Regions & prefectures
ChinaRegions & prefectures
Qinghai
Asia’s water tower: the Yangtze, the Yellow River and the Mekong all rise here.
- Capital
- Xining
- Status
- Province
- Region
- Northwest China
- Must-see
- Lake Qinghai
- Local specialty
- Yak yoghurt, tsampa, lamb
On the Tibetan plateau, averaging three thousand metres, Qinghai corresponds largely to the old Tibetan province of Amdo, birthplace of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. Three of Asia’s greatest rivers rise here, in a protected area half the size of France. Lake Qinghai, salt and endorheic, is China’s largest; sheep and yaks make up the rest of the economy.
What to see there
Places, dishes and traditions tied to this territory.
In the magazine
Articles that cover this topic.