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China Travel Guide » Places in China » Qinghai Province
Places in China: Qinghai Province
A visit to the colder high elevations of Qinghai Province brings a somewhat different glimpse of China than a visit to many other areas of the country. The altitude of the province is often above three thousand metres, making for a cooler atmosphere. In fact, this province in northwestern China generally has cold weather and long winters. Summers are short and cool when compared to many other provinces. The best time to visit Qinghai would be from May to September. Even then, be prepared for great extremes in temperatures between daytime and nighttime.
Between the mountain ranges one finds agricultural and grasslands. The grasslands are home to the nomadic herdsmen who follow their herds of white sheep, yaks and the famous Qinghai horses. Agriculture and animal products are among the economic benefits of the province.
Other income for Qinghai includes hydropower, oil, natural gas, coal and iron production. The income for the province is not significant. In fact, the province produces less the three-tenths of one percent of China's GDP.
Tourism is getting a foothold in the province. Visitors come to see the variety in the people themselves. The ethnic makeup of the population is not the normal Chinese provincial type. Only fifty-four percent of the population are Han Chinese while Tibetans account for twenty-three percent. The Hui ethnic groups equal sixteen percent while the Tu groups come to four percent. The remainder of the province's people are Salar, Kazak and Mongol in origin.
The population of the province is low with the population density being 7.48 persons per square kilometre. The province covers 721,000 square kilometres with a total population of approximately 5.4 million people.
The three major rivers which begin in Qinghai are the Huang He (Yellow River), the Chang (Yangtze River) and the Mekong. They are major rivers in the country with origins in Qinghai Province. There is also a saltwater lake in the province, the largest saltwater lake in China. It is the namesake of the province, Qinghai Lake.
The only major city in Qinghai is the capital of the province, Xining. There is an airport there which connects with several cities in China. There are some attractions in Xining which visitors enjoy. One of them is Bird Island, which is an 800,000 square metre nature preserve where various wild birds can be watched. The best time to visit Bird Island is in the spring when they are breeding.
Tourism is catching on in Qinghai so the attractions will likely increase as time goes on. Advertising is ongoing, especially touting the beauties of the landscape as well as the attraction of the nomads herding their animals through the grasslands. Since it is near the original homeland of the current Dalai Lama, this province is favoured by visits of people wanting to learn more about him.
Major cities in Qinghai:
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