Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake - Introduction

The first beautiful sight spot on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the Qinghai Lake. It was chosen as "the most beautiful lake of China" by Chinese National Geography in 2005. It is just about 100 kilometers to Xining.

The Qinghai Lake was named "West Sea" in ancient. It is named "Cuowenbo" in Tibetan language which means "Cyan Ocean". It was renamed to Qinghai Lake in North Wei Dynasty. The Qinghai Lake is the largest salt-water lake of China. It covers over 4400 kilometers. In 1992, the Qinghai Lake was listed as international important nunja. As the natural reserve under state protection, the Qinghai Lake is the richest treasure-house of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau biological diversity. There are procapra przewalskii, snow leopard, equus kiang, black-necked crane, haliaeetus leucoryphus and other 37 kinds of wild animals which under state protection at the Qinghai Lake district.

Qinghai Lake – Highlights

In most travelers' eyes, the Qinghai Lake is the most worth visit sight spot of Qinghai Province. The blue water in the Qinghai Lake connects it with the sky. It is like a giant jade set among high mountains and pasture, making up a grand and beautiful picture with mountain, lake and pasture.

The Qinghai Lake will show different color in different seasons. In summer and autumn, the color of Qinghai Lake is same as sky. The bank of Qinghai Lake is the pasture with blooming flowers. In the cold winter, white snow and glacier decorate Qinghai Lake as a giant precious mirror which will shine under the sunshine.

The girth of Qinghai Lake is 360 kilometers. In the summer of every year, there are blooming flowers, flying birds, green pasture on the south of Qinghai Lake. The herds of sheep on the green pasture looks like the floating white clouds on the sky.

The altitude of Qinghai Lake surface is 3260 meters. The water in the lake is blue. From April to July in every year, about ten thousands migrant birds from south of China and Southeast Asia will gather on the island in Qinghai Lake. Some of them will fly in the blue sky, some of them with have fun on the blue water surface, and some of them will perch on the beach. You may hear the sound of birds ten kilometers far. The scene is very magnificent.