Qinghai Lake

Known as Water in the Heaven, Qinghai Lake is more than 100 km away from the city of Xining in Qinghai Province, is the largest inland saltwater lake in China. Its total area is 4,583 sq km. it extends limitlessly and magnificently on the plateau. Around the lake is an abundance of good pasture land and mist-covered mountains. Birds Island in the northwest of the lake is a nature reserve for migratory birds and allures visitors from all parts of China at the turn of summer.

The beautiful scenery of the lake is like a painting. When it is sunny with a gentle breeze, the water surface looks like a mirror decorated by the blue sky, white clouds, snowy peaks and green trees, but whenever it is windy, the tamed lake will make a thrilling sight of ferocious waves.

Bird Island is 500 m long and 150 m wide. Its shape is like a tadpole. This narrow island is so densely populated by 100,000 wild geese, brown-headed gulls, seagulls, and so on, and the density is rare in the world. In March each year, these birds fly over thousands of miles from the warm south and come nesting and hatching here. In summer, the mother birds will lay eggs and fill the island with eggs. To protect them, the island is forbidden for tourists to visit at this time, but tourist can observe birds from a distance. Seen through a telescope, the mother birds are found staying in the sun hatching. It is a scene of blissful peace. Hatching will be over in about a month’s time and then the island is full of birds, and chirpings are heard everywhere. Thus the island becomes a world of birds or a sea of birds.

Qinghai Lake has an unlimited supply of the Gymnocypris przewalskii, which is very tasty when cooked. It is also a pleasure to cook the fish in the open air.