Qinghai Lake Guide

Qinghai Lake is sandwiched between Hainan and Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in northeastern Qinghai. On the guide map of Qinghai,the Qinghai Lake water is by no means a single color at different times of day, during different seasons, and when viewed from different angles, its water appear in different colors, light green, blue, green, grey, orange, yellow and white. So wide a range of different colors in a single lake casts light on why it was referred to as the 'Fairy Sea' during the Han Dynasty. In winter, the lake is frozen, and it shines like a mirror in the sun. Harsh winds can pile up the ice on the banks in fantastic shapes. At the end of March, the ice begins to melt. In summer and autumn, the mountains and grass turn green, and beautiful flowers and grasses appear. At the tip of the peninsula on the western side of the lake are the 'Bird Islands' (Cormorant Island and Egg Island), which have been bird sanctuaries of the Qinghai Lake Natural Protection Zone since 1997. The lake often remains frozen for three months continuously in winter.

The Egg Island, also known as the Lesser West Hill, rises barely 7.6 meters above the water level. Small as it is, it is home to the greatest number of birds, over a hundred thousand of them, including the bar-headed goose, great black-headed gull and redneck gull. Every spring, huge flocks of these birds come to the traditional home of theirs to build nests and raise their chicks. The whole islet is densely populated with birds and many bird eggs have given rise to its name. Early summer is the best time to visit Bird Islet. At this time, it is covered with various birds' nests and colorful birds' eggs. Birds are flying, running and swimming everywhere, creating a busy and spectacular scene.

The lake has a number of attractions that draw travellers in this region in. Ornithologists, campers, hikers, botanists, swimmers, sailors, fishermen, loners and nomads all find areas of interest around the lake. The beauty here lies in its salty vastness and the remote peace that it instills. The colours that can be found around the lake are of purity and contrasts, from the deep yellows of oil seed rape against the cold blues of the lake to the dark greens of distant mountains against the fluffy white of bilious clouds.

• Dongguan Mosque
• Qinghai Lake
• Ta'er Monastery
• Longwu Temple
• Labrang Monastery
• Sun and Moon Mountain
• Regong Art
• Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region