Quzang (Chuzang) Monastery | 却藏寺
Basic Info
A renowned Gelug Yellow Hat monastery in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, 20km north of Xining, Qinghai. Founded in 1649 by the 1st Chuzang Living Buddha, officially titled Guangjiao Temple after imperial edict from the Qing Qianlong Emperor. It ranks among four great historic monasteries north of Huangshui River in Amdo, listed as China’s Major Historical & Cultural Protected Site in 2006.
Core Highlights
Its landmark three-storey Thousand-Buddha Hall features gilded copper roof tiles and elaborate dragon ornaments; an imperial Nine-Dragon Wall once stood before the main shrine. The complex suffered massive ruin last century and has undergone gradual reconstruction since the 1980s, preserving antique bronze Buddha statues, silver stupas and precious old thangka collections. Surrounded by rolling grasslands and woodland near Nanmen Gorge Reservoir, it keeps tranquil pastoral surroundings away from crowded tourist zones.
Standing on open grasslands outside Huzhu near Xining, Quzang Monastery is a prestigious Amdo Gelug shrine built in 1649 with Qing imperial recognition. Once famed for its gilded Thousand-Buddha Hall and imperial Nine-Dragon Wall, the temple endured severe destruction before systematic restoration from the 1980s. Framed by pine-cloaked hills and wetlands, it remains a vital local pilgrimage centre blending Han imperial craftsmanship and traditional Tibetan monastic architecture.
