*names changed for privacy.
Hongxingzhen 红星乡 is an incredible village nestled 3,345 meters (10,975ft) above sea level in the hills near the Gansu border. I took a bus from Xiahe 夏河 and arrived in this empty and bitterly cold town not knowing what to expect. It is among my favorite places in China.
Like Xiahe, Hongxingzhen revolves religiously around two temples and a mosque. This Buddhist temple is called Famen Temple* and it is one of the few temples that continues the rite of sky burial. Again, at virtually any hour of the day one is likely to find devoted Buddhists making their rounds spinning prayer wheels. A prayer wheel is seen through the open door on the right.
One especially unique thing about Hongxingzhen was its landscape. In the background you can see buttes that resemble the Utah outback. The opposite side of these rocks are mountains (pictured below) so jagged they are called the "Switzerland of China".
With a head start close to 11,000 ft, I climbed a 14-er in a couple of hours.
This was taken with a little zoom, facing north by northeast, opposite of the mountains above.