Ta'er monastery(Kumbum monastery)

The Ta’er monastery was founded in 1377 during the Ming dynasty. Ta means pagoda.  It got the name after the silver pagoda was built in memory of Zongkaba, the founder of the yellow sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The silver pagoda is called "gunbenxian balin" in Tibetan, which means "maitreya temple with a hundred thousand lions roaring Buddha statues". The monastery is located in lushaer town, huangzhong county, 25 kilometers southwest of Xining city,Qinghai province. It’s rated as AAAAA tourists attraction.

It is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest China and enjoys a good reputation in China and southeast Asia. In the Ming dynasty, the upper religious figures in the monastery were granted titles for many times. A famous plaque was awarded by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty .Emperor Qianlong awarded the monastery with the title of "Fanzong monastery", and a nice plaque was awarded to the dajinwa hall. The third dalai lama, the fourth dalai lama, the fifth dalai lama, the seventh dalai lama, the 13th dalai lama, the 14th dalai lama, the sixth panchen lama, the ninth panchen lama and the tenth panchen lama all conducted religious activities in the monastery.

Butter sculpture flowers, frescoes and barbola are known as the "three art masterpieces of the Ta’er monastery". In addition, many Buddhist classics and academic monographs on history, literature, philosophy, medicine and legislation are also kept in the monastery. The "four dharma meetings", a Buddhist event held every year, are even more lively.

Ta’er monastery is one of the six major monasteries of yellow sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It is also a leading scenic spot and historical site in Qinghai province and a national key cultural relic protection unit. On April 13, 2018, it was shortlisted in "amazing 100 sceneries in northwest of China".