| .......................................................................................................................................................................... Bingling Monastery Caves .......................................................................................................................................................................... |
| Visitors can reach Lanzhou's chief attraction by way of a car ride to the town of Yongjing and a 2-hour boat trip up the Yellow River-a fascinating all-day trip. The 183 caves at Binglingsi were carved into a large cliff face in the 5th century. These grottoes, like those at Dunhuang, remained hidden from view until the 20th century. The upper monastery contains a giant statue of the Maitreya, the Buddha-To-Be. Even seated, the Maitreya measures 88.5 feet (27 m) in height. The caves hold nearly 700 Buddhist images intermixed with countless statues and murals. |  |
| .......................................................................................................................................................................... Liujiaxia Dam .......................................................................................................................................................................... |
| The LiuJiaXia
Dam is one of five planned with the help of Soviet advisors in the 1950s.
It is one of the biggest hydroelectric power stations in China and was completed
in 1974. |
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| .......................................................................................................................................................................... Xiahe & Labrang Monastery .......................................................................................................................................................................... |
| Xiahe
is a tiny, bustling town centered in a valley of the Ganan Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture, southwest Gansu. At three thousand meters above sea level, and
surrounded by hilly mountains, this rural haven hugs its neighboring Tibet.
The town centers upon the famous Labrang Monastery, that rests in the center
of town, about one and a half kilometers from the towns only bus station.
The Labrang Monastery (Labuleng si) has had its fair share of woes and golden times. It was built in 1709 by a monk from the nearby village of Ganjia named E'angzongzhe, who was to become the first of the monastery's Living Buddhas (Jiemuyang). The place was to live in relative peace until the 1920s when the Muslims and Tibetans had numerous battles in and around this region, turf wars that were both bloody and prolonged. Again in the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). The monastery was temporarily shut down, and was not reopened until 1980. The present head monk, 3rd in religious importance behind the Dalai and Panchen Lamas, is the sixth incarnation of the Jiemuyang. The monastery consists of 18 resplendent halls, six prestigious Buddhist
institutes (the Institute of Esoteric Buddhism, the Higher & Lower
Institute of Theology, the Institute of Medicine, the Institute of Astrology
and the Institute of Law), and about 500 bedrooms for both the living
Buddhas and ordinary monks. In total the monastery holds over 60,000 Tibetan
sutras and thousands of rare Buddhist relics, including a statue of the
most famous Tibetan king, Songtsen gampo. |
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