Qinghai Province (青海)

Qinghai Province (青海) 外国人写的一条游记



Qinghai is one of China’s poorest provinces, and it is also one of the smallest in terms of foreign tourism. But that may be beginning to change, thanks in part to the construction of the Lhasa railway. Xining, the capital of Qinghai, is becoming a popular spot to wait for your Tibet Travel Permit. If you can’t get to Tibet proper, Qinghai’s population is roughly 20 percent Tibetan. You can get a taste of Tibetan culture at the monasteries in Tongren or around Xining. For those in Gansu already, Qinghai is just a quick hop across the border.


Xining (西宁), Qinghai Province

Xining, like Lanzhou, Changsha and the other provincial capitals I’ve seen, is a pretty generic Chinese city. But like the province it represents, Xining definitely reflects the greater ethnic diversity of western China. The monstrously huge mosque is surrounded by a lively Muslim quarter. The city’s largest market sells a vast array of local snacks, some quite different from anything I’ve seen elsewhere in China. Many tourists will end up in Xining only in transit to another destination. But the rich blend of cultures and the exciting day trips around the city make it possible to enjoy a longer stay.
Eateries


Shuijing Xiang Market,Xining (西宁)

Bai mian piThe Shuijing Xiang Market (水井巷商场) is huge, with sections dedicated to meat, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, you name it. It also has a wide array of hot food stalls, making it a great place to stop for lunch on your way back from the provincial museum. This is a good place to sample the Xining version of rou jia bing or bai niang pi (拜酿皮), the weirdly glutinous cold noodle dish at right.

The market is located southeast of the West Gate and sprawls across several streets.


Tongren (同仁), Qinghai Province



The monasteries in Tongren, called Repkong/Rebkong/Rebgong in Tibetan, are noted producers of Tibetan art. The beautiful thangkas — Buddhist paintings — produced here are among the most famous in the world. Visitors come to see, and often buy, the works produced by the town’s monks and lay artists. Aside from the monasteries, however, Tongren has little to offer. The downtown is a fairly generic example of a rapidly-developing Chinese town, and the restaurants and accommodations are unremarkable.


Buying Thangkas

If you’ve fallen in love with Tibetan art, Tongren is a good place to find a piece to bring home with you. The town’s many artists have pieces available of every size and price point. Large poster-sized thangkas cost thousands of RMB, but the price depends on the level of detail as well as the size. Which is why the painting I liked best, despite being half the size of the largest thangkas, was the most expensive we saw (4000 RMB). We did most of our shopping on the stretch of road between the Upper and Lower monasteries of Wutun Si, though we also peeked into shops in the monasteries themselves. You’ll definitely want to shop around — the quality and styles varied noticeably from shop to shop. We all ended up buying small thangkas, not much bigger than a sheet of computer paper, for 300 RMB. The painters rolled up the canvases and tucked them into protective plastic tubes so that no damage would ensue during the rest of our travels.

Transportation

Xining is part of the rail network, so you can get here from pretty much anywhere in China. Buses connect the city with Tongren (5 hours, 32.50), Lanzhou, Xiahe, and Hezuo (a transit point for Langmusi). The bus and train stations are located near each other in the northeast of the city.

Xining is a stop on the train line to Lhasa and is a popular starting-off point for travelers to Tibet. You will need to contact a local travel agency, such as Tibetan Connections, to set up the necessary paperwork and hire a guide. While the paperwork is being processed, you will need to kill a few days in Xining. In addition to the sites above, consider spending a night in Tongren.