Nagqu: Horse Racing Festival, Temple and Reading Café

The Qiangtang Horse Racing Festival, Xiaodeng Temple and Warm Jia·Seni City Bookhouse represent different aspects of Nagqu’s culture. An annual festival, a historical temple tradition and an urban reading café offer different perspectives on the area. Together, they span festival traditions and historical narratives, as well as a reading café with two distinctive superlatives.

The Qiangtang Horse Racing Festival

The Qiangtang Qiaqing Gesar Horse Racing Art Festival is a traditional festival in Nagqu. It was officially named in 1995 and added to the list of intangible cultural heritage of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2007. The festival takes place every year on 10 August—a specific date to bear in mind when planning a stay around this tradition. A 2026 programme announcement presented the Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival as a festival of national intangible cultural heritage.

The festival programme also included an exhibition of green agricultural and livestock products titled “Nagqu Taste” and an exhibition of ethnic handicrafts titled “Qiangtang Impression”. Alongside horse racing, the festival context therefore includes agricultural and livestock products, as well as ethnic handicrafts.

Racecourse and getting around

The Gesar Racecourse is on Huancheng South Road in Nagqu and can be reached by car, bus or on foot. The 2019 edition of the festival took place there. This distinguishes two planning details: 10 August is the annual festival date, while the Gesar Racecourse was the venue for the 2019 edition. For a trip centred on the festival, the date and venue provide different kinds of guidance.

Temple tradition and a historical photograph

Xiaodeng Temple still stands in one part of Nagqu and, according to historical accounts, is the first building constructed on the Qiangtang Steppe. A 2021 report describes a historical photograph in the reception room on the second floor. It shows the Sixth Zhukang Living Buddha welcoming General Fan Ming at Mala Mountain. These are two distinct historical references: the tradition about the temple’s early significance and a specific encounter captured in an image. The temple can thus be understood through both its traditional building history and the scene depicted.

Warm Jia·Seni City Bookhouse

Another cultural point of interest is Warm Jia·Seni City Bookhouse in the southern new development area of Nagqu’s Seni District. It is considered the world’s highest-altitude urban reading café and the first urban reading café on the Tibetan Plateau. The two superlatives refer to different measures: one is a global comparison of altitude, while the other concerns its status as the first urban reading café on the Tibetan Plateau. Alongside temple traditions and the festival, urban reading culture is another distinct focus.

Choose a holiday rental to suit your reason for travelling

Your reason for travelling is a useful starting point when choosing a holiday rental. If the horse racing festival is the main focus of your stay, you can take the annual date and the venue of the 2019 edition into account when planning. If you are more interested in the temple tradition or the Bookhouse, historical or urban cultural themes may take precedence instead. This lets you tailor your search for accommodation in Nagqu to the focus that best matches your trip.

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