📍First Stop in Qinghai: Kumbum Monastery

"Your Only Task is to Be Happy" — Tsongkhapa 🙏✨ 🌀 The "Three Artistic Wonders" of Kumbum Monastery: 🔸 Murals: Adorning temple walls, some painted on cloth hangings, others directly on beams and pillars. 🎨🖌️ 🔸 Butter Sculptures: Intricate figures of Buddhas, landscapes, animals, and palaces molded from yak butter. 🧈🐉 (Yes, BUTTER—mind blown!) 🔸 Embroidery Appliqué: A unique Tibetan art form where silk cutouts of deities, flowers, and beasts are stuffed with wool/cotton and stitched onto fabric. �🌸 🏕 Route Guide: Eight Stupas → Small Golden Roof Temple → Longevity Temple → Great Sutra Hall → Grand Golden Roof Temple → Manjushri Hall → Kalachakra Hall → Butter Sculpture Exhibition → Scripture Depository → Tantric College → Vajra Mandala Hall → Tara Temple (Pro tip: The monastery is built into the mountain—just follow the main path! 🚶‍♂️⛰️) 🎧 Guided Tours: ✔️ Hire official monastery guides at the ticket office (split costs with others!). Their stories bring the place to life—otherwise, you’ll zip through clueless in 30 mins. ❌ Avoid "wild guides" outside! 🎫 Ticket Info: 💰 Apr 1-Oct 31: 70 RMB | Nov 1-Mar 31: 40 RMB 🕢 Hours: 7:30 AM-6 PM (3-4h visit recommended) 🚰 Pro tip: Bring a cup—free hot water at the ticket office! ♨️ 🚌 Bus 909 from downtown Xining to "Kumbum Monastery (Upper Cross)" stop. 🅿️ Driving? Parking lot opposite the ticket office, or just taxi it. 🚖 #KumbumMonastery #TibetanBuddhism #XiningTravel #QinghaiAdventures #ButterArt #SilkRoadVibes #ChinaCulturalGems 🌄📿