Qinghai Qiuzi Pear is a specialty of Guide County in Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Also known as Pingding Soft Pear, the Qinghai Qiuzi Pear grows in the arid regions of northern China. Though not particularly attractive in appearance, it boasts a honey-like sweetness that is truly refreshing. The Qiuzi Pear is usually spherical in shape, with a short, thick stem at the top and a slightly indented bottom resembling a belly button…
Guide Pear is a specialty of Guide County in Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It has been awarded a National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark. Every golden October, Guide County—known as the “Little Jiangnan of Qinghai”—is filled with the bountiful harvest of fruits and melons. Baskets of greenish-yellow Guide Pears exude an enticingly sweet and sour aroma on every street corner...
Guide Honey is milky white or golden yellow at room temperature, fully crystallized, with no signs of fermentation. It has the fragrance of nectar plants and a sweet, smooth, and delicate taste. Guide Honey has been awarded the status of a Geographical Indication Protected Product. Quality and Technical Requirements for Guide Honey: I. Nectar Plant Sources within the production area include rapeseed (Brassica campestris…
The 2,000-ton Yijia Yuan Vegetable Cold Storage facility built in Guide County has been put into use. Vegetable production in Hainan Prefecture is gradually moving toward centralized and large-scale operations. Leveraging the registered “Guide Chili” trademark, Guide County cultivates 500 acres of pollution-free chili peppers in Huanghe Village, Garang Township, and extends chili cultivation to surrounding villages such as Erlian and Xiwang, covering 2,600 acres outdoors...
An edible alga of the genus Nostoc in the family Nostocaceae. It grows close to the ground, hence called "dipicai" (ground skin) or "diruan" (ground soft). It is tea-brown and sheet-like. Mainly produced in Guide, Haidong, Xining, and Menyuan. It grows in dry grasslands and desertified grasslands at altitudes of 1,800–2,800 meters. It is highly drought-resistant—drying to the point where it can be crumbled by hand—but revives upon contact with water. It also withstands cold, surviving even at –…
Originally, fermented glutinous rice wine is a fermented food made from glutinous rice and sweet koji in the rice-producing regions of southern China. Qinghai does not produce glutinous rice, so this snack was entirely introduced from inland China and is said to have a history of nearly a hundred years. After taking root in Xining, local vendors, through years of practice and reinvention, added ingredients such as eggs and milk during preparation, giving the fermented glutinous rice wine…
The naked carp of Qinghai Lake belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Schizothoracinae, and genus Gymnocypris. Common names include Huangyu (Yellow Fish), Huayu (Flower Fish), Gouyu (Dog Fish), and Scaleless Fish. It has an elongated, slightly laterally compressed body, a conical head, a bluntly rounded snout, and a large, subterminal, horseshoe-shaped mouth. The upper jaw slightly protrudes, and the anterior edge of the lower jaw lacks sharp keratinized projections. The lower lip is narrow and underdeveloped, divided into left and right lobes;…
Qinghai is located in a high-altitude, cold region where people are accustomed to drinking as part of daily life, especially during the annual Spring Festival when drinking takes on a special charm. The representative product of highland barley wine is the Huzhu series, made primarily from highland barley — a unique grain crop of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It uses the traditional Tianyude highland barley brewing technique, which boasts over 300 years of history, combined with scientific formulations...
Yogurt is a unique dairy-based cold beverage on the grasslands. From midsummer to late autumn, when the milking season peaks in pastoral areas, it is also the time to make cool, fresh, and tender yogurt. In agricultural and semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral regions, there is also a habit of eating yogurt. Especially among the Hui people, they use small bowls to make yogurt from boiled milk, and deliberately drip...
The carving process is relatively simple, and the tools are quite rudimentary. Artisans use hammers and steel chisels to carve on uneven stone surfaces, depending on the size of the stone and the amount of text. They either carve the designs in relief (raised) or intaglio (indented), and some stones require color decoration, where paints are diluted and mixed with milk...
Qilian Yak is a specialty of Qilian County, Haibei Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The production area of Qilian Yak is located in Qilian County, which lies within the relatively isolated Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, recognized globally as one of the "ultra-clean zones." The geographical indication protection area for this product encompasses towns and townships within Qilian County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, including E’bao Town, A’rou Township, Bao’bao Town, Mole Town, Yeniugou Township, Yanglong Township, and Zhamashi…
Qilian Tibetan Sheep is a specialty of Qilian County, Haibei Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The production area of Qilian Tibetan Sheep, Qilian County, is located in the relatively isolated Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, recognized globally as one of the “ultra-clean zones.” The geographical indication protection area covers towns and townships within Qilian County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, including Ebo Town, Arou Township, BaoBao Town, Mole Town, Yeniugou Township, Yanglong Township, and Zhamashi Township. The county spans a total area of 14,000 square kilometers, with grassland covering 17.6411 million mu, of which 15.5205 million mu are usable. Qilian Tibetan Sheep are a type of “plateau-type” Tibetan sheep and one of China’s ancient and primitive breeds. They thrive in harsh climates and the unpredictable high-altitude environment, maintained through pure natural grazing—grazed during the day and herded back at night. The carcass meat of Qilian Tibetan Sheep is red with a shine, featuring dense muscle fibers that are tough yet elastic, and white fat. When boiled, it has no gamey smell, offering a delicious, pure taste, pleasant texture, well-balanced fat-to-lean ratio, and rich aroma. Its meat is rich in 18 amino acids, essential trace elements such as iron, zinc, and selenium, as well as abundant vitamins, making it high in protein and low in fat. With a full range of amino acid types, it stands out uniquely among lamb varieties. Historically inhabited by the Qiang people, the region—according to "Shuowen Jiezi • Sheep Radical"—interprets “Qiang” as “Western barbarians who herd sheep. The character combines ‘person’ and ‘sheep’; the sheep also provides the sound.” The people of Qilian continue traditional methods, stewing large chunks of lamb in big iron pots over high heat, serving them immediately once boiled, commonly called “pot-opened meat,” known for its tender texture and pure flavor. Sheep blood is poured into cleaned small intestines and boiled to make “blood sausage,” a staple dish served to guests by herders. Tibetan people often serve lamb to guests, with the piece of meat from the lower part of the spine, including the tail, considered the most prestigious, offered to the most respected guest. During cooking, a tuft of white hair is left at the end of the tail as a symbol of good fortune.
Qilian County, home to some of China’s most beautiful grasslands, is a major livestock production base in Qinghai Province. The county boasts 17.6411 million mu of grassland, with a sheep population of 1.17 million and 124,300 yaks. As Qinghai’s reputation for pure, natural, and pollution-free green agriculture grows, Qilian beef and mutton have also become recognized as green food...
The plant name of the yellow mushroom is Armillaria luteo-virens, with a medium-sized fruiting body. The cap is thick, fleshy, 5–9 cm wide, convex to flattened, sulfur-yellow in color, nearly white when dried, with fine filamentous scales, and edges that curl inward. The flesh is white and thick. The gills are similar in color to the cap, slightly dense, decurrent, and of unequal length. The stipe is columnar, 3.5—…
Rhodiola is widely distributed across Tibet and Qinghai, with over thirty species found in large quantities. It is a commonly used Tibetan medicine. It grows in cold, high-altitude regions at elevations between 1,700 and 5,000 meters, characterized by low temperatures, thin air, intense ultraviolet radiation, and large diurnal temperature variations. It is especially abundant in the crevices of rocks on the shady slopes of mountains and in high-altitude gravel zones. In Tibetan, it is called “Suoluo…”
Lamb Under the Blanket is a famous local delicacy in Qinghai. The main ingredient is premium Tibetan lamb — one of the finest types of lamb meat available. The dish uses plump, tender lambs aged between 1 to 3 months that have been both nursing and grazing. After slaughtering, the meat is cut into small chunks about two inches in size, stir-fried in oil, seasoned with spices, and simmered in water until slightly boiled. Then, the broth is drained. Slices of...
The Ledu crabapple is brightly colored, juicy, fragrant, crisp, and sweet. The crabapple is one of the fruits in the apple genus. It is also known as honghua (flower red), xiangguo (fragrant fruit), and lengjindan (cold golden pill). The crabapple has a sweet and warm nature and is rich in nutrients.…
"Haiyan Lamb" is rich in various essential amino acids required by the human body, characterized by its bright red meat color and tender muscle fibers. The First Lamb Culinary Festival: In July 2004, the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Xining City jointly held the first National Lamb Culinary and Cultural Festival at Jinyintan in Haiyan County, showcasing the distinctive qualities of Haiyan lamb and marking the beginning of...
The "Haiyan Yak" is characterized by high protein content, high caloric value, and a complete range of amino acids. In the Tibetan oral epic "Gesar," the yak is described as an immensely powerful deity. In the section titled "The World’s Public Sacrifice," the red-horned wild yak that serves as the soul vessel of the demon king of the Northern Demon Kingdom is enraged by the juniper smoke lit during the fumigation ritual performed by the people of the Ling region...
Haiyan Sheep Intestine Noodles is a specialty snack from Haiyan County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The soup of Haiyan Sheep Intestine Noodles has a light yellow hue, with clean-looking intestine segments, pale pink tripe, golden noodles, chopped green onions floating on top, and diced radish settling at the bottom. The intestine pieces are crispy yet tender, and the noodles are long and refreshing—making this dish widely loved. Sheep intestine noodles are a common and distinctive local snack in Haiyan County. It is made with...