Haidong Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

Gutham Temple, an ancient Tibetan Buddhist temple on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Gutham Temple, located in Gutham Township, south of Ledu County, Haidong Region, Qinghai Province, is a Tibetan Buddhist temple with an official palace architectural style, known as the "Little Forbidden City". According to historical books and inscriptions, this temple was built under the background of the Ming Dynasty supporting Tibetan Buddhism to rule Tibet. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1399), Zhu Yuanzhang strengthened the affiliation between the Ming Dynasty and the upper leaders of Qinghai by granting the title "Gutham", with the words "Established in the 26th year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty" on the right. The Hongxi and Xuande periods of the Ming Dynasty expanded it successively. The temple covers an area of 27,000 square meters, with the main halls such as the Vajra Hall, Gutham Hall, Baoguang Hall, and Longguo Hall arranged in order from the mountain gate. The stele pavilion, mural gallery, bell and drum tower and other buildings on both sides form a large-scale architectural complex. Entering the mountain gate, the first thing that comes into view is the Vajra Hall, which is the front yard of the temple. Going up the stone steps, you come to the middle courtyard, where you can see the Gutham Hall and Baoguang Hall. Gutham Hall is one of the main halls of the temple, where the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and the Eighteen Arhats are enshrined. It is an important place for believers to come and worship. The Baoguang Hall enshrines the statues of Amitayus Buddha and Medicine Buddha, and is the center of the Medicine Buddha faith in the temple. Through the middle courtyard, the back is the backyard, where buildings such as the Longguo Hall are distributed. The Longguo Hall is the largest building in the temple, about 30 meters high and covering an area of 912 square meters. It is a place for holding Dharma meetings and gatherings. The carvings of the Sumeru seat and the scenery seat in the Longguo Hall are very exquisite, among which the more than two meters high elephant drum stone seat (commonly known as the elephant back drum) is the most prominent. In addition, the murals in the Longguo Hall are also one of the precious artworks in the temple. On the east and west sides of the temple are the large and small bell towers and drum towers. The large and small bell towers and drum towers are connected by a semi-open mural gallery, forming a mural gallery that is several kilometers long. The gallery has more than 50 rooms, 28 of which are full of large color murals, with a total area of more than 360 square meters. These murals are rich in content, with various themes such as Buddhist legends, Buddha statues, and pagodas. They are exquisite in painting skills, bright in color, vivid and lifelike, and very precious. In addition to the murals, there are many precious cultural relics in the temple. The most famous is the bronze bell cast during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. This bronze bell is 2.5 meters high, 1.5 meters in diameter, and weighs more than 10,000 catties. It is known as the "Ten Thousand Catties Bronze Bell". The casting process of the bronze bell is very exquisite, with auspicious patterns and sutras carved on the bell body, and the sound is loud and melodious. In addition, there are many other Buddhist artworks and cultural relics in the temple, such as Ming Dynasty wooden Buddha statues, Qing Dynasty porcelain, etc. These cultural relics and artworks show the historical and cultural heritage of Gutham Temple and are important materials for studying Chinese Buddhist culture and art. In summary, Gutham Temple is an ancient temple with a profound historical and cultural heritage, famous for its large-scale architectural complex, precious artworks and cultural relics, and beautiful natural scenery. It is one of the important representatives of Chinese Buddhist culture and art, and a tourist attraction worth visiting.

Qinghai, the temple, the sun sets, enjoy the peace and quiet. This is a quaint temple with a history of more than 600 years. It is the only official group building in the early Ming Dynasty in Qinghai. It is called the Little Palace It is the first to see it. The elegance of the brick and wood structure and the quietness of the long years are very warm, especially in the heart. It is peace. Sunset, I am roaming in ancient civilization...

The temple is located at Maougoukou, 21 km south of Ledu County, Haidong City, Qinghai Province. It was built in the 25th year of Ming Hongwu (1392) and is a Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa monastery. This is the most complete and large-scale Ming Dynasty temple building in northwestern China. The reason why this temple was preserved for more than 600 years is that it has a lot to do with the Sanluo Lama Sandan Luos pursuit of helping the Ming government to settle Qinghai. In 1392, Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to the northern part of Qinghai to trace the remnants of the Yuan soldiers. The local Tibetans also followed the chaos and formed a chaotic situation. The Three Luo Lama wrote and convinced by virtue, so that the Tibetan tribes returned to the Ming Dynasty. . This incident not only caused the Qinghai region to end the chaos caused by the change of the dynasty, but also made Zhu Yuanzhang realize the religious power represented by the Three Lama and his role and status in Qinghai. In 1393, the Three Luo Lama went to Nanjing to pay tribute and asked for the protection and name given to his temple. In fact, it was a small Buddhist temple at that time, because the monk of the temple, Sanluo, held the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. The emperor gave a gold plaque entitled "" and ordered the granting of a temple. The four emperors of the early Ming Dynasty (Ming Taizu, Ming Chengzu, Ming Renzong, Ming Xuanzong) successively made seven passes, and sent eunuchs to craftsmen to build the temple in 36 years.

Located in Qinghai | Escape from the City Plan | Natural Oxygen Bar?

| Escape from the City Plan | Natural Oxygen Bar?. Beishan National Forest Park Lashidang Central Scenic Area I only knew about the natural oxygen bar in the Greater Khingan Range before, but I didn't expect that my great Qinghai is also not bad! Qinghai has built 23 forest parks with a total area of 544,800 hectares, including 7 national forest parks～ Located in the Beishan Forest Farm in Jiading Town, northeast of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Haidong City, situated at the eastern end of the Qilian Mountains with an altitude ranging from 2100 to 4308 meters, it is an ecological park mainly composed of forest natural landscapes. The total area of the forest region is 112,700 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 77.5%, which is a natural secondary forest with a large forest area and stock volume in Qinghai Province. I especially want to recommend Youzuiwan Flower Sea, where dining and accommodation are very convenient, and the independent small wooden houses also have a bit of a Swiss feel ～ The vast sea of flowers is also a delight to the eye～ It is suggested to arrange a two-day itinerary, otherwise, I'm not afraid your calves will not be able to take it Hahaha～ Huzhu Tu Ethnic Homeland Park Scenic Area Huzhu Beishan Zhalonggou Scenic Area For those who have time, I highly recommend visiting the Tu Ethnic Garden Scenic Area and Zhalonggou!

You must always come to see the Twelve Turns in Huzhu, Qinghai

The Twelve Turns slope is located on the Huangya Gap Highway in Daban Mountain within the territory of Huzhu County, Qinghai. From Xining to the North Mountain National Forest Park in Huzhu, the Twelve Turns slope is a must-pass road. There is a viewing platform on the top of the mountain where you can stop and enjoy the view. The Twelve Turns slope is named for its twelve turns. The entire road section is narrow, with sharp turns and steep slopes, making it extremely difficult to travel. It has become a unique landscape in Huzhu, Qinghai.

Because I slept very early the day before, the rest is better, plus I have to go to the forest park that I did not go yesterday, so as not to leave regrets. Just opened in the scenic spot, we set off. But we are a fan of two. The forest park in the morning was a cold, it was right, it was not cool, it was very cold. At that time, the scenic area also arranged for us to have a closed car. We felt that we were a shooting team and had to take photos, so we needed a convertible. Just crying on the bus, and clenching his teeth to the first attraction. I was fascinated by this grove. I turned and found that everyone was holding the quilt. It turned out to be the uncle who opened the battery car, and borrowed from the owner of the privately contracted amusement project here. Actually, I am wearing a down jacket, a jacket, and a 30-inch big box, but the expectations of the scenic area are not so cold, so I just wear a sunscreen jacket. Good here makes me feel that although it is frozen, it is worth it. There is no such thing as a heart. The morning sun, through the valley, shines especially quietly into the woods.

The scenery of Beishan in Mutual Aid, Qinghai

The Beishan Scenic Area in Mutual Aid is known as the 'Kingdom of Plants' and 'Natural Zoo' on the Qinghai Plateau. It is one of the most intact natural ecosystems in Qinghai, one of the first national bases for the action of protecting the mother river's ecological education, and the only ecological park in Qinghai Province with forest natural landscape as the main body.

Summer and National Day travel guide to Zhalonggou Scenic Area in Qinghai

Not far from Zhanian Highway, you will reach Zhalonggou Scenic Area. You can navigate with Baidu Maps, the scenery along the way is picturesque, especially in summer and autumn. There is no direct car to the scenic area. It takes about 1.5 hours to drive from Xining to the scenic area. It takes 2-3 hours to visit the scenic area. It is best to bring some food. There are some small restaurants along the way where you can have noodles and braised meat.

The hometown of colored pottery next to the hometown of colored pottery (Haidong)

The Liubayuan Village, known as the hometown of Chinese colored pottery, is located in Ledu District, Haidong City. Walking into the museum's lobby, hundreds of colored pottery pieces are displayed on the walls on both sides, which is very shocking and highlights the richness and brilliance of the Huangshui culture. The museum has not been open for long, the place is large, and the exhibition level is relatively modern, but the glass of the display cabinet and the light source are really average, which greatly affects the viewing effect. The placement of the exhibit labels is also not very professional. The 24 paintings of the Wanli Waterway Daochangjuan, which are the treasures of the museum, have no identification in the center of the lobby on the first floor. Some cultural relics in the exhibition hall are marked with triangular signs directly in front of the exhibits, which obstructs the line of sight. The main exhibits are still various types of colored pottery from the Majiayao culture, but I personally feel that the overall viewing effect is worse than that of the Linxia Museum. Let's talk about a few cultural relics that left a deep impression. The human head colored pottery pot, the facial features are very clear, the pattern lines are smooth, and it is very joyful; the golden pot in picture 9, the label is written as a golden pot, but it is so big and this color, it doesn't look like gold at all; picture 10 uses a whole wall to display various kinds of liquor in Qinghai area, and I found that I haven't drunk any of them; I didn't pay much attention to the stirrups in picture 11 at first, it was after reading the tweets of previous reviewers that I found this problem, it is currently recognized that stirrups first appeared in the Western Jin Dynasty, and they were single-sided, here directly made a pair, marked as Han Dynasty, it really makes people a little confused. In addition, there is a bowl of noodles that has traveled through four thousand years in the exhibition hall, claiming to be the first noodle in the world. Noodles can be weathered and preserved for four thousand years, which is really amazing. Although this is a new museum, the overall feeling is not very good. If you pass by here on your way to Qutan Temple, it's okay to take a look, but it's not worth it to come here specially.

Northwest Five Provinces (Regions) Autumn Self-driving Tour (60): Visit to Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum

On October 13, 2023, at 10:50 am, we arrived at the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Haidong City. The Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Qinghai, located near the Liuwan site in Liuwan Village, Ledu District, Haidong City, Qinghai Province, covers a total area of 5830 square meters, with an exhibition hall area of 1500 square meters. It is a social science archaeology themed museum and also the largest museum in China that mainly displays painted pottery culture. The collections in the museum are divided into pottery, bone tools, stone tools, jade articles, and decorations. Most of the collections in the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Qinghai were unearthed from the Liuwan Cemetery in Qinghai. The painted pottery unearthed is famous for its shape, decoration, and composition in Chinese painted pottery culture. Painted pottery accounts for half of the collections in the museum, and the number of painted pottery relics in the museum is second to none in China. According to the China Museum Yearbook, there are nearly 17,000 pieces of pottery, 932 pieces of stone tools, 76 pieces of bone tools, 18,246 pieces of decorations, and 1,366 other pieces in the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Qinghai. As of the end of 2019, the number of collections in the museum reached 38,648 pieces/sets, with 267 pieces/sets of precious cultural relics. The painted pottery relics mainly include four types of ancient cultural types such as the semi-mountain type and the horse factory type of the Majiayao culture in the late Neolithic period more than 5700 years ago, and the Qijia culture and the Xindian culture, such as the naked human figure painted pottery pot, painted pottery boots, human head painted pottery pot, handle pot, frog pattern painted pottery pot, owl face pot and bone knives, forks, spoons and a large number of polished stone tools of the Neolithic Age, reflecting the unprecedented prosperity of painted pottery art in the plateau area from the late Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. In September 2018, the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Qinghai was designated as a national second-level museum. In May 2020, the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum in Qinghai was selected as the 'Top Ten Boutique' award list of the '17th (2019) National Museum Top Ten Exhibition Boutique Promotion Activity', and the 'River Source Human Prehistoric Civilization - Qinghai Liuwan Painted Pottery Exhibition' promoted by the museum won the Excellence Award. This museum should not have many people usually. When we entered the exhibition hall, the security guard also took a few photos of us visiting the exhibition hall. We didn't understand the painted pottery, so we just took a quick look. But Xiaomengmeng was very interested in these painted pottery and the production process. She asked her mother to take her around several times and still reluctantly left. Until we arrived in Yuncheng, she still asked her mother when we would go to see that painted pottery again. At 11:20 am, we left the Liuwan Painted Pottery Museum, returned to Minhe County along the original road, turned into the G6 Beijing-Tibet Expressway, and drove to Lanzhou.

Shaqiong Temple || The sacred sounds from the cliff

|| The sacred sounds from the cliff. Shaqiong Temple is located in Chapu Township, Hualong County, about a two-hour drive from Xining. This temple was founded in 1349 and is well-known in the Tibetan region. Its founder was Tsongkhapa's mentor, Drupchen Dorjechang. In 1363, at the tender age of 7, Tsongkhapa was ordained here. He later emerged as a prominent figure in Lhasa and founded the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, which has led to the site being honored as the cradle of the Gelug tradition. At the summit of the temple stands a colossal statue of Tsongkhapa, with the golden dome of the hall shimmering in the sunlight. The road to Shaqiong Temple is quite rugged, requiring an ascent along the mountain. At its narrowest, it only allows for one vehicle to pass, with cliffs on the side, demanding extra caution. Due to its inaccessibility, there are few tourists, but a steady stream of devotees. They hurry around the giant statue, chanting and praying, or bowing devoutly outside the hall, with incense smoke curling inside the temple. Looking out from the railing, one can see the meandering Yellow River and the farms and villages below, a picturesque scene. 【Navigation Guide】To get to Shaqiong Temple, it's about a 2-hour drive from Xining. After descending the mountain, consider visiting Jianzha Kangyang Town, known as 'the first town of the Yellow River', where the water is clear and the scenery is charming.

Xiaqiong Temple in Haidong, Qinghai

Xiaqiong Temple in Haidong, Qinghai The monastery where Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, became a monk, retains a silver stupa of Qujietunzhu Ren. The monastery is spectacular, but its actual visibility is not high. Several halls such as the Tantric Hall prohibit atheists from entering, which is the first time I have encountered being prohibited from visiting due to atheism...