Holiday Destination: Xining

Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, China, and the largest city on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and was a stronghold of the Han, Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties' resistance against nomadic attacks from the west. Although long a part of Gansu province, Xining was added to Qinghai in 1928. Xining holds sites of religious significance to Muslims and Buddhists, including the Dongguan Mosque and Ta'er Monastery. The city lies in the Huangshui River valley, and owing to its high altitude, has a cold semi arid climate. It is connected by rail to Lhasa in Tibet and Lanzhou in Gansu. During the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, owing to its developing agriculture, Xining was paid more attention due to its economic and martial significance. As well as being the important hinge between the central plains and the western part of China in ancient time, Xining was the most common passing channel of the famous Silk Road.

Climate

Summer 17.3 °C (63.1 °F), Winter (−7.4) °C (18.7 °F)

Tourist Season

Winter season is the best for tourism in Xining.

Accommodation

Hotels.

General Information Of Xining

• Land Area: 2,846 sq mi (7,372 km2)
• Population: 22 Lakh.
• Capital City: Qinghai.
• Language: Chinese and English.

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Xining

Silk Road is the Most Famous Attraction in Xining

The Silk Road is a historically important international trade route between China and the Mediterranean. Because silk comprised a large proportion of trade along this road, in 1877, it was named the Silk Road by Ferdinand von Richthofen, an eminent German geographer. The Silk Road is not only an ancient international trade route, but also a splendid cultural bridge liking the cultures of China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greek and Rome. The Four Great Inventions of China and religions of the West were introduced into their counterparts.

Taer Monastery

Tsongkhapa founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, was born in today's Huangzhong County where the Tar Monastery was founded. The Ta'er Lamasery, a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Qinghai Province, was recently renovated, restoring it to its former glory. Hoping to be the first worshippers to the lamasery after its renovation, pilgrims of different ethnic groups came from near and far. Some of them, in ethnic clothes and ornaments, carried abundant packages of offerings some rotated a prayer wheel in their hands while chanting; and some lay flat or knelt on the ground, praying for the happiness and well being of their families.

Dongguan Mosque

Dongguan Mosque is a mosque in Xining, Qinghai province, China. Dongguan Mosque in Xining is one of the largest mosques in northwest China with a history more than 600 years. Architecture of the mosque combines traditional Chinese style and the local features, with grand appearance and delicate, dazzlingly inside ornaments. The mosque has a prayer hall which can hold up to 3,000 people. Now this mosque serves as an educational center and institution of higher learning for Islamism, and also is the leading mosque in Qinghai.

Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake, formerly known as Koko Nur or Kukunor, is a saline and alkaline lake situated on the Tibetan Plateau in the province of Qinghai, and is the largest lake in China. The names Qinghai and Koko Nur both in Chinese and Mongolian. It is located about 100 km west of the provincial capital of Xining at 3,205 m above sea level in a depression of the Tibetan Plateau in the cultural area known to ethnic Tibetans as Amdo. Twenty three rivers and streams empty into Qinghai Lake, most of them seasonal. Five permanent streams provide 80% of total influx. The lake has fluctuated in size, shrinking over much of the 20th century, but increasing since 2004.

Bird Island

The Bird Island in Qinghai Lake ranks the top among the eight birds natural resorts. It is consisted of two parts. As a result of the mild climate in spring, summer and fall, most of the migratory birds such as bareheaded goose, brown headed gull, cormorant, sea gull flock from Southeast Asia, India, Burma or South China to Qinghai Lake and breed here in late May. Every May and June, the best time of bird watching, migratory birds fly from faraway mountains and deserts to breed here. It is quite a spectacle of thousands of birds flying over the sky, with their nests thickly dotted and colorful eggs interspersed all over the island. Besides, Haixi Shan, Shadao, Sankuaishi, Erlang Sword Peninsula, and Qinghai Lake Fishery are scenic spots in Qinghai Lake that are worth visiting.

Sun & Moon Mountain

Sun and Moon Mountain is located in the 40 miles away from the Huangyuan County in Qinghai Province. The average sea level of this mountain is about 4,000 mt. Sun and Moon Mountain is a natural boundary in China. It is the boundary of the Loess Plateau and Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, the agricultural area and the grassland farming area, monsoon area and non-monsoon area. On the east side of Sun and Moon Mountain, farmlands form a poetic picture in frontier place. And on the west side, the vast grassland and groups of sheep and caw form a nomadic picture. It is rarely to see the great difference between the two sides of this mountain.

Qinghai Museum

Qinghai Provincial Museum, located at Xining City, is a provincial level comprehensive museum of China. The Museum building used to be residence of Ma Bufang, a local warlord of Qinghai. At present the Museum, covering an area of 30,000 square meters with a floor space of 6,000 square meters, is one of the historical sites under the protection of the province. At 4 Weimin Alleyway, Xining, with 10,000 exhibits, Qinghai Museum is a nice place.

Northern Buddhist Temple

Northern Buddhist Temple covers an area of 28,000 sq mt and it leans against Northern Mountain in a northern suburb of Xining City, hence the name Northern Mountain Temple. Featuring Buddhist architecture and Taoist architecture styles it is renowned by its name A Bright Pearl on the Southern Path of the Silk Road. Northern Buddhist Temple was constructed in Northern Wei Dynasty and it is the earliest example of religious architecture in Qinghai Province. It was built based on a natural faultage on the mountainside according to Danxia Landscape featuring stone alternating between softness and hardness. Looking up you can see the crag and looking down you can see the cleft. Only the temple hangs in the middle, hence its other name Xuankong Temple. It is the second largest Xuankong Temple in China. There are a total of 99 caverns with four layers including a single cave and cave groups inside Northern Buddhist Temple arraying from west to east.

Kanbula Forest Park

Kanbula National Forest Park is located in Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in rural Kanbula Jianzha County, 200 km from Xining in Qinghai Province. With an altitude of 2,100 to 4,000 meters above sea level, it borders on the Yellow River in the north, abutting against the famous Liajiaxia Hydroelectric Power Station. Lofty mountains extend far away with trees covered resembling a forest sea. The weather amid the mountains can change very frequently. There are deflated hills formed in the northwest of Qaidam Basin for the long term erosion of wind and sand, which are called red cloud landforms. The unique Kanbula red cloud landforms are mainly featured by wonderful peaks, high mountains, caves, precipitous cliffs and many rock peaks, stone columns and stone walls in shapes.

Laoye Mountain

Laoye Mountain is located at Qiaotou town of the Datong County, 35 kilometers south of Qinghai Xining city. The mountains are all high and steep and the scenery is beautiful. Laoye Mountain acquires its fame because the Duke Guan temple was constructed on the mountain and there is the Duke Guan sculpture in the temple. The Limestone forms high peak grotto and canyon, the hills are steep and the cliff are precipitous. It has different scenery during the four seasons, and the vegetation growth are luxuriant; mainly consists of the spruce, willow tree, Chinese white poplar, Chinese tamarisk and many other types of bushes.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Hui Middle School

Chengdong, Xining, China

Republican overpass

Kunlun Road
Chengdong, Xining, China

Airports in or Near by

Xining Caojiabu Airport: For international and domestic flights.

Railway Stations

Xining railway station

Qilian Road, Chengdong
Xining, Qinghai, China

Xining West Railway Station

Chengbei
Xining, Qinghai, China