Aoteqi Valley

Aoteqi Valley lies within Hongger Town, at the upper reaches of the Tabu River valley, 10 kilometers north of Xilamulun Monastery. The valley stretches roughly 10 kilometers long, carved by the Tabu River to a depth of 30 to 50 meters. Jagged strange rocks line both sides of the gully, forming a rich variety of pictographic stone formations. Hardy early-growth shrubs cling to the rock cliffs, composing a breathtaking natural landscape. Inside the valley, the winding Tabu River meanders along its course, occasionally dotted with water birds taking flight and gliding across the sky in graceful formations.

The northern end of the valley served as a summer retreat for successive generations of living Buddhas. Remnants of the living Buddhas’ summer villas and stone-paved passageways still stand to this day. Stone carvings depicting princes kowtowing and other scenes are etched onto several massive boulders. The area boasts cool summers and mild winters with fresh clean air. It is said that the land was once covered in luxuriant foliage and shady trees, home to golden eagles, pheasants, argali sheep and a host of other birds and wild animals. Later, human intrusion and destruction ruined the summer villas and drove the wildlife away to other habitats.

With ecological protection as its core tenet and a vision to integrate tourism development with ecological restoration, the Banner Government has designated this zone for development as a scenic area featuring both ecological conservation and recreational tourism functions. Together with surrounding tourist attractions and offerings such as Xilamulun Monastery, the site will create a clustered regional tourism advantage and is bound to fuel rapid growth of the banner’s tourism industry.