Bsampeling Monastery sits on the hillside above Xiangcheng town, a traditional complex covering more than 20,000 square metres of monks' residences, assembly halls, and Buddhist shrines reached by a prayer-flag-lined path climbing from the valley floor. The architecture is traditional Tibetan — whitewashed stone walls, red-banded upper stories, gilded roof ornaments — and recently enough constructed to be in good repair while old enough to feel genuinely lived-in.
The monastery is active, with resident monks whose daily schedule structures the complex's rhythms. Admission is ¥15 and the fee supports the monastery directly. The murals in the main assembly hall, painted in a style that mixes Tibetan and Chinese iconographic traditions, are particularly fine. The hillside position gives views down the valley to the white cubic houses below — a view worth lingering over, particularly in the late afternoon when the light catches the mountains behind the town.