Qinghai Lake: A Mirror on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Author: Hao Tianjiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Qinghai Lake is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai Plateau and the northwestern part of Xining City. It is China's largest inland lake and also China's largest saltwater lake. It is vast and boundless, like a huge mirror bestowed by nature on the Qinghai Plateau. Anciently, Qinghai Lake was called "Western Sea," also known as "Xianshui" or "Xianhai." In Tibetan, it is called "Co Nu Bo," meaning "Blue Lake"; in Mongolian, it is called "Kuku Nur," meaning "Blue Ocean." Due to the area around Qinghai Lake once belonging to the Biehe tribe's pastures, it was also called "Biehe Qianghai." During the Han Dynasty, it was also referred to as "Immortal Sea." It was only from the Northern Wei Dynasty that it was renamed "Qinghai."
Qinghai Lake covers an area of 4,456 square kilometers, with a circumference of over 360 kilometers, making it twice the size of the famous Taihu Lake. The lake is elongated east-west and narrow north-south, resembling an ellipse. At first glance, it looks like a large white poplar leaf. The average depth of Qinghai Lake is about 19 meters, with a maximum depth of 28 meters, and its water volume reaches 105 billion cubic meters. The lake surface is at an altitude of 3,260 meters, higher than both Mount Tai and Mount Taishan. Due to the high elevation, the climate is very cool. Even during the scorching summer, the average daily temperature is only around 15°C, making it an ideal summer resort.
Qinghai Lake is surrounded by four majestic mountains: the Dachu Mountain to the north, the Mount Riyue to the east, the Southern Qinghai Mountain to the south, and the Rubing Mountain to the west. These four mountains stand at altitudes between 3,600 and 5,000 meters. From a bird's-eye view, they resemble four towering natural barriers, tightly embracing Qinghai Lake. From the foot of the mountains to the lakeside lies a vast, flat, and boundless grassland. The misty, azure Qinghai Lake, like a huge jade plate,, creating a magnificent and picturesque landscape of mountains, lake, and grassland.
Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai Plateau, known as the "Roof of the World," Qinghai Lake is situated between the Dachu Mountain, Mount Riyue, and Southern Qinghai Mountain in northeastern Qinghai Province. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it boasts a magnificent landscape and is China's largest saltwater lake, anciently known as "West Lake." The scenic area is primarily composed of a plateau lake, supplemented by grasslands, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. The lake features five islands of unique shapes: Haixin Mountain, Sankaishi, Bird Island, Haixi Mountain, and Shadao. The mountains are lush with greenery, and the landscape is distinctive, with Bird Island being particularly renowned. The lake surface is at an altitude of 3,266 meters, stretching about 90 kilometers east-west and 40 kilometers north-south, covering an area of 4,635 square kilometers. Its drainage basin is ten times larger than the lake surface, fed by 50 short rivers from all directions of the three mountains, with no outlet to the sea, making it China's largest inland lake.
In Mongolian, Qinghai Lake is called "Kunor," and in Tibetan, it is called "Co Nu Bu," meaning "Blue Lake." The lake has low oxygen content, high salt content, and scarce plankton, with a transparency of over 8-9 meters, giving it a particularly deep blue hue. The lake region is full of vitality, with herds of yaks and cattle grazing, and flocks of sheep eating grass, creating a pastoral scene of "the wind blows, grass low, see cattle and sheep." The lake has two major wonders: the fishery and Bird Island. Qinghai Lake is rich in Haoyu, making it a bountiful natural fishery.
The Qinghai Plateau has been a revered land since ancient times, with main attractions including Haixin Mountain and Bird Island. Bird Island, 10 meters above the lake surface, is known as the "Kingdom of Birds." Every spring, large numbers of birds travel thousands of miles from India, Nepal, and other places to breed and raise their young in Qinghai Lake. In autumn, they return to the south with their families. The Chinese government places great importance on this bird resource and has established a dedicated protection agency on the island.
Haixin Mountain, also known as Longju Island, covers an area of about 1 square kilometer. Here, the water is clear and the scenery is beautiful. In the past, people built many temples and houses on Haixin Mountain, with some lamas practicing meditation there and many herders coming to the island to graze. The "Mountain Buddha Temple" has become a unique sight in the area.
Qinghai Lake is beautiful and rich, producing delicious and nutritious Haoyu. The lakeside has vast natural pastures, with abundant snow in winter and frequent rainfall in summer and autumn, providing excellent conditions for pastoralism. It has now become an important pastoral base in Qinghai Province.
Around Qinghai Lake, there is ample water and rainfall, fertile land, and herds of cattle and sheep, with pastoral songs echoing everywhere. While vigorously developing pastoralism, the local people have also fully developed agriculture, primarily focusing on oil and feed production.