Qinghai

The Yangtze, the Yellow River, and the Mekong all rise in Qinghai, and most of the province lies above 3,000 meters (9,800 ft). A trip to Qinghai takes you to the vast Qinghai Lake, to mirror-like salt lakes, and to monasteries where Tibetan, Mongolian, and Muslim cultures exist side by side.

Things to See in Qinghai

Qinghai Lake, China's largest salt lake, sits at around 3,200 meters (10,500 ft) and is so big that you can barely make out the opposite shore. In July, the rapeseed fields around it bloom bright yellow, and bar-headed geese and cormorants nest on Bird Island. Farther west, near Chaka, the sky is reflected in the shallow water of a salt lake crossed by a narrow-gauge railway and wooden walkways. In the Golmud region and around Qarhan Salt Lake, bizarre salt crusts form. Kumbum Monastery near Xining is the birthplace of the reformer Tsongkhapa and one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school; it is famous for its butter sculptures. To the south lies the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, the source region of the three great rivers and home to Tibetan antelope, yaks, and snow leopards. An international cycling race takes place around Qinghai Lake every year, and many cyclists ride around the lake in several stages.

Xining and Culture

Xining, the capital, lies at about 2,270 meters (7,450 ft) and is a good place to acclimatize before continuing on to Tibet. The Dongguan Mosque is one of the largest in northwestern China, and Hui Muslims shape the street life in the alleys around it. The east of the province is also home to the Tu and Salar peoples, who have their own languages and festivals. In Tongren, the center of Regong art, monks and craftsmen paint colorful thangkas. The Tibetan Medicine Museum in Xining displays a thangka more than 600 meters (2,000 ft) long, one of the largest scroll paintings in the world.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

The cuisine is hearty and built around mutton and yak: lamb eaten by hand, yak yogurt, tsampa, niangpi noodles, and milk tea. The Hui cook mutton soups and fried noodle squares. Xining has an airport and is on the high-speed rail line from Lanzhou; the Qinghai-Tibet Railway starts here, heading toward Lhasa. The best time to visit is summer, from June to September, when it is mild; winters, by contrast, are bitterly cold. Because of the altitude, you should take it slowly.