Squatting in the southwestern corner of the Labrang Monastery, close to the bubbling Daxia River, is the Gongtang Pagoda (Gongtang ta). This is a small, but interesting building, built in July 1993 not in the usual pagoda type, but more in the stuppa style of Tibet. The complex covers an area of 2,144 square meters, and the pagoda is 31 meters high, divided into five sections. The roof can be reached by stairs, so that you can circle the golden coloured stuppa, which houses a number of elegant Buddhas. From here the view of the shiny golden roofs of the monastery, the nearby green hills, the old Tibetan town and the gleaming oil seed rape off to the west is a sight that you will not easily forget.

The interior of the pagoda is cool and dark, containing four different halls. There are a total of 20,000 sutras within, and a famous Buddha statue presented to the Xiahe monastery by the Buddhist community of Nepal.

How to get there: After leaving the Labrang Monastery's main entrance, walk south down the main road. You will see the Pagoda off to the left.
Cost: RMB5.
Opening hours: daily 8am-7pm.