Early September 2024, Gannan Tour, Stop 9 (Final Stop): Labrang Monastery

After experiencing the primitive mystery of the Ganjia Secret Land, we arrived at the final stop of our Gannan tour: Labrang Monastery. In Tibetan, Labrang means the residence of a living Buddha. The monastery covers an area of 866,000 square meters, with a construction area of more than 400,000 square meters. It is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and it has the best Tibetan Buddhist education system in China. It is known as the world's Tibetan academy and is called the second Tibet. It has been open to tourists since 1980. We are not believers, but we are full of respect for Labrang Monastery. Standing in the long corridor of prayer wheels, watching the devout Tibetans line up and move forward, we began to silently recite the questions we had never thought of in our busy lives: Who am I? Why do I live? Where am I going? This moment of self-reflection is rare and should be cherished.