Qutan Temple
瞿昙寺
A Ming-dynasty imperial Tibetan Buddhist temple in Ledu District, with extensive surviving Ming murals. It is known as the “Forbidden City of the Northwest.”
Qutan Monastery lies in Qutan Town, Ledu District, in Haidong City. It was founded during the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty, and it was later rebuilt under imperial decree in the Yongle and Xuande periods. Its layout follows imperial palace conventions. The central axis runs from the mountain gate through the Vajra Hall, the Qutan Temple Hall, the Baoguang Hall, and the Longguo Hall. The galleries on either side preserve several hundred square metres of Ming murals of very high artistic value. For this reason the monastery is called the “Forbidden City of the Northwest,” and it is a national key cultural heritage site. A visit takes about 1.5 hours. Admission is several dozen yuan (check on site), and photography is not allowed inside the halls. It is about 75 km from Xining. By car via the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, the drive takes about 1.5 hours. Public transport requires going to Ledu first and transferring.
Opening hours
08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Youning Monastery (Gönlung)
- Ma Bufang Mansion
- Dongguan Great Mosque
- Mojia Street & Shuijing Lane
- Nanshan Park & Puning Pearl Tower
- Beichan Temple (Tulou Taoist Temple)
- Nanchan Temple, Xining
- Huzhu Tu Ethnic Homeland Park