Things to do in Tóngrén (Repkong)
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Wútún Sì
Sengeshong village, 6km from Tóngrén, is the place to head if you're interested in Tibetan art. There are two monasteries, collectively known as Wútún Sì (吾屯寺), that are divided into an Upper (Yango) Monastery (上寺; Shàng Sì;), closest to town, and a Lower (Mango) Monastery (下寺; Xià Sì). The monks will show you around whatever chapels happen to be open and then take you to a showroom or workshop. The resident artists are no amateurs – commissions for their work come in all the way from Lhasa, and prices aren't cheap. Artwork at the Upper Monastery is of an exceptionally high quality, but expect to pay hundreds of rénmínbì for the smallest thangk…
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Rongwo Gonchen Gompa
Tóngrén's main monastery (Lóngwù Sì) is a huge and rambling maze of renovated chapels and monks' residences, dating from 1301. It's well worth a wander, and you'll need one or two hours to see everything. Your ticket includes entry into six main halls, although you may be able to take a peek inside others too. There are more than 500 resident monks and every day dozens of them go into the courtyard outside the Hall of Bodhisattva Manjusri to take part in animated, hand-clapping debates. There's a map in English on a wooden board just inside the main gate.
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Rebkong Teahouse
There are a few Tibetan teahouses in town but this is hands down the coolest. There's a small range of well-presented Tibetan dishes as well as snacks (from Y3), tea (including yak-butter tea; Y12), fresh coffee (from Y10) and beers (from Y6). Some English is spoken. It's at the far end of Zhongshan Lu from the bridge. First floor.
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Gomar Gompa
Across the Gu-chu river valley from Wútún Sì is the mysterious 400-year-old Gomar Gompa (Guōmárì Sì), a charming monastery that resembles a medieval walled village. There are 130 monks in residence living in whitewashed mud-walled courtyards and there are a few temples you can visit. The huge chörten outside the monastery entrance was built in the 1980s and is the biggest in Amdo. You can climb it, but remember to always walk clockwise. There are photos of the 14th Dalai Lama at the top.
To get here, turn left down a side road as you pass the last of the eight chörten outside Wútún Sì's Lower Monastery. Follow the road 1km across the river and turn right at the en…
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