The Ancient City of Gahai is located in Gahai Village, Ganzihe Township, Haibei County, surrounded by lush lakeside grasslands and situated along the main route from Haibei to Gangcha. The ancient city measures 435 meters from east to west and 436 meters from north to south, forming a square shape. The city walls are 12 meters wide and 4.8 meters high, constructed from rammed earth with layers 6 centimeters thick. There is a gate on each of the four sides of the city, …
Guide Built in 1958, China’s first atomic bomb and first hydrogen bomb were both developed here, hence the name “Atomic City.” It was decommissioned on May 15, 1995, and renamed Xihai Town with the approval of the State Council. It is now the seat of Haibei Prefecture. In the 1950s, China’s top decision-makers proposed that China could not do without an…
The Qinghai Golden and Silver Beach Scenic Area is located in Haiyan County, Qinghai Province. To the west, Tongbao Mountain borders Qinghai Lake, while to the north and east, it is surrounded by towering mountains. It adjoins Sanjiaocheng in Haiyan County to the south. Spanning over 1,100 square kilometers of vast grassland, the area is home to more than 300,000 heads of cattle and sheep, making it a typical pastoral region. The sky here is a mesmerizing shade of blue...
Ami Dongtuo (Ox Heart Mountain), one of China’s Top 100 Summer Resorts, is the main peak of the Tuolai Mountain range, a branch of the Qilian Mountains. “Ami Dongtuo” is a transliteration from Tibetan, meaning “Thousand Soldiers’ Watchpost.” In the Yugur language, it is called “Naiman Erdene,” meaning “Mountain of Eight Treasures.” According to the Tibetan discipline of “Geomancy,” the surrounding landforms of Ami Dongtuo resemble…
In a freshwater area of about 0.5 square kilometers on Reed Island, there are a great many reeds. Perhaps the island got its name from these lush, thriving reeds. At the center of Reed Lake, numerous reeds standing over a zhang tall form a reed island, mirroring the reeds on the northern slope. …
The ancient Xihai Commandery, commonly known as "Triangle City," is located on the Golden and Silver Grassland along the Huangshui River. It is the earliest and largest ancient city built as a commandery in Qinghai, and is a national-level cultural heritage site. A large number of cultural relics have been unearthed in the ancient city, mainly including the Tiger Tally Stone Coffer, coin molds, and ancient coins. The Tiger Tally Stone Coffer is the earliest inscribed stone artifact discovered in Qinghai Province to date...
Qinniexiare Mountain Qinniexiare Mountain Qinniexiare Mountain is located on the Ganzhi River Grassland at the border between Haiyan County and Guancha County, with an elevation of 4,100 meters. In Tibetan, Qinniexiare Mountain means “the mountain god wearing a white hat.” It is said to be the place where the Queen Mother of the West practiced and resided. At the summit stands a 3-meter-tall stone pillar with a girth of 3 meters, which is the “Kunlun Bronze Pillar” recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas…
Bahuotu Listening to Springs Bahuotu Listening to Springs, a transliteration from Mongolian meaning "the place where deer are," sits at an altitude of 3,400 meters and is the source of the Huangshui River. The area boasts numerous springs that gurgle melodiously. The springs are surrounded by lush grasslands, home not only to plants such as alpine willow, potentilla fruticosa, dwarf potentilla, snow lotus, and Caragana jubata, but also rare wildlife including snowcocks and blue sheep.
Wrong Dalian Wrong Dalian is located within Eri Village, Ganzihe Township, featuring one large and one small lake shaped like a Dalian (a type of traditional Chinese cloth bag), arranged in a string-of-pearls formation. The lakes cover an area of about 1 square kilometer, with water that is a deep blue. The northwest part of the lake includes a marshland, which becomes a paradise for bird species such as red-crowned cranes, white swans, black ducks, and yellow ducks during May and June. There are also small patches of reeds along the lakeshore that sway gently in the breeze, creating a very picturesque scene.
Dongdatan Reservoir Dongdatan Reservoir is located on the Golden-Silver Grassland, 6 kilometers east of the county town. The reservoir was completed in November 1981 and is currently the largest regulating reservoir in the Huangshui River basin. The dam spans the mouth of Muli Gully, with National Highway 315 and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway running along its edges. The southern bank of the reservoir features a natural grassland that is 1.2 kilometers long and 50…
The Atomic City is located on the Golden and Silver Prairie in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, covering a total area of over 1,100 square kilometers. It was China's first nuclear weapons research base, where veteran scientists and technicians successfully developed the country’s first atomic bomb and first hydrogen bomb. Established in 1958, China’s first atomic bomb and first hydrogen bomb...
In 1939, Wang Luobin came to Qinghai and taught at Kunlun Middle School in Xining, Qinghai. The boundless Gobi Desert, towering snow-capped mountains, vast grasslands, azure lakes, flocks of livestock, and solitary herders inspired boundless emotion and creative passion in Wang Luobin. In the spring of 1940, Wang Luobin followed film director Zheng Junli in Q…
Dezhou Cemetery The Dezhou Cemetery is located in Dezhou Village, Tuole Township, about 45 kilometers from the county town. The cemetery is relatively well-preserved and consists of ancient tombs from the Han Dynasty. Artifacts such as pottery shards and bronze arrowheads have been unearthed here, identifying it as a site of the Kayue culture. It is designated as a provincial-level cultural relic.
The Charm of Shuixia (Water Gorge) The two sides of Shuixia are lined with lush green peaks shrouded in mist, crisscrossed by mountain springs and meandering streams where the pebbles in the water glisten like jade. In summer, the mountains are covered with thriving pine, cypress, willow, birch trees, and sea buckthorn shrubs. Come autumn, a tapestry of golden poplars, verdant pines, crimson birches, and pearl-like sea buckthorns creates a breathtaking contrast that captivates visitors. The forest…
Yueluo Shiyai Ruins are located in Haidong Village, Jintan Township, Haiyan County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Yueluo Shiyai lies at the border between Huangyuan County and Haiyan County, forming the northern extension of the Riyue Mountain range, with an altitude of over 3,300 meters. The mountain spur connects to Riyue Mountain in the south, borders the Huangshui River in the east, and faces a large mountain valley to the northwest. It is long and narrow, stretching from north to south and narrower from east to west, featuring a relatively flat summit.
Dabanshan Have you heard the saying “Pass through Menyuan, cross Dabanshan”? In the past, Dabanshan was the only route to Menyuan. Back then, the mountain was high and the road treacherous. Drivers used to say: “Dabanshan, the Gate of Hell, where cars drive on ice, eagles circle beneath the wheels, deathly fog shrouds the mountain so you can’t see, and one wrong move could send you tumbling down the cliff, taking half a year to hit the bottom.” To solve this problem, construction officially began on August 18, 1995, on the Dabanshan Tunnel with a total investment of 156 million yuan. After three years and three months of arduous work, the tunnel was triumphantly completed on November 28, 1998. The tunnel is located on the Dabanshan mountain pass section of National Highway 227 (Xining to Zhangye), between kilometers 104 and 109. With the completion of the tunnel, the section prone to heavy snow at the mountaintop was avoided, shortening the journey by 5.2 kilometers. What was once an insurmountable barrier became an open road, ensuring all-year-round accessibility along the Ningzhang Highway. Nowadays, crossing Dabanshan has not only become simple and easy, but also a delightful experience.
The Hydroelectric Corridor: As the largest tributary of the upper Yellow River, the Haomen River runs through the entire region for 178 kilometers, with a hydropower potential of 380,000 kilowatts. Thirteen cascading hydropower stations currently under construction are forming high gorges and calm lakes. The Hydroelectric Corridor, developed based on these advantageous resources, is achieving frequent successes and showing great momentum. These include the Dongxu Hydropower Station, Xuelongtan Hydropower Station...
Xianmi Temple is the most famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Menyuan area, located more than fifteen kilometers from Haomen Town. It is embraced by the majestic ranges of the Lenglong Ridge at the head of the mountain cluster and the world-renowned Qilian Mountains, offering an exceptionally tranquil environment. The entire temple complex is built along the mountainside, ascending gradually from low to high. Viewed from below, the staggered structures resemble pavilions and towers, creating a...
The Ganglong Grottoes, located in the Ganglong Valley east of Keti in Menyuan County, are among the few relatively well-preserved grottoes in Qinghai. Carved during the Jin Dynasty (the name “Ganglong,” meaning “snow valley” in Tibetan, comes from the valley’s winter snow that is slow to melt). The grottoes are hewn into a red sandstone cliff that stretches 100 meters from north to south and is 50 meters high, consisting of one...
Camel Bend The Hulu River flows eastward until it reaches Chuma Pass in Zhugou Township, where it breaks through the obstruction of a rocky mountain, causing the river to sharply turn south. The upper part of this mountain resembles camel humps, the middle part resembles a camel’s neck, and the lower part resembles a camel’s head — together forming the appearance of a lying camel. The river winds around it, hence the name “Camel Bend.”…