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What is Gannan? Before I started traveling, I was very unfamiliar with Gannan. I once quietly opened a map and looked at it, thinking that the southern part of Gansu was what everyone calls Gannan.
Later, I had the opportunity to visit Gannan, and gained a deeper understanding of Gannan: it turns out that Gannan is not the abbreviation of southern Gansu, but "Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture", an administrative region.
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau, and is known as the "back garden of Gansu".
From the perspective of travel, we generally use the concept of "Greater Gannan" to describe this region, because people traveling to this area will not be limited to Gansu, but will also include northwestern Sichuan and southeastern Qinghai.
Therefore, this article also revolves around the keyword "Greater Gannan", takes the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as the base point, expands the scope by 1-2 times, jumps across Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan, and reveals to you the many landscapes and humanities along the way.
The Greater Gannan region is primarily inhabited by Tibetans, resulting in numerous temples and a rich religious and cultural atmosphere. Furthermore, situated at the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau, the plateau offers a diverse range of scenery, including grasslands, famous mountains, canyons, and wetlands, all relatively concentrated and ideal for a comprehensive itinerary.
The following is divided into Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai respectively, to tell you about the must-see travel destinations in Greater Gannan.
Located in Xiahe County, Gannan Prefecture, Labrang Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its grand scale and high status make it a representative example of monasteries in Gannan. Furthermore, Labrang Monastery boasts the world's longest prayer corridor.
In spring and summer, the Gannan grasslands are lush with green grass and a profusion of wildflowers, making them a truly iconic sight. You can rent a horse locally and visit Tibetan homes to experience traditional customs like tsampa, butter tea, and the Guozhuang dance. Every summer, the grasslands host lively festivals like the Xianglang Festival.
Langmusi is a small town located at the junction of Sichuan and Gansu provinces. It is surrounded by grasslands, woods, hills and red cliffs and has a beautiful environment. There are two Tibetan Buddhist temples with a long history in the town, namely Ganden Saichi Monastery and Gelug Monastery.
Zhagana, a small Tibetan village nestled amidst a beautiful cliff face, boasts breathtaking scenery and is considered one of the most picturesque locations in the entire Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Whether you're looking for sightseeing, photography, or simply immersing yourself in the traditional lives of the Tibetan people, this is a must-see destination.
Located on the Reer Dam grasslands, Zoige Flower Lake, known for its dense reed banks and the small white flowers that bloom in the lake, is also a prime spot for viewing black-necked cranes, a nationally protected species.
The clear and slow water flows through the vast sea of grass, and cattle and sheep stroll leisurely by the river. It is hard to imagine that this is the Yellow River with its turbulent flow and turbid water. In addition, this is an excellent location for photographing and watching the sunset over the Yellow River.
A place that will give you the most visually stunning sight. Thousands of small wooden houses are densely packed onto the hillside like an ant nest. At first glance, each house appears to be of a similar color and structure, stacked layer upon layer, covering the entire area from valley floor to mountain ridge. This is what is known as the world's largest Buddhist academy.
Lianbaoyezhe and Nianbaoyuzhe are located in the same region. The portion in Sichuan is called Lianbaoyezhe, while the portion in Qinghai is called Nianbaoyuzhe. The two peaks share significant similarities in geology and landscape. The mountain is massive, dotted with lakes, creating a majestic stone castle.
Da Gannan has a very beautiful name - "Nine-Colored Shambhala". I believe everyone is familiar with the three words Shambhala. "Shambhala" is the transliteration of Tibetan, which means "Paradise". It is the paradise and fairyland on earth mentioned in Buddhism. To this day, where Shambhala is located is still a mystery.
Shambhala is far away, but the Nine-Colored Gannan is very close. It has the religion, scenery and colors described as the Kingdom of Shambhala. This is what people often call "Nine-Colored Gannan". So does Gannan really have nine colors?
Symbolizes Tibetan architecture, monk robes, Danxia landforms, etc.
Tips:
Why does Tibetan Buddhism favor red? This is related to the traditions of the Bon religion, which symbolizes blood. Ancient Tibetan Bon religion was known for its practice of sacrificing animals to gods, with large-scale rituals often involving the slaughter of thousands of animals. The practice of painting temples red likely evolved from Bon rituals.
Symbolizes the coral and agate that are abundant in Gannan
Tips:
Diebu, Gansu Province is a famous origin of South Red Agate in my country. It has a fine and smooth texture and sufficient oily luster. However, people who don't know how to identify it should not buy it easily.
Symbolizes Tibetan robes, Bodhi, etc.
Symbolizes the Yellow Sect monk's hat, the golden roof of the temple, the prayer wheel, ghee, etc.
Tips:
Yellow is a highly revered color in Tibetan Buddhism. Ordinary people rarely use yellow in their buildings. Only temples, the residences of living Buddhas, and the residences of eminent monks are allowed to wear yellow outer garments.
Symbolizing the blue sky and blue lake on the plateau
Tips:
Many people want to visit the plateau, drawn by the blue skies but plagued by altitude sickness. Gannan offers no such worries. The sky is a clear, turquoise blue, with white clouds drifting leisurely. Looking at it for a long time, it feels as if you're melting into the blue sky.
Symbolizes the grasslands and forests of Gannan
Tips:
Many people have an inherent impression of the Northwest region as one of flying sand and rolling rocks and endless loess. This is a huge misunderstanding. The Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture spans the two major river basins of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. It has numerous rivers and abundant water resources, which nourish a green Shambhala.
Symbolizes the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the sacred mountain of Ani Nianqing
Tips:
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Loess Plateau and the Longnan Mountains, where majestic dark green mountains grow continuously.
Symbolizes yaks, black tents, black religion, etc.
Symbolizes white pagoda, sheep, Hada, etc.
Tips:
Snow-capped mountains, glaciers, white clouds, sheep, and white tents
It is the living environment of Tibetans
All these make Tibetans closely associate white with themselves.
White worship is also influenced by religious culture
Tibetan Buddhism regards white as a sacred symbol and the color of the wind.
Therefore, white is also often used in temple buildings.
Symbolizes holiness, sacredness, kindness, justice, nobility, peace, etc.
We all know that the plateau is beautiful. You don't need too much scenery. The blue sky and white clouds alone are enough to make you linger. However, many people are deterred from going to the plateau because they are afraid of altitude sickness.
Gannan has perfectly avoided this worry. As an extremely charming plateau ecological tourist destination, Gannan has an average altitude of about 3,000 meters, rich vegetation and sufficient oxygen content, so it is easy for tourists who come to Gannan for the first time to adapt.
It is better to travel early, as Gannan has the world's largest green canyon group, Asia's largest natural grassland and China's most beautiful wetlands. It is a perfect combination of nature and time, and the close harmony between the Tibetan people and the grassland. Gannan seems to have a hint of flavor that is hidden in the deep boudoir and unknown to the world.
In recent years, with shows like "Where Are We Going, Dad?" filming in Zhagana, Gannan's beauty and mystery have begun to be revealed, and tourists have begun to flock to the area during the summer peak season. We recommend visiting Gannan in May and June as this is a great time to experience the beauty of Gannan before the tourists arrive.
China-TravelNote pursues in-depth exploration of travel, perfectly combining the three major Tibetan Buddhist kingdoms of Gannan, eastern Qinghai, and northwestern Sichuan, allowing you to see the beautiful scenery and religious culture of the Anduo Tibetan area in one route.
The humanities and scenery are reasonably distributed in a ratio of 4:6. While appreciating the magnificent scenery of Gannan, you can also feel the unique local humanistic feelings.
China-TravelNote Gannan route has more special offers from June to August
Go to Gannan during the less crowded and beautiful season to enjoy a 500 RMB discount
Better prices, fewer tourists, lower airfares
Walk devoutly along the prayer corridor of Labrang Monastery, listen to the Buddhist chants at the Langmusaichi Temple in Dacang, watch the tranquil sunset and the Milky Way at Zhagana, feel the power of faith in the Buddhist land of Seda, and cast a longda in the Awancang Wetland...
