A likeable town populated by generally friendly folk, Tongren (Repkong in Tibetan) is a little town with a big secret: It's the art capital of Tibetan world, with artisans so skillful that an entire school of Tibetan art was named after the city.
One activity you might find taking a lot of your time will be browsing the excellent thangkas (sacred Buddhist paintings) produced by Tongren's artists. A post-card-sized thangka costs about RMB 300, but if you look at the incredible detail, and acknowledge the fact that it represents a full month's work to complete, you'll see that it's a good deal.
Becoming a thangka connoisseur is pretty easy, it's all about the detail. If you see a mind-boggling amount of detail work which includes lines the width of a single cat hair, you've got yourself an authentic masterpiece. Less detail and thicker brush strokes means that you're probably looking at a Nepali import, so you should pay much less.
Tongren is a city of monasteries, the main ones being Wutun Si, Rongwo Gonchen Gompa and Gomar Gompa. There you'll have the chance to hear Tibetan throat singing, peruse the sculptures, paintings and architecture on display and hang out with the chatty monks in residence. If you make friends and wake up early enough, you may even be invited to a communal Tibetan breakfast and sea how yak butter tea is made.
History
Once a part of the Tibetan empire's nation of Amdo, today Tongren is a rapidly expanding town with plenty of white, red-trimmed low rises springing up in the north (Han Chinese) side of town.
Climate
Tongren's location on the Tibetan plateau means crisp sunny summers and bitterly cold winters. The spring and fall are both temperate and pleasant.
Though there is no official division between the Tibetan and Chinese sides of town, the difference can actually be felt depending on whose accommodation you stay in.
If you stay in a Tibetan establishment, you'll find the rules to be amazingly lax. In some places no deposit is necessary, in most, neither is advance payment, just pay on check-out. For Chinese establishments, regular standards apply.
You can find rooms for as little as RMB 30 a night in the Tibetan quarter. If you're looking for something nicer, say a twin bed with private bathroom, you might want to check the Huangnan Bingguan (18 Zhongshan Lu), but despite the RMB 60-288 price point, you would be wise to check your rooms before paying as quality varies significantly between rooms.
Just 50 meters down from Huangnan Bingguan is the Homeland of Rebkong Arts Restaurant, a cozy joint with friendly staff serving Tibetan and Chinese fare.
Venturing out east along Zhongshan road you'll find several other restaurants to choose from. Turn left onto Dehelong Middle Road and you'll see the Taishan Delicious Food Town on the left, where you'll find plenty more selection. Another hotspot is Yixin Food Street on Longwu North Street.
Also not far from Zhongshan road is the Lanzhou Beef Noodle Restaurant on Maixiu Road and the Huilian Casserole Pot Restaurant on Xiaqiong South Road.
There's only one way in or out of here and it's by bus. The drive going to Xiahe (one departure daily, 8am) features pretty red-rock landscapes and the impressive Gomtse Gorpa. You'll be treated to Tibetan Yoghurt by herders boarding the bus at various stops along the way too.
To move on to Linxia (7:30 and 8am), Xining (hourly) or Xunhua (four departures daily), head to the bus station on Dongshan Lu, the eastern extention of Zhongshan Lu.
Taxis, which might take the shape of motorcycles and various modifications thereof, start at RMB 2.
Arts in Tongren are dominated by Tibetan-produced paintings and sculptures commissioned by large temples and monasteries from all around Asia, but you can find some for sale locally at Wutun Se's lower monastery. The aforementioned thangkas sold there are world-class pieces of art, so don't expect to pay Chinese knock-off prices. A good poster-sized piece will cost RMB 2500-3000.
Monlam festival (late February to early March) is a good time to see huge thangkas unfurled, mass prayer gatherings and all day Cham dancing while the five-day Lurol Festival starts on the 21st of either July or August and features body piercing and other traditions from the pre-Buddhist Bon religion.