddhist hall, the pagoda, etc. Standing on the top of Jiegu Temple and looking far into the distance, the green mountains are surrounded by clouds and mist, and the winding water of Batang River is like a ribbon, passing through Jiegu Town, connecting King Gesar Square, Jiegu Temple Town, and Yushu State Museum.

五月初夏，青藏高原景色怡人，波浪起伏的山峰白雪皑皑，星罗棋布的湖泊碧水如镜，黄色茫茫的草地一眼望不到边。被称为世界屋脊与亚洲水塔的青藏高原，全世界海拔最高，面积最大，气候独特，辐射墙，日照多，气温低，多夜雨，日夜温差大，冬季风大干燥，夏季温凉多雨，推荐5-10月去旅行较好。

It is said that there are 3 billion Mani stones in Xinzhai, and one circle is 3 kilometers. The city of Janamani is more than 850 kilometers away from Xining, with an altitude of 4,500 meters. The huge pile of Mani stones, a large prayer hall, a Buddhist hall, 10 large prayer wheels, more than 300 small prayer wheels, and more than a dozen pagodas together constitute this pilgrimage site. The number of Janamani stone carvings, the length of time they took to carve, and the scale of the carvings are rare in the world. Legend has it that more than 300 years ago, the famous first Janam Living Buddha picked up a natural Mani stone here, and immediately realized his mission: to benefit sentient beings and prosper Buddhism here. So he continued to carve Mani stones here. Since then, on the side of the majestic and beautiful mountain slope at the edge of Jiegu Town, a huge city built of stones engraved with Mani scriptures was finally born, which was the result of the hard work of the first Jiana Living Buddha and countless Buddhist believers. It was raised inch by inch and expanded foot by foot almost every day. By 1955, the number of Mani stones in Jiana Mani City reached 2.5 billion.

Gar Monastery is located in Nangqian County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is located on a mountain with an altitude of more than 3,700 meters and is divided into the upper and lower temples. The north side of the mountain is full of strange peaks and cliffs, and the wind is cold, but the south side is slightly sloping and warm and sunny. The hundreds of buildings of Gar Monastery are irregularly distributed on this large hillside on the south side of the mountain, from bottom to top, until the top of the mountain. Gar Monastery has a history of nearly 1,000 years. It is said that more than 700 years ago, Guru Padmasambhava practiced in this town. The treasure of the town is a pair of peculiar prayer wheels, which are said to be the dowry brought by Princess Wencheng when she married Songtsen Gampo in Tibet. During this long time, this pair of prayer wheels placed in the upper temple of Gar Monastery were turned day and night by two lamas on duty. The constantly turning prayer wheels have accompanied the Tibetans deep in the plateau through thousands of years of wind and rain. The peaks around the Gar Monastery are of various shapes, some like balls, some like pillars, some like doors, some like walls, and some rocks like various animals. There are fewer trees on the top of the mountain, and occasionally encountering a few trees is enough to make people marvel. These weathered pines and cypresses, each with a unique shape, beautiful posture, vigorous branches and leaves, and strong character, survive tenaciously in the narrow cracks of the strange rocks, fully demonstrating the beauty of life in nature. There are also colorful prayer flags flying in the wind, draped all over the mountain, entangled everywhere, one after another, until the top of the mountain. Looking around from the upper temple of Gar Monastery, you can see that the mountains have become lower, the trees are far away, the road is like a snake dance, the house is like a box, the water is like a mirror, and the clouds are like flowing smoke. When you are there, you will feel a hundred feelings. The geographical location of Gar Monastery is relatively remote, with only about 10 households around it. Except for monks, few people come here. Gar Monastery currently has three living Buddhas. As the monks in the monastery have always adhered to the Buddhist idea of ​​great compassion and equality of life, they have lived in harmony with the animals in the mountains for many years and never killed them. There are many higher animals such as macaques, stone sheep, roe deer, yellow sheep, sika deer, elk, foxes, wolves, snow leopards and nearly 100 bird species such as snow chickens, pheasants, golden pheasants, eagles, vultures, and owls living here. On the road of about 76 kilometers from Nangqian to Gar Monastery, there are alpine grasslands, ancient salt ponds, virgin forests, and forest streams. The most rare is that this section has a canyon forest landscape rarely seen on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Starting from Nangqian, drive along National Highway 214 to 1024 kilometers and turn south to enter the gravel road to Baizha Forest Farm. Continue for about 25 kilometers, and then go west to enter the Barong Valley (also known as Gar Monastery Canyon). Drive about 15 kilometers to the end of the canyon. The road to Gar Monastery is rugged and difficult to travel, and it is even more muddy and difficult to travel in the frequent rainy days in summer, so it is best to drive an off-road vehicle. If you want to fully appreciate the cultural customs of Gar Monastery, appreciate the nearby natural scenery, and have close contact with wild animals, you need to stay in the local area. You can stay in Bamai Township not far from the entrance to Baronggou, or you can stay in the unoccupied houses of the monastery.

Yuzhu Peak, located 10 kilometers east of Kunlun Pass, 160 kilometers south of Golmud, Qinghai, is the highest peak in the eastern section of Kunlun Mountain. It is gentle in the south and steep in the north. The end of the glacier on the south slope is about 5,100 meters above sea level; the glacier on the north slope extends to 4,400 meters. The top of the peak is covered with ice and snow all year round, with no exposed rocks. The ice and snow slope is relatively gentle. The glaciers below the grain snow basin are retreating continental glaciers due to the high temperature every year, rapid melting, little precipitation, and greater melting than accumulation. The Yuzhu Peak area has a continental climate with an annual rainfall of only 200 mm. However, in high-altitude areas above 5,000 meters above sea level, affected by high-altitude convective air currents, the rainfall is hundreds of millimeters higher than that in the front of the mountain. The average annual temperature is minus 5 degrees Celsius, and the extreme minimum temperature can reach minus 30 degrees Celsius. The climbing season is from May to October. The weather is colder and the oxygen content is lower in May. July, August, September and October are more suitable for climbing.

Princess Wencheng and Songgan Zangbu are a famous period in Chinese history, and there is their sacred castle in the remote Tibetan area. People who travel here like to come here to take a look. Feel this beautiful moment.