Situated along the Daxia River in Gansu Province, Xiahe is a sleepy ethnic Tibetan village with a charmingly natural feel.
Most people travel to Xiahe in order to visit the magnificent Labrang Monastery, which is the real highlight of this area. It features an impressive collection of thousands of cultural artifacts, Tibetan sculptures and texts. However, there is little else to see or do in Xiahe and few people hang around here for long.
Xiahe is a good place for buying Tibetan arts and crafts such as textiles and jewelry. Visitors are asked to refrain from buying furs though as they have usually been illegally hunted. Those with time to kill can also hire a taxi to the Ganjia Grasslands just outside town, which has a number of interesting attractions.
Getting There & Away
Getting to the part of China tends to be tricky and the only way to reach Xiahe is by bus. There are regular buses from Linxia (2 hours), Lanzhou (5 hours) and Langmusi (4 hours). International visitors will probably fly into the airport at Shenyang and then catch a bus to Xiahe via Lanzhou (9 hours).
Things to Do
Xiahe Attractions
- Labrang Monastery
-
Built in 1709, this is one of the six great monasteries belonging to the gelukpa sect of tibetan buddhism.
Side trips from Xiahe
- Ganjia Grasslands
-
Take a taxi to this interesting area to see the ancient bajiao, white rock cliffs and explore a picturesque valley.