Mengdalin Nature Reserve is situated at the Xunhua Sala Autonomous County. It has green mountains, transparent waters and a pleasing climate, with hundreds of species of trees blocking the sunshine and different flowers and grass covering the ground. Therefore, it is eulogized as “Xishuangbanna on plateau” and is a summering, recuperation and tourist resort in Qinghai Province.

Admission fee: RMB ￥ 30 per person

Mountain Riyue (Sun-and-Moon) was called Russet Ridge during the Tang Dynasty, because of its sunset mountaintop.

With the highest peak reaching 4,877m above sea level, it extends tens of kilometers southward from Gahai, a small lake east of the Qinghai Lake, to Qunjia in Huangzhong County.

It is the watershed between outflowing and continental rivers, and the natural demarcation line between the eastern agricultural area and the western pastoral area in Qinghai Province. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking to the east.

You can see villages lying on terraced fields connected by crisscross footpaths, green crops growing sturdily and rapes blossoming in yellow flowers.

Looking to the west then, you will get a full sight of continuous mountains and vast grasslands with white sheep, black yaks and brown horses scattered here and there.

Precipitously and strategically located, Mountain Riyue has always been a vital communication pass between Central China and the southwest frontiers.

It provides a natural defense for the Qinghai Lake. Many stories about the mountain have been handed down from generation to generation, among which a well-known one relates to Princess Wencheng. As is recorded, in the 14th year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (641 A.D.).

Songtsan Gombo, king of Tubo, dispatched his prime minister Lu Dongzan to Chang'an, capital of Tang, to express the King's wish to marry a Tang princess.

Lu Dongzan trekked a long way, taking with him 5,000 Liang of gold and countless rare curios. Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) granted Songtsan Gambo his request, and chose Princess Wencheng to go to Tubo, to be escorted by Li Daozong.

Duke of Jiangxia. Accompanied by a band and gigantic retinue made up of guards, palace doctor, and maidservants. Princess Wencheng left Chang'an for Tubo, taking along a great deal of silk and medicine, as well as classics.

Buddhist sutras and crop seeds. On her arrival at the Russet Ridge, the princess ascended to the top of the mountain and looked to the west.

She saw boundless grasslands and rolling mountains all in her sight. At the thought that she would enter a remote land, she took out the Sun-and-Moon Treasure Mirror given by her mother at departure, expecting to see her homeland in it.

Tears trickled down her cheeks when she saw surprisingly neither her parents nor the city of Chang'an. She threw the mirror behind on the mountain and resumed her journey determinedly, for the cause of the unity of two nationalities, and she never returned during the 39 years before her death.

Later on, people changed the name of the mountain from the Russet Ridge to Mountain Riyue, in memory of the princess.

Admission fee: RMB ￥ 20 per person

Located in the east of Jishi Town, Xunhua County, 150 kilometers from Xining, Mengda Heavenly Pond covers an area of 20 hectares, and is 30 meters in depth.

The pond is surrounded by ancient trees of 550 species, including spruce and Huashan pines. Among the dense forests, there are rare animals and birds, such as blue sheep and snow cocks. As an ideal health resort, this place has become a state nature reserve.

Admission fee: RMB ￥ 30 per person

Situated in Dongguan Street, Xining City, Dongguan Mosque is the biggest mosque in Qinghai Province. It was built in 1380, and now boasts a history of more than 600 years. The Mosque is not only famous for its magnificent architecture but also as a religious education center and as the highest learning institution of Islam.

Covering an area of 11,940 square meters (about 3 acres), Dongguan Mosque is built on a grand scale. Its style combines both Chinese traditional architectural art and Islamic architectural features.

When traveling to the Mosque, the first thing you can see is the elegant arched door on which is written 'Dongguan Mosque'. On either side of the front door stands the Xuanli Lou (Xuanli Pavilion). The Xuanli Lou is special as the place where the Imams invite people to pray. It is 8 meters (some 26 feet) high, and consists of three floors which are hexagonal in shape.

There is a square with an area of some 30,000 square meters (about 7 acres). The prayer hall is the main building in Dongguan Mosque. It covers an area of 1,136 square meters (about 0.3 acres). The whole prayer hall is resplendent and magnificent. It can hold more than 3,000 people at prayer at the same time.

Since the Mosque was built, it has become an important place of worship and assembly for Muslims. When Islam's important festivals come round, tens of thousands of the Prophet's followers from every quarter come to participate in ceremonies and religious activities. On such occasions, the Mosque wears a festival mood.

Admission fee: RMB ￥ 5 per person