Main Ingredients: Pearl, nine-eyed stone, saffron, sandalwood, aquilaria wood, clove, emblica fruit, strawberry, highland codonopsis, licorice, bezoar, musk, and 70 other ingredients. Properties: This product is a black water pill; it has an aromatic aroma, and tastes sweet, astringent, and bitter. Functions and Indications: Calms the nerves, sedates, unblocks meridians and collaterals, harmonizes qi and blood, …
This product consists of the dried rhizome and roots of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang or Notopterygium forbesii Boiss., plants of the Umbelliferae family. Harvested in spring and autumn...
The geographical indication area for Xinghai yak meat products covers Xinghai County, located in the southwestern part of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It lies at the core of the "Three-River-Source" National Nature Reserve. The average elevation of Xinghai County is 3,924 meters. To the east, it borders the Yellow River and faces Guinan and Tongde counties across the river; to the south, it adjoins Maqen County…
Midsummer to early winter is the golden season when the grass is lush and the sheep are fat — the best time to enjoy the freshest and most tender grilled lamb eaten by hand. During this period, if distinguished guests arrive, after serving them milk tea, the hospitable herders will go to the flock to select a plump and tender castrated ram. They slaughter it on the spot, skin it, and put it in the pot. In the time it takes to exchange pleasantries over three bowls of milk tea, a large...
This is a traditional Tibetan food. However, since most of Qinghai is populated by Tibetan communities, eating tsampa is not unusual. It is made from highland barley flour, which is roasted and then mixed with butter as a binding agent. The process involves melting the butter in hot milk tea, adding an appropriate amount of roasted barley flour, stirring it into a dough-like consistency, and then shaping it with your hands...
Cuncuner is a traditional soup noodle dish from Qinghai. The dough is made from wheat flour and kneaded to a relatively firm consistency, then rolled thin and cut into short strips about 2 inches long and as wide as chive leaves. Once boiled, the noodles are ready to serve. When the soup is served with diced meat and vegetables, it's called Meat Cuncuner; when it includes radish, potatoes, and vegetables garnished with scallions, it's called Vegetarian Cuncuner. …
Yak of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Origin (or distribution): Found in the alpine regions of southern and northern Qinghai Province. Population: In 1981, the herd stood at 3.46 million. Key characteristics: Due to the presence of wild yak genetic traits, this yak exhibits features of the wild yak and has a compact build. Blackish-brown accounts for 72%. The lips, eye rims, and short hair along the backline are mostly grayish-white or dirty white. It has a large head, thick horns, and cows have long heads and broad foreheads, also with horns. The withers are high, long, and wide; the forequarters are well-developed while the hindquarters are less so. The udder is small, bowl-shaped, with short teats. Adult bulls stand 129 cm tall and weigh 440 kg, while cows measure 111 cm and weigh 260 kg. The slaughter rate for adult castrated yaks is 53%, with a net meat yield of 43%. The lactation period is generally 150 days, yielding about 274 kg of milk per year, or 1.4–1.7 kg per day, with a milk fat content of 6.4–7.2%. Adult yaks produce 1.2–2.6 kg of wool annually, half of which is coarse hair and half fine undercoat. Coarse hair diameter is 65–73 microns, kemp hair 38–39 microns, and undercoat 17–20 microns. Coarse hair is 18.3–34 cm long, and undercoat 4.7–5.5 cm. They can carry loads of 50–100 kg, with a maximum load of 304 kg. Bulls reach sexual maturity at 2 years, cows at 2–2.5 years. The reproduction survival rate is 60%, with 60% of females giving birth to one calf per year and 3% having twins.
The Tibetan regions of Qinghai Province are a sea of milk. From spring to summer, and from summer to autumn, fresh milk flows ceaselessly into buckets. Making yogurt from milk is a beloved delicacy enjoyed by Tibetans of all ages. Preparation method: 1. Boil the milk, pour it into a container, add a small amount of plain yogurt as a starter, and maintain a temperature of 30–40°C to allow lactic acid...
Hand-pulled dough pieces (Mashi'er) are a distinctive type of noodle dish with strong regional characteristics. Some versions involve rolling the dough very thin and cutting it into small squares. The squares are then pinched diagonally, rolled slightly, and boiled in a pot with various seasonings, beef, mutton, potatoes, and other vegetables until cooked. They have a unique and delicious flavor. Originally, they were a breakfast food...
Guideyn Black Tibetan Sheep are primarily bred in Guideyn County and can also be found sporadically in counties around Qinghai Lake. The lambs produce wool that is shiny black and aesthetically pleasing, known as "black-purple lamb." Tibetan sheep, also referred to as Tibetan-type sheep, with the English name Tibetan sheep, are one of China’s three major primitive sheep breeds. They are mainly distributed across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with Qinghai being a primary...
Guinan Tibetan Embroidery is a specialty of Guinan County in Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Tibetan embroidery is one of the most influential art forms among China’s ethnic minority embroidery traditions. It is the product of the fusion between the farming culture and Buddhist culture of the snowy Tibetan region, embodying the wisdom and creativity of Tibetan working women, and is recognized as one of the outstanding traditional folk cultures of the Tibetan people. Located in...
Guide County Rapeseed Flower Honey is a specialty of Guide County in Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Rapeseed honey is an extra light amber-colored, transparent, viscous liquid or crystallized form, with a sweet taste that carries the distinctive floral aroma of the nectar source plants. Guide County is one of the main rapeseed-producing areas in Qinghai Province, with an annual production reaching 26 million jin. The rapeseed flower honey here...
Birch sap is the liquid extracted from beneath the bark of birch trees. In the golden autumn, the birch forests on the Qinghai Plateau present a breathtaking scene — golden leaves set against red-and-white tree trunks. But who would have thought that while ancient people used birch bark to make quivers and storage boxes, modern people tap the living trees to extract the sap as a beverage. The sap is milky white...
A dish made with Hu fish from Qinghai Lake. The fish is prepared with evenly and neatly cut slices. After cooking, the fish meat curls outward like fur, the tail stands up, resembling a squirrel—hence the name. It features a bright red color, a sweet-and-sour taste, and a crispy outside with a tender inside. Ingredients: Hu fish, refined salt, cooking wine, flour, sugar, vinegar, pepper powder, chili powder, ginger powder. Method: 1, …
The Long-Handle Pear belongs to the White Pear variety, though some classify it under the Xinjiang Pear system. Also known as the Sweet Pear or Long-Stem Pear, its stem is about four-fifths the length of the fruit. The pear is inverted egg-shaped, typically weighing between 80 and 150 grams. Its skin is yellow-green, the flesh is tender and white, with a crisp yet soft texture, juicy and fragrant, and contains over 10% sugar content. The Guide County Long-Handle Pear is…
When the young antler of a male deer has not yet hardened into bone, and is still covered in velvet and filled with blood, it is called deer antler. It is a precious traditional Chinese medicine used as a tonic to strengthen the body, and is effective for conditions such as weakness and neurasthenia. This product is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, listed as a “medium-grade” herb in the “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica.” There are now many types and specifications available on the market, including…
Qinghai is located in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, featuring high altitude, pleasant summer weather, long sunshine hours, and fresh air — conditions that are particularly suitable for growing rapeseed. As a result, from June to August every year, thousands of beekeepers flock to the Hehuang Valley, along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, and around the shores of Qinghai Lake, placing their countless beehives amidst fields blanketed with golden rapeseed flowers. For a time, the land echoes with the sounds of cattle and sheep, the buzzing of bees, wisps of smoke curling up, and the melodies of herders’ songs — creating an atmosphere of joy akin to the poetic line “Grieved that spring has gone with nowhere to be found, not knowing it has come here.” Occasionally, stepping into a beekeeper’s tent to sip a taste of the clear, golden honey or sample some shimmering royal jelly leaves a lingering sweetness on the palate, brightens the spirit, and lifts the mood, as if one has entered a paradise on earth. Qinghai honey is predominantly pure rapeseed blossom honey, known for its genuine flavor, clarity, and light amber hue. Thanks to the region’s strong sunlight, which acts as a natural sterilizer, minimal air pollution, and high sugar content with low levels of heavy metals, it enjoys an excellent reputation internationally. The honey boasts an amylase value as high as 29.4%, glucose content exceeding 30%, and fructose making up over 50% of its reducing sugars. It also contains a variety of vitamins and organic acids essential for human health, yet is completely fat-free. This makes it smooth and palatable, sweet without being cloying, free of side effects, and highly nutritious — often referred to as a “fat-free, nutrient-rich food” and truly a premium product. Honey is not only a great tonic but also a natural remedy with multiple therapeutic benefits. It can help alleviate neurasthenia, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cirrhosis, acute and chronic hepatitis, and hypochromic anemia. It is also effective in treating symptoms such as dry mouth due to fluid deficiency, sore throat, dry cough, persistent cough, constipation, and gastric or duodenal ulcers. Hence, it is often called a “natural medicine” and a “tonic for the people.”
Kunlun Jade is produced near the Jade Maiden Peak and the Queen Mother’s Jade Pool at the southern foot of the Kunlun Mountains in Golmud City, Qinghai Province, at an altitude of over 4,200 meters. It shares the same properties, color, and quality as Hetian Jade from the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, making them sister jades. It also has the same tremolite mineral structure as Russian Jade and Pakistani Jade, and is referred to as "Qing Jade" or "Treasure Jade." It differs from "semi-jade" or "fake jade" found in northeastern China, the Central Plains, and Myanmar, which are composed of minerals such as plagioclase, serpentine, or kaolinite. Kunlun Jade has a hardness ranging from 6.2 to 7.5, a specific gravity of 2.7 to 3.1, a density of 2.9, and a tremolite content of over 93%, appearing semi-transparent with a dense cloud-like appearance. Based on color characteristics, it is categorized into White Jade, Bluish-White Jade, Green Jade, Smoky Green Jade, Jadeite-Green Jade, and Sugar Jade.
Pulu is a high-quality wool textile handmade by Tibetan people, used as clothing material or decoration. It is made from Xining wool through processes such as spinning, dyeing, weaving, and finishing. Traditional varieties include Jiacui pulu, Maohua pulu, and Miansha pulu. Jiacui pulu is about as thick as overcoat cloth, woven in twill pattern, with each piece featuring colors such as purplish-red, …
Tibetan boots are essential items for Tibetan and Mongolian people living in pastoral areas. Archaeological findings show that as early as the late Neolithic Age, leather boots were already being made in the Dulan County area of Qinghai Province. These primitive boots were crafted from cowhide, using thick leather for the soles and thinner leather for the uppers, stitched together with strips of cow or sheep skin...