Songzanlin Monastery

Songzanlin Monastery (also known as Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, Ganden Sumtseling Gompa or Guihua Monastery, Chinese: 松赞林寺/归化寺 Sōngzànlín Sì/Guī Huà Sì) is located 4 kilometers north of Shangri-La old town at an elevation of 3,380 meters (11,090 ft) in Yunnan province. Built by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1697 and undergone repeated expansions and restorations, it is regarded as the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southwest China and a main attraction out of the town.

Spread along the hill slope, the rebuilt monastery complex is modeled on Lhasa's Potala Palace and thus nicknamed Little Potala Palace. The 4-storey main temple at the hill peak, reached by hundreds of stoned steps from the entrance gate, has a showy appearance with crimson-white walls and gold-plated roof. The main hall of the temple houses a series of precious Buddhism-related objects like scriptures written on palm leaves, the Shakyamuni statues, colorful thangkas, fine gilded wares, etc. The temple roof offers a nice overview of front meadow and the town as well as the Tibetan sky burial sites in the distance. Other affiliated smaller temples and monk's residences (residing about 700 monks) humbly hustle down around the main temple. Photo is not allowed in the temple and some spots like the kitchen are women-entry forbidden.

The recent inside-out-restoration of monastery has made itself less of a monastic institution, more of a tourist spot with its overcharged tickets, monk sellers, and souvenir stores outside the temple and costumed locals of all ages and animals waiting for business.

The view spot of the Gulong Village(in Chinese:古龙村, about 5 RMB is charged) near the monastery is nice to get a panorama of the monastery. Tibetan Buddhism background information preparation before the monastery will make the monastery tour more fruitful.