Attractions: Rongwo Monastery in Qinghai Province

• Source: Xinhua
• [09:38 September 02 2009]
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The Rongwo Monastery is located in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southeastern Qinghai Province. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in 1301 AD, during the reign of Emperor Dade of the Yuan Dynasty. (China Tibet Information Center Photo)

The Rongwo Monastery is located in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southeastern Qinghai Province. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in 1301 AD, during the reign of Emperor Dade of the Yuan Dynasty.

At first the lamas of the Rongwo Monastery belonged to the Sykya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but later they converted to the Gelug Sect and turned their monastery into one of the biggest Gelug monasteries in Qinghai.

The central court of Yuan and the following Ming and Qing dynasties all underscored Rongwo, which had trained many eminent lamas.

A revered lama of Rongwo had been granted the title of "the Grand Imperial Preceptor" and a gold seal by a Yuan Dynasty emperor. In 1626, Ming Emperor Xizong bestowed the monastery a tablet on which he wrote "Wonderland of the Western Regions". The tablet was hung in the Great Sutra Hall and had earned a great fame for the monastery. In 1768 AD, Qing Emperor Qianlong granted the title of "the Hutuktu (Grand Living Buddha) of Rongwo" to a living Buddha of the monastery.

In 1958, the monastery first opened to public, and reopened in 1980 after the Cultural Revolutions (1966-1976). In 1996, the State Council listed the monastery as a key cultural relic site under protection at the national level.

The monastery combines Tibetan and Han Chinese architectural styles, and serves as an important religious and cultural center. It now has three academic institutes and more than 500 lamas.