Shangri-La Songzanlin Monastery

Ganden Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province and one of the most famous monasteries in the Kham region. It is also the center of the Gelug school in the Sichuan-Yunnan area and holds a significant position in the entire Tibetan region, earning the title of 'Little Potala Palace.' The monastery is built on a mountain, resembling an ancient fortress, and is a masterpiece of Tibetan architectural art, also known as the 'Tibetan Art Museum.' The monastery is also known as Guihua Monastery and is located 5 kilometers from the county town of Zhongdian. It is a complex of ancient fortress buildings on the scale of an ancient town. Construction began in 1679 AD (the 11th Rabjung Year of the Earth Sheep according to the Tibetan calendar) and was completed in 1681 AD (the Year of the Iron Rooster). The Fifth Dalai Lama personally bestowed the name 'Ganden Songzanlin.' The weather was particularly good. After several rains, the sky cleared, giving Songzanlin Monastery a sense of sacred radiance.