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Voykit pocket guide · China
Ledu
Half a day for Qutan Temple and the pottery museum, then move on to Xining or Tongren. Not a base.
Ledu is a small city in eastern Qinghai, best known for the Ming-dynasty Qutan Temple with its colourful murals and the Liuwan Ancient Painted Pottery Museum. The town itself is compact and quiet; most travellers stop for a few hours between Xining and Tongren or on a Qinghai loop. One night is enough if you arrive late.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cold, some sites may have reduced hours)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–600 excl. bed · High ¥600+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle bowl (beef or lamb) | ¥15–25 |
| Bottled water | ¥2–3 |
| Local bus ride | ¥1–2 |
| Taxi within town | ¥10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- XNN · Xining Caojiabu Airport
- About 1 h by taxi or bus; check connections to Ledu.
Typical fares
- Xining → Ledu by bus
- about ¥30, about 1 h (check)
- Ledu → Tongren by bus
- about ¥40, about 1.5 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Ledu is walkable for the main sights. Taxis and local buses connect the train station to the centre; negotiate the fare before getting in.
See and do
Known for
- Qutan Temple murals
- Liuwan Ancient Painted Pottery Museum
- Gateway to Tongren and the Regong art valley
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tongren | Bus from Ledu bus station, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
| Xining | Train or bus, about 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Huangzhong | Bus via Xining, about 2 h total | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- City centre near Qutan Temple
- A few budget hotels and guesthouses; walkable to the main sights.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much? | 多少钱？duō shǎo qián? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ? |
| I don't understand | 我不明白wǒ bù míng bái |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Qutan Temple may close for renovations: check the official site before visiting.
- Liuwan Museum hours can be irregular; call ahead or ask at your hotel.
- Few English signs; have your destination written in Chinese.
Ledu is safe for tourists. Standard precautions apply: watch your belongings in crowded buses and avoid walking alone late at night in unlit areas.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ledu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Qutan Temple murals
- Liuwan Ancient Painted Pottery Museum
- Gateway to Tongren and the Regong art valley
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Ledu, revision 4727302 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4727302
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/ledu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.