Skip to main content
WindhorseTour
Shortlist (0) China travel guide Blog FAQ About us Contact us
info@windhorsetour.com +86-28-85593923
  • Home
  • Tailor-made tour Tailor-made
  • Tibet tours Tibet tours
    All Tibet group tours
    All Tibet private tours

    Destination

    • Lhasa
    • Central Tibet
    • Mount Everest Base Camp
    • Mount Kailash & Far Western Tibet
    • Eastern Tibet Nyingchi
    • Sichuan/Yunnan to Tibet overland
    • Nepal Extention
    • Sichuan Tibetan Kham
    • Train Journey to Tibet

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Train travel
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Winter getaways
  • China tours China tours
    All China private tours

    Destination

    • Beijing
    • Xi’an
    • Shanghai
    • Guilin & Yangshuo
    • Datong & Pingyao
    • Yunnan
    • Xiamen
    • Yangtze River Cruises
    • Chengdu
    • Tibet
    • China Multi-city tours
    • Mount Huangshan
    • Zhangjiajie
    • Jiuzhaigou National Park
    • Guizhou
    • Qinghai
    • Hangzhou
    • Luoyang
    • Nanjing
    • Hong Kong

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Train travel
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Winter getaways
    • 1st Time travel to China
    • Panda
    • Yangtze cruise
  • Sichuan tours Sichuan
    All Sichuan private tours

    Destination

    • Mount Emei & Leshan
    • Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong
    • Daocheng Yading
    • Sichuan Tibetan Kham
    • Panda Breeding Centers
    • Chengdu
    • South Sichuan

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Panda
  • Silk Road tours Silk Road
    All Silk Road private tours

    Destination

    • Zhangye Rainbow Mountain
    • Dunhuang
    • Turpan
    • Kashgar
    • Badain Jaran Desert
    • Kanas Lake
    • Silk Road Tibet
    • Silk Road China
    • Kuqa
    • Hotan
    • Yining Grassland
    • Jiayuguan
    • Tianshui

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Panda
  • Travel guide Travel guide
    All travel advice

    Travel tips

    • China
    • TIbet
    • Sichuan
    • Ultimate Guide on How to Visit Tibet

    Destinations

    • China
    • Tibet
    • Sichuan
More
Latest Corona Virus travel information
Home > China travel guide > China attractions > Gansu > Xiahe, the small Tibet in Gansu

Xiahe, the small Tibet in Gansu

Xiahe is a county located in south of Gansu Province bordering Xunhua county (循化县) in north of Qinghai Province. It covers an area of about 8,037 sq.km with a population of 80,500 dominated by 78% of Tibetans and administering one towns and sixteen villages. Due to its strong Tibetan Buddist cultural atmosphere, it is named as a "Small Tibet". The climate there is cold and wet with an average temperature of 2.6 degrees centigrade and an annual rainfall of 516 mm.

In ancient times, Xiahe was a hustle and bustle center for politics, economy, culture and religious activities and was regarded as an important military position by generations of emperors. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, especially since the implementation of opening up and reform policy, great changes took place in this county with a rapidly growing economy, an increased standards of living and a more stable society.

Blessed with more than 7 million mu (亩; an ancient unit equals 666.7 sq. km) of grasslands, Xiahe becomes a key county in Gansu Province to be featured with animal husbandry. According to statistics, an average mu of pasture cultivates 218 kilogram of fresh grass. Besides, the number of animals amounts to 723,400 among which sheep and cattle take a large proportion. These two kinds of animals in turn 11,020 tons of milk and 494.5 tons of wool.

However, what makes Xiahe well known is not only its vast pastures but also its famous tourist attraction---Labrang Lamasery (拉卜楞寺). This grand Tibetan Buddhist temple enjoys a long history of more than 300 years. It is visited frequently by tourists from both China and around the world for its typical Tibetan architectural style buildings as well as the numerous treasures like the elaberate Thangka paintings and the lifelike Buddha statues. Other attractions like Sangke Prairie and the White Stone Karst Caves are also popular tourist destinations.

Related tours

Mount Siguniang
Chengdu Mount Siguniang Overland Tour Route
changping-valley-at-mount-siguniang
Danba Zhonglu Tibetan village

5 days Chengdu Mount Siguniang overland tour

Chengdu
⇀ Chengdu
...
Chengdu ⇀ Danba ⇀ Rilong ⇀ Mount Siguniang Valleys ⇀ Chengdu
5 days
∙ Private ∙
Travel far from the city's crowds and into the unspoiled wilderness of Mount Siguniang on this 5 day photography lovers tour. Relax yourself in the Sichuan blue sky with ominous clouds, snow cover peaks and the sound of rushing waterfalls.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 4,100
View tour >
langmusi rainbow
Jiuzhaigou Songpan Tour Route
Jiuzhaigou park
Huanglong park
whitedragoncanyon

6 days Jiuzhaigou, Langmusi horse trekking and nomad life tour

Jiayuguan
6 days
∙ Private ∙
Family focused
A 6 day adventure deep into the best scenery of northern Sichuan. Balanced between horse riding in the snow-capped mountains of Songpan, to the magical blue / green lakes of Jiuzhaigou, and the rushing waterfall of Huanglong National Park.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 4,250
View tour >
Western China Tour Route
Ancient City of Jiahoe During a Silk Road Turpan Tour
Echoing Sand Mountain in Dunhuang Along the Silk Road
Sangke Grasslands on the Xiahe Tibetan Tour
WindhorseTour team

20 days China Silk Road tour and Tibet explorer

Kashgar
⇀ Lhasa
...
Kashgar ⇀ Turpan ⇀ Dunhuang ⇀ Xiahe ⇀ Tongren ⇀ Xining ⇀ Lhasa ⇀ Shigatse ⇀ Lhasa
20 days
∙ Private ∙
Culture and Heritage
Enjoy this great Silk Road tour package with our professional service Feel the difference between the Islamic culture of Uyghurs and the Buddhist culture of Tibetans. Visit the heritages and enjoy the unspoiled natural landscape of three lakes.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 17,380
¥ 15,800
View tour >
Giant Thangka display at Kirti monastery
WindhorseTour Default Map Image
Cham dance at Gomar monastery
Nangshuk monastery Monlam festival prayer ceromony
Gomang monastery Monlam festival prayer ceremony
Monlam festival pilgrimage circuit at Gomar monastery
Powerful Cham dance at Lower Wutun village
Cham dance at Xicang monastery
Nangshuk monastery

11 days Amdo Tibetan Monlam festival tour

Xining
⇀ Chengdu
...
Xining ⇀ Tongren ⇀ Xiahe ⇀ Langmusi ⇀ Aba ⇀ Lixian ⇀ Chengdu
11 days
∙ Private ∙
Family focused
Embrace the area’s religious atmosphere and nuances as you travel to Amdo on the Monlam Festival. You'll glimpse the sacred thangka unveiling, enjoy the cham dances, and join in the annual ritual.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 9,500
View tour >
Admin data
 

Related attractions

Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
The Nomad People in Haibei
Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haixi People
Haixi Mongolian Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gansu Province
Xining City

Contact us

  • +86-28-85593923
  • info@windhorsetour.com

Discover

    • Tibet group tours
    • Tibet tours
    • China tours
    • Sichuan tours
    • Silk Road tours
    • Create your tailor-made tour

Company

  • About us
  • Blog
  • China travel guide
  • FAQ
  • Terms of use and Privacy statement

Customer Reviews

© 2006 - 2021 WindhorseTour.com - All rights reserved