A place of heavenly beauty, a place of red forests and spiritual practice

Yaqing Monastery is located in Changtuo Village, Achazhen, Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. It is a must-see attraction on the Ganbai Line, 120 km from the county seat and about 4,000 meters above sea level. It is a temple with a profound historical background and unique Tibetan culture.

Yaqing Monastery is one of the most important monasteries of the Nyingma (Red) sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China.

Yaqing Monastery is located by the mountains and water and is known as the "Buddhist Kingdom on Water." The temple is surrounded by green grass and clear lakes, and the blue sky and ancient temples form a unique landscape painting.

Yaqing Monastery is famous for its tranquil atmosphere of spiritual practice. Here, believers live a simple and fulfilling life, chanting, practicing, and reciting mantras on time every day, constantly purifying their minds.

Special features
1. Nunnery: There is a special area in Yaqing Monastery called the Nunnery, where all the monks are female and are called nuns. The river is the boundary, and the west bank is the female area, where men are not allowed to enter. It is said that there are more than 20,000 nuns in Yaqing Monastery, making it the largest nunnery in the world and a pure land for female practitioners.

The buildings on the island are mainly simple huts built by the nuns themselves with planks, cloth, plastic sheeting, etc., and are called "matchboxes."

2. Religious festivals and dharma assemblies: The annual religious festivals and dharma assemblies are a highlight of Yaqing Monastery, attracting many believers and tourists to participate.

Tourist information:

1. Yaqing Monastery is not a tourist attraction, so there is no entrance fee or parking fee.
2. The hill where Guru Rinpoche is located is the best place for photography and offers a bird's eye view of Yaqing Monastery.
3. Drones and video shooting are prohibited.
4. Navigate directly to Yaqing Monastery. It takes about 2 hours from Baiyu County to Yaqing Monastery. You can visit and then stay in Ganzi, or you can stay in the nearby Achazhen, but the altitude is around 4,000 meters, so it is easy to get altitude sickness.

Post by Oliver Hall Oliver15 | Jan 17, 2025