Qing is short for Qinghai Province. It lies in the northern part in China. It is 720,000 square kilometers in area with a population is 4.4 million.

Qinghai located in Qingzang Plateau. The topography here is very complicated. There is hilly area, plateau, basin and valley, but the most parts are plateaus and hilly areas. Qinghai is the origin of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River. It has a continental plateau climate. It abounds in mineral resources, with the reserves of Li, salt, Br, asbestos, mica amongst the most abundant in China. Also, Qinghai abounds in petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron and some kinds of non-ferrous metals. 

Its major industries are machinery, livestock products, chemical industry, metallurgical industry and petroleum industry. In agriculture, the main produces are wheat, highland barley, grains, rape and sugar-beet. The animal husbandry is well developed. Qinghai is one of the main pastoral areas in China. There are a lot of kinds of livestock. They are sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, camels yaks and so on. The highway system here is very important. The railway, aviation and popular transportation forms the traffic network. 

Qinghai is at the source of the rivers in Ximalaya. It has some natural and civilizing resources, specially, the long history, the unique mountains and the national favour. The places of interest here are Qinghai Lake, Riyue Mountain, Ta’er Temple and Xining Mosque. The traditional specialties are blanket, fur, silver material and a kind of fish that is without scale in Qinghai Lake.

Recommended Scenic Spots

Qinghai Lake (Lake Koko Nor)

Qinghai Lake, 130 km from Xining, is the largest salty water lake in China, covering an area of 4583 square kilometers. The lake sits at an altitude of 3266 meters and is called "Koko Nor" in Mongolian and "Tso Ngonpo" in Tibetan. Koko Nor means "blue lake"; its brackish waters are an extraordinary turquoise-blue. It is lined by a brilliant yellow algal bloom. Qinghai Lake was originally freshwater. It developed in the Early Pleistocene when tectonic movements blocked the course of the through-going ancestral Buh He, which now enters the northwest side of the lake. However, the water is now brackish. Rock steps and strand lines, features carved into the landscape when the lake was higher, document a long gradual decline in water level during the past 8000 years.

The lake has a number of attractions that draw travellers in this region in. Ornithologists, campers, hikers, botanists, swimmers, sailors, fishermen, loners and nomads all find areas of interest around the lake. The beauty here lies in its salty vastness and the remote peace that it instills. The colours that can be found around the lake are of purity and contrasts, from the deep yellows of oil seed rape against the cold blues of the lake to the dark greens of distant mountains against the fluffy white of bilious clouds.

The highlight of the lake is Bird Island , 350 km away from Xining , a peninsular in the westernmost part of the lake and the most impressive sight, especially in season. This island attracts 100,000 migrating geese and gulls every year. The best time to watch the birds is May to June. For most of the summer rare species can be seen here in great multitude 

Taer Monastery

One of the six great monasteries of the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Taer Monastery (or Kumbum in Tibetan) is found in the town of Huangzhong, a mere 26 km south of Xining. It was built in 1577 on sacred ground-the birthplace of Tsong Khapa, founder of the Yellow Hat sect.

The monastery is noted for its extraordinary sculptures of human figures, animals and landscapes carved out of yak butter. The art of butter sculpture probably dates back 1300 years in Tibet and was taken up by the Taer Monastery in the last years of the 16th century.

Its a pretty place and very popular with local tourists. An earthquake in 1990 and subsequent heavy snows threatened to destroy many of the buildings, and the Chinese government actually forked out 70 million Yuan for a major restoration project. But the place still maintains its historical atmosphere.

Go hiking in the surrounding area or follow the pilgrims clockwise on a scenic circuit round the monastery. Six temples are the buildings diagonally opposite the row of stupas. Photography is prohibited inside the temples.