Dukezong Ancient Town

❤Recommended reason: Dukezong Ancient Town is the best preserved and largest Tibetan residential area in China. Legend has it that the concept of building the city was inspired by a living Buddha who looked at the ancient city from a mountain opposite and found that the Turtle Mountain resembled Guru Rinpoche sitting on a lotus flower, hence the city's layout is similar to an eight-petal lotus, forming a space shaped by natural changes. In the construction of the ancient city, most of the building materials were locally sourced. Craftsmen discovered that a type of white clay produced locally could be used as a coating for the exterior walls of houses, so the exterior walls of the ancient city's residences were all painted white, a style that has been continued until 2021. On moonlit nights, the silver moonlight dresses up the white ancient city in an exceptionally enchanting way, hence the locals call the ancient city 'Dukezong,' which means 'white stone city' in Tibetan, implying a city of moonlight. 🌟Highlights: Turtle Mountain Park was established during the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. Built against the mountain, it is the highest point of the ancient city. Climbing to the top, one can see the entire county. The prayer wheel and the Big Buddha Temple are the most characteristic buildings in the park and are also the landmark buildings of the ancient city. 👍Most recommended: Climbing up the steep steps, you will soon reach the Han Temple. Following the Han Temple from left to right, you will arrive at the world's largest prayer wheel. Looking up, the entire prayer wheel is about as tall as a 5-story building, majestic and spectacular. The body of the wheel is made of pure gold-plated copper, with the four great Bodhisattvas Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteshvara, and Ksitigarbha embossed on the upper part of the cylinder wall, and the eight treasures of Buddhism engraved on the lower part. Inside the cylinder are also stored 1.24 million mantras, wordless mantras, and various Buddhist treasures, weighing a total of about 16 tons. To turn such a huge prayer wheel requires more than ten people to exert force at the same time. Each turn is equivalent to silently chanting the Buddha's name 1.24 million times. After turning three rounds, one can eliminate disasters and pray for blessings, bringing good fortune and auspiciousness.