Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake, also known as Kokonor Lake, is China’s largest inland lake and saline lake. Situated on the Xizang Plateau, the lake stands at 3,260 metres above sea level, stretching 105 km in length and 63 km in width and covering more than 4,500 square km. Fed by streams and rivers but with no outflow, the lake loses water only through evaporation, resulting in its salinity and distinctive azure colour.

The scenery around Qinghai Lake varies greatly throughout the seasons. In spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green hue with scattered colourful flowers and lingering snow. Summer and autumn adorn the lake with golden attire, as tens of thousands of hectares of rape flowers bloom along its shores. In winter, the lake is veiled in snow and ice, exuding a tranquil ambiance.

Qinghai Lake is an important water body that provides an ideal habitat for numerous wild animals and also acts as a natural barrier against the eastward expansion of desertification in western China. As one of the seven largest wetlands in the world, Qinghai Lake is a natural reserve of wetland ecosystems and wild animals and was designated as an internationally important wetland in 1992.

Home to native and migratory birds, including bar-headed geese, brownheaded gulls, swans, and wild ducks, Qinghai Lake is a paradise for bird-watching enthusiasts, especially from May to October. During peak migratory seasons, over 100,000 birds gather at the 0.8 square km Bird Island on the lake’s western edge.

For Buddhists in Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Lake holds religious significance, considered one of the sacred lakes. According to the Buddhist cultures, it is customary for the pilgrims to circumnavigate the lake in the Year of Goat, to circle the mountains in the Year of Horse and the forests in the Year of Monkey.