Qinghai

Author: Editorial Board of "China Travel Guide"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: It is the source of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers; there are many lakes and marshes, with high-altitude lakes having their own charm, and it is also a habitat for birds and animals, such as gazelles, wild donkeys, brown-headed gulls, bar-headed geese, and swans, which occasionally appear. The Bird Island of Qinghai Lake is particularly prominent; the snow-capped mountains and glaciers offer magnificent scenery; the high-altitude pastures are lush with green grass, dotted with herds of cattle and sheep.
Qinghai is located in the northwest of China, bordered by Xinjiang to the northwest, Gansu to the north and east, Sichuan to the southeast, and Tibet to the south and southwest. Qinghai has 37 ethnic minorities, with the Tibetan being the most numerous.
Qinghai is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, deep in the inland hinterland. The terrain is complex with significant elevation differences. It is the source of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers; there are many lakes and marshes, with high-altitude lakes having their own charm, and it is also a habitat for birds and animals, such as gazelles, wild donkeys, brown-headed gulls, bar-headed geese, and swans, which occasionally appear. The Bird Island of Qinghai Lake is particularly prominent; the snow-capped mountains and glaciers offer magnificent scenery; the high-altitude pastures are lush with green grass, dotted with herds of cattle and sheep.
Lamaism is prevalent in Qinghai. Tongzhong is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism, and thus there are numerous temples, many of which are grand in scale, magnificent in architecture, and have formed a unique religious art.