Xining One Day Culture Tour

This morning, your guide will pick you up at the hotel lobby, and then drive you southwest for about a half-hour and 28 kilometers to visit the Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery). As the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery) is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China and the second-largest Buddha in the world. Boasting a history of more than 600 years, the monastery is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Xining. You can feel the religious atmosphere when you come here. The eight iconic white pagodas at its entrance are must-see places and represent an iconic building for tourists to visit. A story goes that these eight towers were built to commemorate the eight great virtues of the Buddha Shakyamuni in his life. Their shapes are similar, with a height of 6.4 meters, a circumference of 9.4 meters at the base of the pagoda, and a base area of 5.7 square meters. There is also a Buddhist niche on the south side of each pagoda, showcasing the Sanskrit scriptures. The “Three Wonders of Kumbum Monastery” of butter sculptures, murals, and embroideries inside the temple are also fascinating and of great value. In this temple full of Tibetan Buddhist culture, you can experience a purification of your soul.

A big lunch has already been prepared for you. Your afternoon trip goes to visit North Hill Temple and Qinghai Provincial Museum.

Our guide will then drive you eastward for 32 kilometers to visit the North Hill Temple, and this will take about 45 minutes. As a rare temple building in Qinghai, North Hill Temple is located at the northern foot of the scenic Phoenix Mountain (Fengshan Mountain). According to legend, the temple was built in the second year of the Tang Dynasty (848), which seems to be longer than the history of the ancient city Xining. North Hill Temple is mostly built with caves, and the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) murals are preserved in cliff caves. According to records, the 10th generation disciple Weijing of the patriarch of the Southern Zen sect, Huineng came here and found that the valley between the peaks of the northern foot of Fengshan Mountain was magnificent, and it was a pure land. So, he built a temple here and named it “Zheng Huayuan”, which later was known as namely North Hill Temple. He also became the founder of this temple. After the construction of the temple, believers from all over the world came to worship the Buddha in an endless stream.

Covering an area of 17,000 square meters, Qinghai Provincial Museum (closed on Monday) is the first large-scale comprehensive museum in Qinghai, with strong local ethnic characteristics. The museum embraces 10 exhibition halls with an area of 9,146 square meters. There are 7 cultural relic warehouses with an area of 2,593 square meters and 14,932 pieces of cultural relics in the collection, 2,193 of which are precious and invaluable. The collection of cultural relics is characterized by the new era of painted pottery and ethnic and religious cultural relics, covering many fields. The second floor of the museum is the Exhibition of Historical and Cultural Relics of Qinghai and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition of Qinghai Province. These exhibitions highlight Qinghai’s folk customs and express the rich and diverse local and ethnic cultures formed by the various ethnic groups in Qinghai in the long development. The treasures of the Qinghai Provincial Museum are dazzling, especially the various ceramic handicrafts that are exquisitely carved, making you admire the wisdom of the ancient Chinese people.

After finishing the visit, your guide will take you to the hotel and you can have a good rest. Hope this Xining culture tour will be an unforgettable experience in your lifetime.

Kumbum Monastery

Kumbum Monastery

Author: Hao Ami