Tongren's two main draws are its monasteries and its living tradition of Tibetan religious art. Longwu Monastery dominates the town, while the paired Wutun monasteries a few kilometres to the north are both important Buddhist institutions and active artists' workshops where thangka painters and sculptors still work in traditional styles. The surrounding valley, with its red-clay hillsides and whitewashed village shrines, is pleasant to explore on foot or by bicycle.