Once the moonlight of my heart in the Tibetan region, a guide to trekking and avoiding pitfalls has arrived
I remember the first time I went to Shangri-La 20 years ago, the Songzanlin Monastery gave me a tremendous shock. Not only because it is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province, the center of the Gelug school in the Sichuan-Yunnan area, but also because of the magnificent giant statues in the temple, which combine sanctity and beauty, leaving me with an unforgettable impression.
This time, revisiting Shangri-La, Songzanlin Monastery is like returning to an old haunt. However, the monastery today is no longer as I remember it; its area has expanded many times over, completely encompassing the Lamuyangtso Lake, and the visitor center has been built several kilometers away, where they now run a sightseeing car business. Tourists with sunburn makeup occupy every corner of the temple, and everywhere you look are Tibetan princesses and princes on the run, making the place look more like a fashion show than a temple.
However, to be fair, Songzanlin Monastery itself is still quite as I remember it, with the temple complex built against the mountain, resembling an ancient castle. Climbing the steep stairs, you reach the highest point with the three main temples of Zhacang, Jikang, and Zhukang, surrounded by the eight Kangshen, monks' quarters, and other buildings, with their varying heights and layered progression creating a clear three-dimensional outline.
The main building, Zhacang, means 'monastery' in Tibetan, which is where the monks study scriptures and doctrines. Walking into it, whether it's the murals on the walls or the Buddha statues in the center and on both sides of the main hall, instantly takes me back to my memories of 20 years ago. However, having seen many temples in the Tibetan region since then, they somehow don't seem as stunning as they once were. What surprised me was that despite its high status in the Tibetan region, Songzanlin Monastery is not even a provincial heritage site, perhaps because there are too many new additions, making it look increasingly brand new.
Of course, Songzanlin Monastery is still very photogenic, otherwise, it wouldn't be known as the 'Little Potala Palace'. But the best photo spots are not inside the temple, but around its perimeter:
📷Spot 1⃣️ Along Lamuyangtso Lake
No need for a telephoto lens, a standard camera or smartphone will do. You can shoot from multiple angles around the lake, especially from the sky burial site, which is an unobstructed high point. In the morning or evening, you should be able to capture the reflection of Songzanlin Monastery
📷Spot 2⃣️ Dari Viewing Platform
On the way to Napahai, the location is a bit far, but you can capture the fields, villages, and the monastery in one frame, especially impressive in the morning mist. However, you need a telephoto lens to get a good shot, otherwise, you'll have to crop the image yourself, which is less effective.
The biggest pitfall 🕳️ of Songzanlin Monastery is actually the ticket price. Online tickets and self-service ticket machines only sell one type of combo ticket for 90 yuan per person, which includes a temple ticket for 55 yuan, a round-trip sightseeing car for 20 yuan, and a guide fee for 15 yuan. However, at the manual ticket counter, you can buy them separately. Personal suggestions:
✅ If it's not your first time visiting a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, you can skip the guided tour, as it takes up time and the content is very basic, not very useful.
✅ The sightseeing car is optional; if you decide to take it, just buy a one-way ticket. It's less than half an hour's walk, and you can also check out the lakeside photo spots of Lamuyangtso along the way. On the way back, you can take the No. 3 bus, which costs 2 yuan and passes through the visitor center parking lot. You can also take this bus directly back to Dukezong Ancient Town.
The highest-level monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Yunnan, Songzanlin Temple has a pivotal position. It is quite convenient to swipe your ID card directly after booking online. The official staff of the monastery on the whole point also gave us popularized expertise.
The religious holy place, the Little Potala Palace, can see the beauty of Tibetan Buddhism very intuitively. I heard that Tibetan Buddhism is for repression, so unlike Tibetan Buddhism in the city, you can feel the charm of religion.
It is definitely not fun, after all, it is a Buddhist holy place. Today, I set off from Lijiang and took 49 yuan for the intercity high-speed rail to Shangri-La. Then I took pictures at the station. Don't take a car on the side of the road. Do not take a high-speed rail bus stop. Didi taxi for about 15 yuan to the Songzanlin Temple ticket office. There is an entrance inside. If you buy a ticket, it is recommended to buy an 81 yuan package. You can take the bus directly from the entrance to the gate of Songzanlin Temple. This location is adjusted to panoramic mode. You can take the overall shot very well. When you shoot, the camera is slightly upward. You must take the blue sky and white clouds here. There are also black birds that quack in the sky. Check the ticket at the door. Then wait for the narrator to lead in and watch the explanation over and over. Don't take pictures in every temple, there is no shadow in front of the Buddha, and there are taboos in martyrdom. Some women are not allowed to enter, and they must abide by it. Follow the interpreter to climb more than 100 steps, you can start taking pictures, the scenery is beautiful, the photo will be taken at a good angle, the selfie is not recommended, because the selfie can not take a beautiful scenery, you can with your companion or find a passerby to help take a picture, Or take a selfie with an upright selfie stick. Overall good. It is 3546 meters above sea level, and it varies from person to person to spend 10 yuan in the supermarket to buy a bottle of oxygen to avoid unnecessary altitude sickness.
Good, still quite good, there are many advantages, it is countless, such as good service attitude and high cost performance. But there are still some problems that need to be complained about 1 person traffic, it is recommended to increase the management staff, maintain order, otherwise the attraction will become very messy 2 the interpreter speed is too fast, we have as fast as possible, keep up with the interpreter's walking speed, but in the end, Many people lost the narrator like us. It is recommended that the narrator walk a little slower and often take care of the progress of tourists, otherwise the meaning and value of coming here will fall off the cliff. The above is the most fatal disadvantage of 2 points. I hope this attraction will get better and better in the future, and the number of tourists will increase.
The price is OK, the ticket at the door is not strict, it feels like it is okay to not buy a ticket, no one in the ancient building has a ticket. I thought that Lion Rock did not need a ticket, and the Drum Tower asked for a ticket. At night, there are many people in the ancient city. It is okay to come here during the day. The view from the height is wide and the mood is comfortable.
In the Lin Temple, I felt the quietness of the years and the heavyness of history. The ancient trees are towering, the Zen is long, and every stone and leaf seems to be telling the ancient story. Walking in it, the soul has been purified, as if in a beautiful landscape painting. Lin Temple, you are the treasure of my heart forever, may you always maintain this peace and beauty.
In addition to the manual ticket purchase front desk love to answer ➕ Turn your eyes ➕ Impatient (don't want to go to work, no one owes you), the scenic spot is still worth seeing. Climbing the steps will still be a bit high, remember to bring an oxygen cylinder. There will be an explanation at the door, and it will close at five o'clock.