Ancient City of Danggar

　　The Ancient City of Danggar in Huangyuan, Qinghai, is renowned as the "Throat of Qinghai-Tibet" and the "Tea-Horse Trade Capital." Danggar, a Mongolian transliteration of the Tibetan "Dongke'er," means "white conch." Located on the north bank of the Yellow River, by the shores of West Sea and at the source of the Huangshui River, it lies 40 kilometers from Xining. Here, the Loess Plateau meets the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where farming culture intersects with nomadic culture, and the ancient Tang-Tibet Road crosses the southern Silk Road. Numerous ethnic groups have gathered here, earning it the titles "Throat of Qinghai-Tibet," "Tea-Horse Trade Capital," and "Little Beijing."

　　Since the Western Han Dynasty, Danggar has been a vital trade hub. During the Tang Dynasty, the first tea-horse trade market on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was established at the foot of today’s Moon Mountain between the Tang Empire and the Tibetan Empire. By 1924, commercial trade had reached its peak, with merchants thronging the city and business flourishing. The Ancient City of Danggar is also a religious sanctuary. With the development of commerce and cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups, numerous temples were built within the city, including the City God Temple, Golden Buddha Temple, Fire God Pavilion, Jade Emperor Temple, Guan Yu Temple, God of Wealth Temple, a cluster of temples on Beiji Mountain, and the Mosque. These structures feature grand architecture, exquisite murals, and vividly showcase the core values of Han culture (centered around Confucianism and Taoism), Tibetan culture (centered around Tibetan Buddhism), and Hui culture (centered around Islam).

　　The Ancient City of Danggar is also a religious sanctuary. The city takes its name from the famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery Dongke’er. In the fifth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1648), the Dongke’er Monastery was relocated from Tibet to a site 100 meters east of the ancient city, becoming a widely renowned monastery in both Qinghai and Tibet. With the growth of commerce and interethnic cultural exchange, additional temples such as the City God Temple, Golden Buddha Temple, Fire God Pavilion, Jade Emperor Temple, Guan Yu Temple, God of Wealth Temple, a cluster of temples on Beiji Mountain, and the Mosque were constructed in the ancient city. These religious buildings are grand in scale, rigorously laid out, exquisitely carved, and adorned with beautiful murals, radiating an air of profound mystery. They also vividly display Han culture rooted in Confucianism and Taoism, Tibetan culture centered on Tibetan Buddhism, and Hui culture centered on Islam. Moreover, Danggar is a city of culture where diverse ethnicities converge and cultures thrive, forming a distinctive regional culture. Every tile, brick, door, and window, as well as the courtyards and lanes, carry ancient and splendid cultural imprints. The city also preserves numerous poems by celebrated figures, mythological legends, folk arts such as lanterns, paper-cutting, traditional performing arts, and sheepskin embroidery, as well as traditional folk activities like the “Hua’er” singing gatherings, mountain worship festivals, temple fairs, Buddhist ceremonies, Confucius worship, and sea worship, all enriching the city’s deep cultural heritage.