Qutan Monastery (Qutansi) is a Ming-dynasty Buddhist complex of remarkable preservation, built between 1387 and 1427 at the foot of a mountain in Ledu county. The monastery was established by imperial edict and funded directly from the central court's treasury — an unusual arrangement that explains the quality of its construction and the imperial scale of its layout, with a formal ceremonial axis connecting the main gate, ceremonial hall, bell and drum towers, and the main prayer hall in sequence, following the format of official palace architecture.
The walls of the main halls are covered in extraordinarily detailed Ming-dynasty murals depicting Buddhist narratives, celestial beings, and historical scenes. These paintings have been studied by art historians as some of the most important surviving examples of early Ming Buddhist art outside Beijing itself. Their state of preservation is exceptional: vibrant pigments, fine detail work, and continuous narrative sequences covering entire walls. Entrance is around 30 to 40 yuan; bring a torch or phone light to examine the murals in the darker interior spaces.