Xining & Haidong
The holidays are right around the corner, so it's time to start our trip to Xining and Haidong. Blue sky, turquoise water, and boundless green grassland, Qinghai Province in northwest China are where you'll be able to have them all. Along with the mesmerizing landscape, it offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
Qinghai offers plenty of fantastic scenic options, so there we recommend some most popular ones that come with stunning views.
Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province, lies in the northeastern part of Qinghai - Tibet Plateau with an altitude of 3,200 meters. It is an excellent place to start our trip as car rentals are easily found at Xining Caojiapu International Airport and the city's train stations.
After a four-hour drive, we arrived at Qinghai Lake, the largest inland and saltwater lake in China, stands right in front of you, and you might want to open your arms and enjoy a breath of fresh air. Apart from embracing the heavenly beauty, you can either stroll on the grass, ride on a yak, or catch a local Tibetan life.
About 150 kilometers away from Qinghai Lake and 298 kilometers from Xining, another tourist destination is known as "mirror of the sky" — Chaka Salt Lake. As its name suggests, the snow-white lake bed and the crystal blue water against the azure sky make it a rare spot for photography.
Back to Xining City, we will visit Kumbum ( Ta'er ) Monastery and Dongguan Mosque. The gem of the Tibetan Buddhism culture - Kumbum Monastery was built here. A scenery that should not be missed is the Dongguan Mosque, One of the marvelous mosques in China.
End our Xining Tours; now we will head to Haidong, the birthplace of Hehuang Civilization; it is an excellent place to explore the natural wonders and historical sites, such as Mengda Tianchi ( Mengda Natural Ponds ) plus Qutan Temple and so on.
About 25.9 km from Haidong City, it is the most representative scenery in Haidong, Mengda Tianchi ( Mengda Natural Ponds ) is known as "Xishuangbanna on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," and it is also a good summer resort in Qinghai Province.
Unexpectedly, we arrived at a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery - Ledu Qutan Temple, it is a well-preserved Ming Dynasty architectural complex in the northwest region. "Qutan" is Sanskrit, meaning "Buddha." The architectural style of Qutan Temple is unique; it is more like the Han Buddhist monasteries in the hinterland, and its layout is similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Weather and Climate in Xining and Haidong:
Xining has a continental plateau semi-arid climate, with an average annual temperature of 7.6℃, a maximum temperature of 34.6℃, a minimum temperature of minus 18.9℃. The yearly average temperature in Summer is 17-19℃, which is the best summer resort in China.
Haidong has a semi-arid continental climate with long sunshine hours, and the temperature is different between day and night. The annual average temperature is about 3.2℃-8.6℃, the average yearly temperature in Summer is 25.1℃-33.5℃, and in winter, the temperature is about -18.8℃-25.1℃. The average yearly rainfall is 319.2-531.9 mm.
From May to October ( Spring to Autumn ), it is the best time to travel to Xining & Haidong.
Annual Temperature of the Year/℃ ( High-Low )
| Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | Jun. |
| 0/-13 | 3/-9 | 11/-1 | 17/3 | 21/5 | 24/12 |
| Jul. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
| 26/13 | 23/12 | 21/10 | 16/4 | 7/-8 | 1/-12 |
History of Xining and Haidong:
Xining is an ancient city on the plateau with a long history and is an integral part of China's Yellow River Basin culture. According to archaeological discoveries, human beings' activities in this region can be traced to 2,100 years ago. During the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties, the Hehuang area was the center of the ancient Qiang people.
