Qinghai

Qinghai province lies in the Tibetan highlands at an average elevation of 3,000 m. The central region has the vast, swampy Qaidam basin, and in the northeast there is the large Qinghai Hu (blue sea) salt lake for which the province is named; it is the largest lake in China. In the precipitous mountain gorges of the south rise some of E Asia's greatest rivers; the Huang He (Yellow), the Chang, and the Mekong. Qinghai has little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. The annual precipitation averages 700 mm in the river valleys in the eastern part, while that in the Qaidam Basin in western Qinghai is below 50 mm. In some places it is only a little more than 10 mm. The province has a mean annual temperature of 0°to -8°C in the Southern Qinghai Plateau and the Qilian Mountain Area and 0°－6°C in other parts. Of its 3.77 million population, 1.43 million are from the Tibetan, Mongolian, Hui, Tu, Salar, Kazak and other minority nationalities.

Xining
Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, or actually, the only large city of the region. It has long been a commercial center and military garrison on the caravan route to Tibet. Xining lies in the Huangshui River Valley with a lot of mountains and ravines. It has a temperate plateau climate with an annual average temperature of 5.7oC, and has 129 frost-free days.
For tourists, the city is a convenient staging post for visiting Ta'er Monastery and the Qinghai Lake. Xining has many ancient relics, including the Great Mosque and the Beichan Temple.

Lake Qinghai - the Paradise of Birdwatchers
Qinghai means green lake in Chinese and it is the largest inland saltwater lake in China. Lying in the northeast of Qinghai Province, approximately 150km (193 miles) from Xining at 3,200 meters (10,500ft) above sea level, the lake stretches endlessly into the horizon. It has an area of 4,635 sq km and is more than 360km (220 miles) in circumference. Major sights on or around the lake are: Bird Island, Haixin Hill, Haixi Hill, Sankuaishi (Three Stones), and Sand Island. The lakehas an abundant supply of fish, which in turn attracts large flocks of birds including many migratory breeds. Because of protection efforts by the local government, more birds are finding refuge at Qinghai Lake. From March to April each year, when ice covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau starts to melt, more than 20 kinds of migrating birds fly over mountains to the Bird Islands to mate. The birds sometimes cover the sky over the islands and bird eggs can be found everywhere. Their warbles can be heard from miles away.