Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area is located in Qilian County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, 9 kilometers from Qilian County town, with an altitude ranging from 2,800 to 3,500 meters. The scenic area covers an area of 112.97 square kilometers and is a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It mainly consists of viewpoints such as the Plateau Pasture, the Grassland Flower Sea Experience Base, the Forest Sea Camping Experience Base, the Bonsai Bay, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff, and the Prayer Flag Wishing Platform. The scenery here is pleasant, the climate is cool, with murmuring streams and misty clouds, green pines and cypresses, and lush green fields. There are numerous wild animals and plants, and the primitive ecology is well preserved. It is an original ecological plateau valley experience resort and a typical plateau ecological tourism destination.
History and Culture
Ami Dongsuo is a Tibetan word meaning "Thousand Soldiers Outpost," commonly known as Niuxin Mountain. In Mongolian, it is called "Naiman Erdene," meaning "Eight Treasures Mountain." According to local people, the terrain around Ami Dongsuo is shaped like the Eight Auspicious Symbols. The Tibetan, Mongolian, Yugur, and other ethnic groups living in the Qilian region who believe in Tibetan Buddhism revere Ami Dongsuo as the king of all mountains in Qilian. Qilian County, where the scenic area is located, has a profound historical and cultural heritage. Various ethnic groups have blended and gathered here, forming unique folk customs and cultural traditions.
Main Attractions
Plateau Pasture
Since ancient times, this place has had the reputation of "a good pasture at the foot of Qilian Mountain." In summer, the green grass is like a carpet, and herds of cattle and sheep graze leisurely, showing a vibrant grassland pasture scene. Tourists can experience the rich grassland nomadic life atmosphere here.
Grassland Flower Sea Experience Base
From June to October every year, wildflowers bloom competitively on the grassland. The colorful flower sea and the vast grassland set each other off, forming a picturesque scene. It is a paradise for photography enthusiasts and an excellent place for tourists to stroll, admire, and feel the charm of nature.
Forest Sea Camping Experience Base
This base is located next to a dense forest, surrounded by green pines and cypresses. Here, tourists can not only enjoy the fun of camping and experience close contact with nature, but also listen to the chirping of insects and birds at night, wake up to sunlight and fresh air in the morning, and feel the tranquility and beauty brought by the forest.
Bonsai Bay
Bonsai Bay has a unique Danxia landform, with exquisite and picturesque shapes, as if carefully carved by nature as a bonsai. The red rocks and the surrounding green trees, blue sky, and white clouds form a colorful picture, very suitable for photographing the magnificent scenery of Danxia landform.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff
Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff is a clever fusion of nature's uncanny workmanship and Buddhist culture. The textures and shapes on the cliff wall seem like thousands of Buddhas gathering, solemn and awe-inspiring. Here, tourists can feel the unique charm of the combination of natural landscape and cultural landscape, and it is an ideal place for photographing the fusion of cultural and natural landscapes.
Prayer Flag Wishing Platform
Prayer flags flutter in the wind, carrying people's beautiful wishes. Tourists who come here can learn about the local religious culture and folk traditions, feel the power of faith, and also personally participate in activities such as hanging prayer flags to pray for themselves and their families.
Food
Hand-Grabbed Mutton
This is a unique way for herders on the Qinghai Plateau to eat mutton. A plate of hand-grabbed mutton has red meat and white fat, fatty but not greasy, and an attractive color. When eating, it is cut with a knife. Although one may get oily hands and mouth, upon careful tasting, one will find it refreshing but not greasy, oily but crisp, tender and smooth, with an extraordinary taste. People of all ethnic groups in Qinghai often regard hand-grabbed mutton as a fine food for entertaining guests.
Roast Mutton
With the blessing of seasonings such as soy sauce, refined salt, ginger powder, chili powder, and pepper powder, roast mutton is tender, fragrant, and nutritious. Today, the varieties of roast mutton have expanded to roasted tendons, roasted kidneys, and more. Qilian's roast mutton is superb and deeply loved by tourists.
Sheep Offal Soup
People in Qilian like to drink sheep offal soup in the morning. It is made by simmering cooked sheep and cattle head meat, tripe, heart, lungs, intestines, liver, and other miscellaneous parts, commonly known as "offal." In the soup, shredded dried scallions are emerald with golden streaks, and the aroma is rich. It can nourish the body, satisfy hunger, and resist cold. Drinking a bowl in the long cold winter, one can feel the wonderful taste from lips to stomach, fragrant and delicious, fresh and tasty.
Clay Hot Pot
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a cold climate and is rich in cattle and sheep. The "soup base" of the clay hot pot is generally made from clear mutton soup with a little pickled cabbage. The taste is relatively spicy, without red oil or too many seasonings. The soup is clear and the flavor is naturally mellow. When served, the ingredients are already neatly arranged in the pot, with a proper combination of meat and vegetables, and a fresh fragrance. Taking a bite, the deliciousness of mutton and the refreshing taste of pickled cabbage are perfectly combined, leaving a lingering fragrance on the teeth and cheeks, with no greasy feeling at all.
Ga Mianpian
As a common home-cooked noodle dish in Qinghai, Ga Mianpian is small and delicate. The noodle pieces are both thin and small, and the quantity is very particular. People in Qilian love noodles, and there are many ways to make Mianpian alone, including vegetarian Mianpian garnished with green vegetables and chopped scallions, beef and mutton Mianpian with rich soup and fragrant noodles, mixed vegetable wok-fried Mianpian made without soup and stir-fried with meat, vermicelli, chili, and more, and braised Mianpian served with a little soup and mixed with fried sauce. Each bowl carries the nostalgia of Qilian people away from home.
Yellow Mushroom Dishes
Yellow mushroom is one of the "Eight Treasures" of Qilian. It is large, thick-fleshed, low in moisture, fine and dense in texture, fresh and tender in taste, fragrant and beautiful in color. It is known as the "fairy mushroom of the grassland" and is a famous local delicacy. In 2008, it was approved as a Chinese geographical indication certification trademark. Delicious dishes such as stir-fried yellow mushrooms with meat and plain stir-fried yellow mushrooms are widely praised by tourists.
Beef Jerky
As a specialty product of Qilian County, beef jerky is deeply loved by the vast number of tourists. Its meat is firm, the taste is rich, and it is easy to carry. It is an excellent product for replenishing energy during travel and for giving to relatives and friends.
Tsampa
Tsampa is made from roasted, finely ground, unsifted barley flour. After mixing with butter tea, the original fragrance of highland barley and the rich tea fragrance blend perfectly. The kneaded tsampa is sweet and delicious. Because it is easy to carry and nutritious, tsampa has become the staple food of plateau nomadic peoples.
Dog-Splash
Dog-Splash, also called Dog-Splash Oil Cake by Qilian people, is a thin pancake fried in rapeseed oil popular in the Qinghai region. Its name is unique, and its taste is crisp, with a distinctive flavor.
Niangpi
Niangpi is a traditional snack with strong local flavor in Qinghai. It tastes spicy, cool, and chewy, with a long aftertaste. It is a food loved by both locals and tourists.
Butter Tea
Butter tea is a daily essential drink for the people of Qilian. It not only helps resist the cold of the plateau but also has strong ethnic characteristics.
Yogurt
Local Qilian yogurt is made by putting cooked milk in small bowls to ferment, and a few drops of rapeseed oil are specially dropped on the mouth of the bowl. The surface milk skin is golden, with little oil spots. The yogurt is white as fat, with a rich milk fragrance, fresh and tender texture, cool and slightly sour. Adding a spoonful of white sugar makes it sweet amid the sour, even more refreshing and delicious.
Tickets：
Full price 60 yuan, half price 30 yuan
Sightseeing bus: 30 yuan
The scenic area plans to adjust the ticket and transportation service prices in May 2025. The specific charging standards and implementation time shall be subject to the final approval of the relevant departments. The elderly, children, students, and military personnel can enjoy free or half-price discounts with valid certificates. You can search the official WeChat public account "Qilian Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area" to view the latest ticket prices or purchase tickets.
Opening Hours：
Starting from March 1, 2025, the scenic area is open daily from 08:30 to 18:00. The opening hours will be adjusted later according to the seasons, subject to official notice.
Tour Route：
After entering the scenic area, follow the main road forward, and you can first enjoy the towering coniferous forest and meadows on both sides and look at the snow mountains in the distance. After reaching the fork in the road, if you continue forward along the main road, you can reach the Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff and the viewing platform in sequence, and further up is the highest pass in the scenic area. Crossing the pass leads to Dadongshu Snow Mountain and Binggou Forest Sea; if you choose the other road, it leads to the alpine pasture. The recommended visiting time is 2 to 3 hours. If you want to enjoy the scenery under the best lighting conditions, you can choose to visit before sunset.
Transportation：
Plane: Take a plane to Xining Caojiabao Airport, then choose to rent a car, charter a car, or take public transportation to the scenic area.
Train: Take a train to Xining Station or Menyuan Station, then transfer to a bus to Qilian County, and then reach the scenic area.
Self-driving：
Via Huangyuan County and Haiyan County, there is a Provincial Road 204 leading to Qilian at the junction of National Road 315 between Gangca and Haiyan. From that junction to Qilian is 200 kilometers.
Starting from Xining, via Datong County and Qingshizui Town in Menyuan County to Qilian County, the route is shorter than the first one, but it requires crossing Dabanshan Mountain.
Public transportation: Take a bus to Qilian County at Xining Passenger Transport Center. The journey takes about 5 to 6 hours. After arriving in Qilian County, transfer to local transportation to the scenic area.
Must-Visit Attractions：
Grassland Flower Sea Experience Base: From June to October, wildflowers bloom, and the colorful flower sea and grassland set each other off. It is an excellent place for photographing flower seas and grassland scenery. The scenery is beautiful beyond description.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Cliff: The unique cliff landscape created by nature is perfectly integrated with Buddhist culture. The cliff textures seem like thousands of Buddhas gathering, solemn and awe-inspiring. It is suitable for photographing pictures combining cultural and natural landscapes and inspires awe.
Forest Sea Camping Experience Base: Surrounded by dense forest, camping here allows one to fully experience close contact with nature and enjoy the tranquility and beauty brought by the forest. Waking up in the morning amid birdsong and fragrant flowers gives a unique sense of comfort.
Travel Suggestions：
The temperature difference between day and night in the scenic area is large. It is recommended to bring a warm coat to prevent catching a cold. Even in summer, it is best to prepare a thick piece of clothing.
If you want to take beautiful photos, you can learn about the weather and lighting conditions in advance. Summer and autumn are the most pleasant seasons and the best time to visit. In summer, the early morning and evening light is soft, suitable for photographing grasslands, flower seas, and other scenery; in autumn, the mountain forests are colorful, and you can take very layered pictures.
You can participate in some experience activities in the scenic area, such as experiencing grazing life in the plateau pasture and hanging prayer flags to pray at the Prayer Flag Wishing Platform, to deeply feel the local folk culture.
When tasting local food, pay attention to choosing in moderation. Some foods may be relatively oily or strongly flavored, so avoid stomach discomfort. If you are allergic to dairy products, be cautious when tasting foods such as yogurt.
If you choose to drive into the scenic area, pay attention to controlling your speed. The roads in the scenic area are winding, and some sections have complex road conditions. Drive carefully to ensure safety. Non-self-driving tourists can take the scenic area shuttle bus and get on and off at designated stops.
Notes：
Respect local religious beliefs and customs. In religious places such as the Prayer Flag Wishing Platform, do not make loud noises, abide by relevant regulations, and do not touch or damage religious facilities at will.
Protect the scenic area environment, do not litter, and keep the scenic area clean. In areas such as grasslands and forests, do not trample on flowers and plants or damage the ecological environment at will.
The ultraviolet rays on the plateau are strong, so防晒 measures are needed. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a sun hat, and other sun protection items to avoid sunburn.
If you want to camp at the Forest Sea Camping Experience Base, you need to understand the camping regulations and precautions in advance, set up tents in designated areas, pay attention to fire safety, and take away all garbage when leaving.
When communicating with local residents, remain polite and modest, and show good conduct. If you have questions about local cultural customs, you can politely ask the locals.
Some areas in the scenic area may have poor signal. Before traveling, inform family or friends of your itinerary so that you can be contacted in time when needed.
If you experience altitude sickness, do not panic. You can rest appropriately and reduce strenuous exercise. If the symptoms are severe, seek medical attention promptly or go to a lower altitude area. Prepare some anti-altitude sickness medicines in advance, such as Rhodiola, as well as common medicines such as cold medicine, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and stomach medicine.