- More than 14 million local tourists have visited this area last year
- Xining is a melting pot of nationalities and religions
- This city is linked to Lhasa in Tibet
Xining is a famous city situated in the western part of China. It is the capital of Qinghai Province. It is located in the corner of Tibet and Qinghai Plateaus. The elevation is about 2200 metres above sea level. As a result it is blessed with a temperate climate right throughout the year and this city is known as the Cool City of China.
In 2016, we have had the opportunity of visiting this city on the invitation of the Xining People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign countries. As we are aware China opened up its economy in 1978 and it paved way for the Eastern part of China to make a rapid economic development. But in an area as Xining of the Western part of China, economic development came at a slower pace.
Under President Xi Jinping, the concept of ‘One Belt and One Road’ was promulgated and this is considered as a new interpretation of the old Silk Road. Under this new concept the western parts of China received much prominence and Xining was considered a vital link of this project.
All the political economic, cultural centers and universities of Qinghai Province are located around Xining. Though most of the areas of Qinghai Province in situated above 3000 metres above sea level, Xining is located only 2000 metres above sea level. This geographical factor too has contributed for the rapid economic expansion of Xining.
Xining is a melting pot of nationalities and religions. Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists and people from 35 different nationalities and ethnic groups live here in harmony. That is great example for our country to follow.
Today it has become one of the most important economic centres of the country. If a visitor to this city, climbs the pearl TV tower situated at the heart of the city he could see the sky high buildings coming up all over. Presently a vast array of infrastructure facilities are added to this city by the authorities.
This city is linked to Lhasa in Tibet, to Urumpi of Xinjing and Langzhou of Gangzu Province by expressways. In 2016, I visited this city from Langzhou by a high speed train. It took only one hour for this trip and I was told that the normal train takes more than four hours to cover the same distance, In the near future, this city will be linked to Changdu and Kunming by high speed trains, In 2014, a super new railway station was built in Xining spending 2.6 bn Yuan. This new station could handle a freight volume of 73 MT per year. Many railroads that lead to Central Asia and Europe fall through this city and it is destined to become one of the main train links in China.
Most of the factories of this city have been modernized and use high technology for the last 10 years. Production of Lithium batteries is a very important industry in Xining. There is a worldwide demand in the motor car and Cell phone industries for these batteries. As we were told that expensive motor cars, such as BMW use these batteries. In addition to that this area is famous for solar power productions. Production of Tibet carpets is an ancient cottage industry. This too has been developed and it is advancing at a steady pace. The mild climate of the area is ideally suited for the raring of sheep. There is a ready made market for these carpets in USA, Germany and Australia. It brings sufficient foreign exchange for this area. During the last few years this area has been able to maintain a 10% annual growth in GDP compared to other parts of the country.
The authorities of this area take a keen interest in maintaining the environment at a very high level. They have been able to minimize the air pollution to a very low level during the last few years. The vision of clean sky in 2016 was 60%. The authorities managed to increase it 83.5% by 2017. Big parks have been created through out the city. A big park has been created spanning two sides of one of the three rivers, running through the city. Walkways and trees cover a distance of 2.4 km. They have spent 300 mn Yuan for this project and Xining Government has a goal to make it a happy and loveable city. Xining city and its suburbs are full of tourist attractions. Among them Tar Monastery Dongguan Grand Mosque and Qinghai lake are foremost.
The Monastery was built in 1500. It is one of the six major sanctuaries of the Gulung sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This monastery covers an area of more than 40 hectares. It has more than 9000 rooms. Grand Sutra Halls are laid out on a well conceived plan to perfectly hug the contours of a mountain forming a phenomenal combination of Han and Tibetan architecture. The Provincial Government has spent a colossal amount of money to keep the monastery in good shape. Today it has become one of the main attractions for local and foreign tourists.
QINGHAI LAKE
This lake is situated in the Northeast Qinghai Province and its area is 4573 sq km. Its elevation is 3200 metres above the sea level and it is the largest land locked salt water lake in China. In the North Western part of the lake there is a bird island of 0.8 sq km and it is a reputed Bird Paradise, It is the habitat of more than 100,000 migratory birds including bold necked geese brown headed gulls, cormorants and ducks arriving from South East Asia, India, Pakistan and South China. It is a magnificent sight and many birds dwell permanently on this Island.
More than 14 million local tourists have visited this area last year, but only 50,000 foreign tourists have visited in the corresponding period. This a fairly poor number and this could be increased with a good publicity drive. With the help of super fast trains, this number could be increased. Even now they have commenced building super fast railway lines connecting this city to Changdu and Kunming.
The Governing body of this city, the foreign ministry and the Qinghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries do a Yeoman service to publicize this city in foreign countries. The annually held cool city Silk Road conference is a good example towards this end.
Author is a senior researcher attached to Xining Institute of City Diplomacy, China
