Qinghai Travel and Tours Guide

Qinghai Province is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It has rich tourist resources, including Qinghai Lake, the largest inland salt lake in China, the wellknown Bird Island in the,northwest of Qinghai Lake, the Nature Reserve in Xunhua, Kumbum Monastery, one of the six largest monasteries of the Ge-lug-pa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Liuwan Ancient Tombs, the largest and best preserved tombs in ancient China, Qutan Temple built some 500 years ago, Qaidam Basin, one of the four largest basins in China, and other places of interest, such as Dulan International Hunting Ground, Kanbula National Park, and Wufeng and Laoye mountains.

Qinghai Province is one of the five largest pasturelands in China. The galloping horses, numerous yaks, snow-white sheep, and herdsmen's tents form a beautiful, tranquil landscape on the boundless pastureland. Qinghai is very proud that the worldfamous Changjiang (Yangtze) and Huanghe (Yellow) rivers descend from its territory. The spectacular view at the source of the Changjiang River is the serac forest stretching five kms. The magnificent scene at the source of the Huanghe River is lakes and streams crissingcrossing the green grasslands. In Ecotour China'99, Qinghai will offer more chances to display its beautiful scenery.

Qinghai Province is attractive not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its colorful local customs. It is mainly inhabited by the Tibetans, the Huis, the Mongolians, the Manchus, the Tus, and the Salars, who are diligent, bold and unconstrained, and talented singers and dancers.

In recent years, Qinghai Tourism Administration has opened more routes, including Trekking on the Roof of the World from Xining to Lhasa, the South Silk Road from Xining to Dunhuang, and the Ancient Road from Xining to the Yushu Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, in addition to other special-interest tourist routes, such as the Natural Landscape, the National Park, the Bird Island, and Mountaineering.
The people of Qinghai are ready to give friends from home and abroad a warm welcome!

Follow Me to Xining

Xining, located in the eastern part, is the capital of Qinghai Province as well as the center of politics, economy, culture, and communications. In 121 B.C., the Han stationed troops in the Huangshui River valley, and General Huo Qubing (140117 B.C.) established the military base named Xipingting. In 1104, the third year of Emperor Chongning of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Xipingting was renamed Xining, which was first recorded. The year 1929 witnessed the founding of Qinghai Province, and Xining was made the capital seat.

With the continental highland semi-dry climate, Xining has neither cold winter nor hot summer, and the annual mean temperature is 6.5¢Xc, making the city an ideal summer resort. Xining has an area of 400 square kilometers and a population of 1 million, 23 percent of whom are minority peoples, including Hui, Tibetan, Mongolian, Manchu, Tus, and Salar.

Qinghai Lake

Located in northeast Qinghai Province, 150 kilometers from Xining, Qinghai Lake covers an area of 4,500 square kilometers, 3,200 meters above sea level. It is the largest inland salt lake in China, and is famous for alepidote, fresh, tender, which grows 500 grams 10 years. In summer time, flowers blossom along the lakeside inhabited by the Tibetans.

Bird Island

Located in the northwestern corner of Qinghai Lake, the island, less than 1 square kilometer, is a natural habitat of more than 100,000 migrant birds, including bar-headed geese, ruddy shel-ducks, cormorants, swans, and brown-headed gulls from southern China and the Indian Ocean. May and June are (he best time for admiring the birds. The flying birds blot out the sky and cover the sun, forming a splendid view on the island.