Dongzhulin Monastery sits at around 3,000 metres in Benzilan Township, about 100 kilometres south of Deqin on the road toward Shangrila, built against a hillside above the west bank of the Mekong River. It is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Yunnan, belonging to the Gelug school, and its main assembly hall can accommodate several hundred monks. The morning chanting sessions, when monks gather in the hall and the percussion and horns carry across the courtyard, are the most memorable experience on offer.
The monastery compound includes a large gilded stupa, a series of prayer halls with vivid thangka paintings, and a monk's residential area. The surrounding landscape — deep river gorge, pine-forested hillsides, snow peaks visible to the north — frames the monastery dramatically. The village of Benzilan below the monastery has several guesthouses and is a logical stopping point for travellers on the Shangrila-to-Deqin road, who can visit the monastery as an afternoon break rather than a dedicated excursion.