The Shanggri-la Guihua Temple (also Songzan Monastery Forest) is on the Foping Mountains north of Shanggri-la County. It was built in the Ming Dynasty as one of the 13 big Lamaist Temples in the Kangzang Region. The “Kangzang Region” refers to the joint ports of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan inhabited only by Tibetan people. During its time of greatest prosperity, there were more than 3,000 monks in the temple. The present monasteries were rebuilt on the original location using the similar pattern and imposing manner of the former ones. It is composed of well-arranged flat-roof houses row upon row from the foot to the top of the mountains, like a neatly set-up mountain castle.

    Source: http://www.yunnan.cn/english/content/tc.htm