Southern Chan Monastery

A small but historically significant Tibetan Buddhist monastery. In December 1951, the 10th Panchen Lama came here to meet with Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, who at that time was head of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. A few months later, Xi Zhongxun was appointed to be the Chinese government’s main liaison officer for communications with the 10th Panchen Lama, and the two men formed a friendship which lasted a lifetime. The monastery hosts a special exhibition on the relationship between Xi Zhongxun and the 10th Panchen Lama and there is also a monument commemorating their meeting at the monastery in 1951. Of course, the main hall of the complex still retains a religious function and monks can be heard chanting sutras every day. Chanting sessions are from 08:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 14:00 to 16:00 in the afternoon.

Nice place to learn about Qinghai's history and ethnic relationships. Covers the history of Silk Road on the Qinghai region. Some English text available. Exhibition nicely arranged from Room 1 to 5, although you need to pay a bit of attention of the flow inside the Hall. Audio guide available for ¥20.

The mosque underwent an extensive renovation around 2021. The green dome has disappeared and the front of the mosque looks completely different. The main prayer hall, however, remains the same as before.

An shared complex for Buddhism and Taoism in the hill, be prepared for a climb. The first temple serving as a landmark is Tulou Temple. A lot of it is closed for safety reasons. This includes the walkways between man-made caves in the mountain. There is a pagoda above, on the hill. From here there is a great view over the city. As of June 2026, the path up the hill is closed due to erosion. No reopening date has been set. You can still visit Toulou Temple at the foot of the hill.