XINING - THE PEARL ALONG THE SILK ROAD

Street Walk Bread

Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, and it’s one of the destination most people will or tourist left it out due to the routing and the kilometers of deviation one's need to do. But, for anyone who appreciates mountains, lakes, grasslands, Tibetan culture, Islam, Buddhism, wildlife, and open spaces of beautiful emptiness, Qinghai should definitely be on your list. While Qinghai is larger than Texas, its population barely exceeds 6.0  million. Only Tibet is more sparsely populated within China. And that’s a good thing, because it means when in Qinghai, despite all the beauty and amazing landscapes, you’ll will find fewer tourists (both foreign and domestic) than in other similarly stunning places in China.

Street View Xining

 Xining is the gateway to all of that, and a worthwhile place to explore in its own right since you’ll be there anyway. Situated  at over 2,000 meters above sea level and home to nearly half the province’s population, the city is a mixture of charming parks,mosques, temples, and street markets juxtaposed to large areas that are essentially construction sites, representing the city’s considerable investment in advancing urbanization.

Street View in Xining

 The ethnic makeup of Xining is predominantly Hanzu or the Han, but there is a strong Huizu or the Hanzu that converted to Islam, presence whose spiritual epicenter lies at a great mosque right in the middle of downtown. In addition, a strong population of Tibetans creates a weave of symbiotic and somewhat passively aggressive relationships that we are only beginning to fully appreciate.

The Famous Donguan Mosque at downtown Xining

Another of Xining Grand Mosque at the entrance.

The Famous Dongguan Mosque

Xining Grand Mosque and Xining Islamic University.

Dongguan Mosque Minaret.

Another view the Dongguan Mosque

Xining Islamic center and mosque.

The entrance towards the Xining Grand Mosque.

Another view of the entrance.

The Xining Islamic University main entrance.

The Islamic University center in  Xining,

Another view of the Islamic Center - Xining

Arch dcco at the entarnce to the mosque.

Big and well maintain court yard

Our team at Xining Islamic Center and University

Near entrance of Xining Islamic University and Mosque.

Reception Hall - Xning Islamic University and center.

Ayatul Quran 1

View of Donguan Mosque

Xining is the gateway to all of that, and a worthwhile place to explore in its own right since you’ll be there anyway. Situated  at over 2,000 meters above sea level and home to nearly half the province’s population, the city is a mixture of charming parks,mosques, temples, and street markets juxtaposed to large areas that are essentially construction sites, representing the city’s considerable investment in advancing urbanization.

Xining Grand Mosque and Islamic University

The ethnic makeup of Xining is predominantly Hanzu or the Han, but there is a strong Huizu or the Hanzu that converted to Islam, presence whose spiritual epicenter lies at a great mosque right in the middle of downtown. In addition, a strong population of Tibetans creates a weave of symbiotic and somewhat passively aggressive relationships that we are only beginning to fully appreciate.

Modern Xining

For most foreigners, Xining represents either a place to get a permit to go to Tibet or the first stop to exploring the Tibetan areas of Qinghai. But before heading out, Xining is a good place to explore while you slowly adjust and prepare for higher altitudes. However, do not worry, prepare yourselves for the high altitude journey, high grassland-if you are lucky enough and the time is right you may be able to see snow at the foot of most mountain. . There’s really no sight that’s you  must not miss to see. Instead, walking the streets and hitting up a couple points of interest is the best way to appreciate the vibe of the city of Xining.

Xining City

Combining the front and back ends of our trip we spent the better part of 2 days in Xining, hardly making us experts. However, based on that brief sample size we found that depending on where you are in the city, it can be a charming bustling metropolis or it can be a soulless expanse of concrete and high-rises. The charming parts tend to be around the religious sites and wherever there’s a concentration of yummy street food, while the commercial areas are pretty standard every-city China (though Xining has yet to get its first McDonalds; it’s more of a Dicos city tho it does have a KFC and Pizza Hut). Here’s a rundown of some of the places we visited:

Dongguan Mosque

Originally built in the 14th century, Dongguan Mosque ( Dōngguān Qīngzhēnsì) is Xining’s most popular spot to visit. The mosque is the largest and most popular place of prayer for Xining’s 950,000-some-odd Huizu and some Uighur and Kazakh. 

Xining Skyline

The mosque’s buildings are an interesting if not entirely aesthetically pleasing mix of traditional Chinese and Islamic architecture, topped off with multiple iterations of adequate though clearly not precise renovations.

Free and generally informative tours (in English) are available and are led by a sheikh of the mosque. He’ll tell you about the history and function of each building, and at the end he’ll try and sell you a prayer rug that changes color when you shake it. One fun fact is that the famous Labrang Monastery  donated some ornaments that sit on top of the mosque’s main hall. The sheikh said they put them there simply because they “looked pretty”.

Xining Rapid growth.

While the mosque in general is attractive, there in lies some of its appeal. The courtyard grounds and main hall are medium, plain brick color, and huge square being part of a space for Friday prayer, where most of the Haizu or Hui  and other muslim in Xining gather here for Friday prayer and congregation. . Prayer is clearly the primary objective, and there’s really nothing around to distract you from it. The fact that mosques never have any idols or visual references to Allah SWT  is somewhat refreshing particularly when juxtaposed to all the Buddhist temples that are inundated with golden statutes and thangkas so with  the disturbing smell of joss stick 

Xining Cultural Hall

Although the mosque isn’t open to tourists on Friday, that’s the best day to come watch all the local Muslims pray around lunchtime. The clean and peaceful surrounding in the mosque, suggest the nature of the religion itself. Thus, correlate that Islam is the true divine or heavenly religion and the Muhammad PBUH is the natural  messenger which brought with him the real glad tiding for human kind and the whole universe.

Skyline of Xining City

Xining, known as Siling  in Tibetan, is the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau and sits at an elevation of 2275m / 7465 feet. Xining lies in a valley along the Huang Shui River, a tributary of the Yellow River, and is surrounded by mountains which rise to over 3500m. Lying in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo , Xining (pictured above) has a diverse population of over 1.2 million.

 Along the streets of Xining, Chinese,Hui, Tibetans, Salar and Mongolians can be found each speaking their own language and wearing their own unique style of clothing (the Hui of Xining speak the Qinghai dialect of Chinese). Xining is easily one of the most visibly diverse cities in China. 

Modern highrise resenditial in Xining

The east area of downtown is home to most of Xining's 950,000 Muslims. Mosques in the city number well over 50, many of which look like they are from Central Asia rather than China. Halal restaurants, butchers and stores are found everywhere. The Muslims in Xining are famous for their excellent bread, noodles and mutton kebab's. Most people who arrive in Xining are pleasantly surprised by the large and growing Muslim population. The largest Mosque in Xining is the Dong Guan Mosque (pictured above) which regularly holds 35,000 to 50,000 people during Friday afternoon prayer time.

Donguan Mosque on Friday

Another stunning view of Xining City.
Though Tibetans make up less than 10% of Xining's population, they are distinct and not hard to find. Many Tibetans from Yushu and Golog have been relocated to the city to live in modern apartment complexes. The area across from the main bus station on Jian Guo Lu has the largest Tibetan market in town that sells everything from exotic animal skins to samba. This area also has numerous Tibetan style restaurants and tea houses. Xining boasts many night clubs that feature some of the most famous singers from across Tibet. Increasing in number of Tibetan converting to Islam is over-whelming , many choose to be a Muslim and built their own mosque within the growing community.

  Xining often is overlooked by tourists due to the poor reviews it receives in tourist information and media.It maybe for political reason and discrimination due race and religious issue Though it doesn't compare to places like Beijing, Chengdu or Shanghai, most people who go to Xining have a great time. The city is full of colorful markets, Mosques , Buddhist temples and is surrounded by mountains that can be hiked. Xining makes a great base for exploring the Tibetan regions of Amdo (including Kumbum Monastery) and Kham. The Tibetan areas around Xining have some of the best preserved Tibetan cultural areas remaining. Xining is also the starting point of the Tibetan Railway to Lhasa. From Xining, Lhasa. is a 25 hour train ride.  

Xining can be quite cold in the winter, but during the summer it is one of the most pleasant cities in all of China with an average high of 22C / 72F. Xining can be reached by air and train from all major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu.