Tongren (Rebgong)

Birthplace of Regong art, with villages of thangka painters, appliqué and sculpture artisans, Rongwo Monastery and the Upper and Lower Wutun Monasteries, plus Kanbula’s Danxia landforms and the Yellow River to the north.

Tongren lies in eastern Qinghai Province and is the seat of the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. At about 2,500 m, it is bisected by the Longwu River and is called “Rebgong” in Tibetan, meaning “the golden valley where dreams come true.” This is the birthplace of Regong art: thangka painting, murals, appliqué and clay sculpture have been handed down for generations and were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009; Tongren is also a National Historical and Cultural City. There are two main areas to explore. The first is Tongren town and the Longwu River valley to the north: Rongwo Monastery, Longwu Old Street, the Regong Art Museum, and the “four Regong villages” of Upper and Lower Wutun Monasteries, Nyentok Monastery and Gomar Monastery with its old fort, all of which can be linked in a day. The second is Kanbula in Jainca County, about 70 km north, with its Danxia peaks, Lijiaxia Reservoir, Achung Namdzong Monastery and Deji Village; across the river is Jakhyung Monastery, where Tsongkhapa took his vows. Allow an extra day for this. Getting there: Xining is about 180 km from Tongren, with an expressway and scheduled buses taking about 2.5–3 hours; taxis make it easy to reach the monasteries from town. The best season is May–Oct; key folk festivals include the Liuyuehui (Sixth Month Festival) of ritual song and dance in the sixth lunar month and the Nyentok “Yutu” (tiger) dance in the eleventh lunar month. Tips: the plateau has big day–night temperature swings and strong UV, so bring a jacket and sun protection; walk clockwise inside monasteries, note that photography is often prohibited in halls, and ask before photographing monks or painters; when buying thangkas, learn to tell hand-painted works from prints. Allow 2–3 days.

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