Qinghai Lake
Located in northeast Qinghai Province, 150 kilometers from Xining, Qinghai Lake, “a blue sea” in Mongolian and Tibetan, is the largest inland salt lake in China with an area of 4,500sq.km and an altitude of 3,195m , after which Qinghai Province was named. It is fascinating in its vast expanse of misty and wavy blue water.
Qinghai Lake is a beautiful inland alpine lake in Northwest China. Over the centuries, its splendid scenery and rich aquatic resources have attracted millions of tourists and numerous valiant pioneers who admire it for its vastness, splendor and mysteriousness, landing it as a sparkling diamond set in the Qinghai Plateau.
The lake offers year-round pleasure. Many prefer when it is a green and lively world. The mountains and grassland wear a green blanket with herds of cattle and sheep dispersed over the grassland. The bank is connected with stretching farmlands, which is prospering with blooming rape flowers and rolling with wheat waves, sending blasts of fragrance to the lake. The water of the lake is also very limpid, which reflects the pretty green mountains in the deep like a mirror. The color changes with time and varies in different depth of the lake, which produces a sense of mystery, hence the name ‘Seven-Colored Lake’. As a result of the teeming fish on the lake, the mouth of the nearby river has a yellow color to it as the fish float close to the surface. Many birds are also attracted to this beautiful lake and bountiful surroundings, resulting in this place being a kingdom for birds’ watchers.
When the cold winter comes, the world becomes a bit quieter and duller, but the glamour of Qinghai Lake doesn’t diminish much. At this time, the leaf-yellow mountains put on a new suit of clothes as they become blanketed with new-fallen snow. The snow and ice covered surface of the lake shines brightly in the sun, adding another degree of beauty to the lake. The famous ‘Icy Fish’ are very easy to catch at this time because they are confined by the ice. An interesting fact is that when a hole is dug in the ice, it is easy to trick the fish out of the water.
The famous spots here are Haixin Shan (Hill of the Sea Heart), Shadao (Sand Island) and Niaodao (Bird Island), which are all islands in the lake. Each has their own wonders. Haixin Shan, also called ‘Immortal Hill’, has temples, lucid springs and green grassland on the island. It is said that Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty (581-618) had particularly ordained officials to raise horses here. Shadao is famous for its sand scenery, which is also a good place for swimming. Niaodao is the kingdom of birds, which can amount to more than 10 thousand in the summer.
The lake also abounds in fish. Qinghai Lake scaleless carp is a special product here. Local people say in midsummer fish like to swim on the water surface, and passersby can catch fish from the lake quite easily.
While boating on the lake, we felt this was quite true. For shoal after shoal of fish swam past our boat, so many sparkling reddish fish that it seemed you had just to extend your arm and a fish was already in your hand .
There are also other activities before and after the ceremony. When the time comes, crowds of people pour from all over the prairies to the shore, and a provisional town of hundreds of tents .
Tickets: 50 Yuan
Steamer Ticket: 40 Yuan
