Xiahe China Travel Guide

Xiahe (Chinese: 夏河; pinyin: Xiàhé) is a county in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu province, the People's Republic of China. It is home to the famed Labrang Lamma Buddhist monastery, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The town is populated largely by ethnic Tibetans, as well as some Hui and Han Chinese. The area is highly rural and pastoral (including yak and other animal rearing). The geography is mountainous. In recent years it has become a tourist attraction. The town was named Xiahe in 1928.

Xiahe school (note mottos in English, Standard Chinese, and Tibetan)

near Sangke, Gansu Province

Location

Xiahe is found in the southern portion of Gansu province, along the western border with Qinghai province. It lies along the Daxia and Zhao rivers. It is on the northeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The average elevation is 2900 - 3100m with the highest being 4636m and lowest 2160m.

Name

The name, which literally means, "Xia River" refers to the Daxia River which runs alongside the town.

Xiahe (夏河; Xiàhé, Tibetan: Sangchu) is an ethnically-Tibetan town in Gansu province, China.

Understand

The town lies along one main street which parallels the Daxia River. The Chinese section (commercial) lies to the eastern end of the road and the Tibetian section lies at the western end. The monastery lies in between the two sections.

If you need any information about the town of Xiahe, Labrang Monastery, or the Xiahe region, go visit Snowy Mtn Cafe located to the left of the Overseas Tibetan Hotel on the 2nd floor. Eugene, the American owner, can provide you with all kinds of info that you will never read in your guidebook or hear from other locals. They also have some travel articles posted on their website: www.snowymtncafe.com

Getting to

By Bus

Xiahe Bus Station, about 1.5 km down the main street away from the entrance to the monastery.

Langmusi via Hezuo - takes about 4 hours.

Lanzhou - takes about 4-5 hours.

Linxia - takes about 2 hours.

Getting around

Minibus-taxis are the primary mode transportation for tourists. They run up and down the main street kind of like a bus would. The price should be 1 RMB per person no matter where you get on or off. If you take up more than one seat (with your bags) then pay for however many seats you used.*

See

Labrang Monastery - one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Built in 1709 and containing tens of thousands of cultural artifacts, Tibetian sculptures and 60,000 texts.

Eat

Snowy Mountain Cafe - Authentic Western food (including Peruvian and Mexican dishes) and local favorites. Managed by a small group of foreigners including Peruvians, mexicans, and an American. Located just next to the Overseas Tibetan Hotel on the 2nd floor.

Buy

There are dozens of shops in Xiahe that sell locally made crafts including colorful textiles, silver jewelry, Tibetan hats, and fake antiques. Bargaining is a must. One product you should not buy are the many furs for sale. The skins for sale have been poached in China or in neighboring countries. Asia's wildlife is quickly disappearing as China's appetite for illegal animal products increases. Please don't contribute to this crisis.

Get Out

Ganjia Grasslands - I think the Ganjia area is the most beautiful region in Xiahe. There are 4 things to see at Ganjia:

The first are the Ganjia Grasslands. The Grasslands are not the primary reason to visit Ganjia, but you will pass through them on your way there and the whole region is covered in grasslands during the summer months.

The second thing is the ancient town of Bajiao (Bajiao Cheng （八角城）in Chinese). This is a walled village that was originally built in the Han Dynasty (around 2000 years ago). Bajiao Cheng is still inhabited today and it is one of the key reasons (if not the best reason!) to visit Ganjia! Note, you will be asked to pay a 10 RMB entrance fee to go into the village.

The third reason to go to Ganjia is to see the amazing White Rock Cliffs （Bai Shi Ya - 白石崖）that tower above the northern end of the valley! As you get closer to Bajiao Cheng, you won't be able to miss the cliffs high up in front of you.

The final reason to visit the Ganjia area is to see the small monastery that sits right at the foot of the White Rock Cliffs. There is actually a small village together with the monastery. If the place is still open, you can have a bite to eat or get a drink at the only cafe/store near the monastery.

Getting to Ganjia is the difficult part. There are no public buses that will take you to Bajiao Cheng or the monastery at the foot of the White Rock Cliffs. Most people hire a taxi from Xiahe for about 200-400 RMB per vehicle per day (5-8 hours round trip). The vehicles that go to Ganjia are almost always the minivans that seat 6 people plus the driver. So if you get together with some other travellers, you can get there for as little as 40 RMB or so per person.

If you are a very adventurous person you can get to Ganjia by taking the early morning bus to Tongren/Repcon (同仁) and getting off at Ganjia Town (Ganjia Xiang – 甘加乡). From there it would be at least a 10-12 kilometer hike to get to Bajiao Cheng, the monastery at the foot of the White Rock Cliffs, and back to the town. And you would need to get back to Ganjia town by about lunch time because that is when the bus coming from Xining or Tongren comes by on its way to Xiahe. The only other option would be to wait and wait until you could catch a motorcycle, taxi, or tractor back to Xiahe. But there are no promises that you will find anything.

If you decide to hire a car like most people do, the best place to organize your trip to Ganjia is by asking someone who speaks English at your hotel. I have known the Tara Guesthouse and the White Stupa Hotel to connect numerous tourists with taxi drivers who have taken them on enjoyable trips to Ganjia.

You can also come and visit us at the Snowy Mountain Cafe. If I am available, I can take you myself on the tour of Ganjia! We are located on the 2nd floor of the building just to the left of the Overseas Tibetan Hotel.

Darzong Lake （Da’erzong Hu - 达尔宗湖） - Darzong Lake is one of the most interesting places to visit in the Xiahe region. It is a highland lake located at just above 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) elevation. There are mountains surrounding the lake on almost all sides and forests all around.

There are two ways to get to the lake. The first is simply to hire any taxi from Xiahe to the lake. You can get there round trip (2-3 hours) for around 100 RMB, or one way for 50 RMB. If you go one-way in a taxi, you will then need to walk down the mountain road back to the main highway and hitch a ride on any of the numerous buses that pass by on their way to Xiahe each hour.

If you don't want to pay for a taxi, you can also get there by taking a bus and walking. Take any bus leaving Xiahe going towards Linxia (临夏) or Hezuo（合作）(every half-hour) and get off 20 km (about half an hour) down the highway when you see a big sign on the right side of the road with another dirt road heading up the mountain on the left hand side of the road. Or you can just tell the driver that you want to go to Darzong Lake and he should let you know when you arrive at the turnoff.

Once you get off the bus, you need to start walking up the dirt road on the left. It is about a 1 or 1 and 1/2 hour hike up the road to the lake. You will be charged a 10 RMB entrance fee as you pass through the only Tibetan village along the road. When you want to head back to Xiahe, just walk back down the road to the highway and catch another bus back to town. The bus fare between there and Xiahe should be around 5 RMB but the bus drivers will probably try to charge you 10 RMB.

Hills above Xiahe - take a trek to the hills above Xiahe for a nice view over the city and it's surroundings and enjoy the peace and tranquility disturbed only by occasional sheppard and his flock.