Qinghai
(;
Postal System Pinyin:
Tsinghai;
Tibetan: མཚོ་ས"ོ"་ mtsho-sngon;
Mongolian:
Köke Naγur;
Manchu:
Huhu Noor) is a
province of the
People's Republic of China, named after the enormous
Qinghai Lake. It borders
Gansu on the northeast, the
Xinjiang Autonomous Region on the northwest,
Sichuan on the southeast, and
Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest.
Most of Qinghai is part of the traditional provinces of
Kham and
Amdo of
Tibet. It is the birthplace and home to many influential Tibetan figures in history, including Tsongkapa and many of the Dalai Lamas.
In
1928 it became a province of the then
Republic of China.
Qinghai is located on the northeastern part of the
Tibetan Plateau. The
Yellow River (Huang He) originates in the middle of the province, while the
Yangtze and
Mekong have their sources in the southern part.
 |
Qinghai is located on the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest region. |
The average elevation of Qinghai is about 3000 metres above sea level. Mountain ranges include the
Tangula Mountains and
Kunlun Mountains. Its average temperature is approximately -5°c to 8°c, with January temperature ranging from -18.2°c to -7°c and July temperature ranging from 5°c to 21°c. It is also prone to heavy winds as well as sandstorms from February to April.
Qinghai Lake (
Koko Nor) is the largest lake in the
People's Republic of China.
Qinghai is divided into one
prefecture-level city (
Xining), one
prefecture (
Haidong Prefecture), and six
autonomous prefectures:
Haibei,
Hainan,
Huangnan,
Golog,
Gyêgu, and
Haixi. All of these are in turn divided into four
districts, two
county-level cities, 30
counties, and seven
autonomous counties.
See
List of administrative divisions of Qinghai for a complete list of
county-level divisions.
Qinghai's economy is amongst the smallest in all of China. Its nominal GDP for
2004 was just 46.57 billion RMB (5.78 billion USD) and contributes to a little over 0.3% of the entire country's economy. Per capita GDP was 7310 RMB (882 USD).
Its heavy industry includes iron and steel productions, located near its capital city of Xining. Oil and natural gas from the
Chaidamu Basin have also been an important contributor to the economy.
The province of Qinghai boasts a population of 5.2 million, among which the
Han are the largest group. Other groups include the
Tibetans,
Tu,
Hui,
Salar and
Mongols.
Qinghai's culture is heavily influenced by Tibet, given the close proximity as well as a shared history.
Culturally speaking, the Tibetans of Qinghai are either
Amdo or
Kham Tibetans. The Amdo Tibetans distinguishes themselves from the Kham Tibetan and U-Tsang Tibetan in many aspects. For example, the Amdo Tibetan dialect retains many consonant clusters from Classical Tibetan that have been lost in Lhasa Tibetan dialect: in Lhasa these clusters are retained in spelling only. An analogy can be drawn with Chinese, with Mandarin being Lhasa Tibetan and Cantonese being Amdo Tibetan: like Cantonese, the Amdo dialect retains a pronunciation closer to the ancient tongue.
The
Lanqing Railway, running between
Lanzhou,
Gansu and
Xining, the province's capital, was completed in 1959 and is the major transportation route in and out of the province. A continuation of the line, the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway through
Golmud, has become one of the most ambitious projects in PRC history. It has been completed in October
2005 and connects Tibet with the rest of China through Qinghai. Six National Highways run through the province.
Xining Airport provides service to
Beijing,
Lanzhou,
Golmud and
Delingha.
See
Transportation in China.
Many tourist attractions center on Xining, the provincial seat of Qinghai. Xining, a vibrant city of 700,000, is squeezed between a long valley, offering an amazing blend of culture from Tibetan, Hui, and other minorities along with the Han majority.
The city itself has many worthwhile stops, including the
Great Mosque of Xining (qīngzh"n dà sì) and
North Mountain Temple (bĕishān sì).
Outside of Xining lie two notable attractions:
The
Kumbum Monastery (Tibetan: sKu 'bum dKon pa)(tă'ĕr sì) lies 30km outside of Xining, and likely any taxi from the city will get you there, but be sure to haggle for a decent price. The Monastery is one of the most important Yellow Hat Sect monasteries in the world, and also includes a Hall of Yak Butter Sculptures, which is not to be missed. Admission is 35RMB, and extra for guides who speak a variety of languages.
Qinghai Lake (qīnghăi hú) is another tourist attraction, albeit further from Xining than Kumbum. The lake is the largest saltwater lake in China, and is also located on the "Roof of the World," the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The lake itself lies at 3,600m elevation. The surrounding area is made up of beautiful rolling grasslands and filled with Ethnic Tibetans, making for an authentic experience. Most pre-arranged tours will stop at
Bird Island (niăo dăo), but check to make sure if admission is included in any tour package. A Tour from Xining, around the entire lake, and back with stops for lunch, shopping, and sightseeing can easily run 12 hours (more for Bird Island), so it may be wise to allot an entire day for this side trip. Each year a bicycle race happens from Xining to Qinghai lake.
Qinghai offers many outstanding travel opportunities. In this area of
Historical Tibet, the local culture is a large draw. Many argue that due to Chinese governmental actions in the 'Tibetan Autonomous Region', Tibetan culture is actually much more intact in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Qinghai than in the current T.A.R.
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Large map of Qinghai*
Geladandong
