Entry & permits for Tibet (Xizang)
Foreign tourists need Tibet entry approval, commonly called a Tibet Travel Permit, and an organised visit arranged through a specialist travel agency in China. Confirm your approved route before booking transport. Requirements differ for Taiwan residents and for travellers using mainland or Hong Kong/Macao Chinese resident documents; check the document guide before you book.
Check the travel-document requirements →Policy scope verified: 2026-09-06. UK FCDO: China regional travel advice ↗ State Council Taiwan Affairs Office: Tibet entry approval ↗ Xizang Department of Culture and Tourism: Medog border permit notice ↗
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City & district guides
About Shabten Monastery
Its early history is associated with seasonal tent-based religious gatherings; the permanent monastery later developed around the Zhukang lineage and was rebuilt after twentieth-century destruction. Today the three-storey assembly hall and the Maitreya, Manjushri and protector chapels give the visit its focus. This is a living Gelug monastery within Nagqu's urban area, distinct from the red-and-white Tsanden complex farther east in Sok County.
The name refers to prayers for good fortune and long life. A permanent monastery was founded in 1724 by the Fourth Drukhang Rinpoche (珠康活佛). Expansion in 1814 added a stone-and-timber assembly hall with twelve columns, and further enlargement followed in 1904. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in the 1980s. By around 2008, the complex occupied 40,000 square metres.
The monastery has colleges for exoteric and tantric study, and geshe examinations take place in the ninth Tibetan month. Its collections include Buddhist bronzes, gilded images, old scriptures, thangkas and ritual objects. A branch of the Tibetan Buddhist Institute (西藏佛学院) was established here in 2013. In the same year, the monastery was listed as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit of the Tibet Autonomous Region (西藏自治区文物保护单位).
What to look for
- The three-storey assembly-hall building, the central architectural focus of the rebuilt monastery.
- The Maitreya, Manjushri and protector chapels, with Buddhist images and devotional furnishings in the open worship areas.
Location & getting there
Getting to Shabten Monastery
Go to Shabten/Xiaodeng Monastery (孝登寺) in southwestern Nagqu town, Seni District. Specify the Chinese name to distinguish it from Sok's Zandan Monastery.
- Ask locally for the public worship entrance; the monastery also includes teaching and residential areas.
Combine your visit
Suggested order for this visit:
-
Main assembly hall
Begin with the monastery's central rebuilt hall.
-
Open Maitreya and Manjushri chapels
Continue through the accessible worship spaces while respecting services and private areas.
This is an editorial sequence based on the features described in the sources. Confirm access locally; no walking time, shared admission or guaranteed interior access is implied.
Find Shabten Monastery
孝登寺 · 那曲
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
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View guide →Sok Tsanden Monastery索县赞丹寺
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View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93393778.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "孝登寺", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93393778.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Shaten Monastery", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1363775960.