Xiangcheng Travel Guide

Xiangcheng is a county level town west to Daocheng and north to Shangrila of Yunnan in Garze in western Sichuan neighboring Yunnan Province. It is the passage way from Northern Yunnan to SW Sichuan and the main travel way to connect Daocheng Yading and Shangrila of Yunnan. Xiangcheng is called Chachen in Tibetan, it means the beads in the hand of Buddha. Xiangcheng is called the land of Shambala, the isolated paradise in Tibet.

Xiangcheng is at the elevation of 3000m and a land of sun. It has no major tourist attractions but often regarded as a forgotten fairyland of Tibet. The main places of interests include Bamu 7 Lake, Sangpoling Monastery and the unique White Tibetan Houses.

Bamu 7 Lakes

Bamu 7 Lakes

Bamu 7 Lakes

Bamu 7 Lakes refers to the cluster of lakes 50km east to Xiangcheng in the mountains. It is said there are 7 lakes but actually more than 40 lakes in the big mountains here. It is not a well-set up tourist park but rather a wild place that people go there on their own. Elevation of this place is between 2800m and 5200m. It is by far (2021) not developed place but may soon in the future be developed into a park.

Bamu Lakes are holy lakes in local culture. And there are many legends of stories from the past. Bamu 7 Lakes is also called Shambala 7 Lakes. The road into the valley is very basic and dangerous to drive. The lowest lake is at 4350m and the other lakes are at higher elevation and requires hard trek to get to.

White Tibetan Residence House

Xiangcheng Residence House

Unique White House of Xiangcheng

Dirt Watchtower of Xiangcheng

Xiangcheng has very unique residence house that are white and has dirt watchtowers. The unique color using of the houses are one of the few kinds in the whole Tibet and many photo lovers like to take photos of the villages. The watchtowers are made of dirt and they are for worshiping reasons. Some of the towers are as old as 400 years.

Sangpoling Monastery

Sangpoling Monastery was built in 1669 in Qing Dynasty. It is located by the foot of Mt. Bamu in Shambala, Xiangcheng. Sangpoling means "prosperity, good fortune". This monastery is famous for its fine carving, painting of large scale. This monastery has combined style of both Nepalese and Tibetan. The construction of the temple was made by local experienced artists. Recommended time of visit is 2-3 hours.