Arou Monastery
阿柔大寺
The largest Gelug monastery in Qilian County, with a golden-roofed hall and white stupas set in a grassland valley; few visitors come, making it a quiet place to experience pastoral Tibetan Buddhism.
Arou Monastery stands on grassland beside the Babao River in Arou Township, about 20 km from Qilian county seat, along Provincial Highway S204 toward Ebao and Menyuan. Founded in the 17th century, it belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is the largest monastery in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Qilian County, and it is famous because the Fifth Dalai Lama bestowed its name; at its height it housed several hundred monks. Most of the surviving buildings were rebuilt after the 1980s. The main assembly hall has a golden roof and red walls, and in front of the hall stand a row of white stupas and a prayer-wheel corridor. On the hillside behind the monastery, prayer flags are densely strung, and around it lie the grazing pastures and yak herds of the Arou grassland, an open and tranquil setting. Highlights include the thangkas and butter lamps inside the main hall, the white stupas in the square in front, and the view over the monastery and the Babao River valley from the small hill behind. Admission is about 20 yuan (sometimes free). Photography is not allowed inside the halls; if monks are chanting, observe quietly. Beside the monastery is a Tibetan restaurant in Arou serving yak meat and yogurt. A visit takes 40 to 60 minutes, and it is usually a stop on the route between Qilian and Menyuan, along with the Qilian grasslands and Ebao Ancient Town. Note: the altitude is about 3,100 m, and the grasslands around the monastery are pasture, so do not drive into them.
Opening hours
08:00–18:00