A Brief introduction to Xiahe

This small hill-encompassd dusty town, lying along the banks of the Daxia River at an altitude of 3000 meters, is a county seat within the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Its historic role has been the servicing of the Great Tibetan monastery of Labrang.

Today, shops along the main street supply the simple requirements of the Tibetan farmers and semi-nomadic herdsmen from the grasslands as well as those of the local monks. The two-storey wooden shop, mostly run by the Hui, stock Tibetan religious objects such as hand-printed sutras, moulds, prayer wheels, musical instruments, bells and vajras (thunderbolts), as well as hand-tinted photographs of the Dalai Lama and late Panchen Lama. The town is thronged with colorful pilgrims between harvests. Local watermills grind roasted barley into flour (tsampa), the staple of the Tibetan diet.

The surrounding valley is serene, with yaks pulling ploughs in the nearby fields. The grasslands, excellent pasturage for herds of yaks and horses, begin about 30 kilometers beyond Xiahe. In the summer, they are carpeted with wild flowers, and Chinese beekeepers spend the short summer here, moving their hives every 20 days.