Introducing Sun and Moon Mountain, Sun and Moon Mountain Guide, Sun and Moon Mountain Travel Guide
Edited by Hillary

Sun and Moon Mountain, part of the Qilian Mountain Range, is located in the west of Huangyuan County, Qinghai Province. In the past, the mountain was a vital communications center between central China and the southwest frontiers as well as the west regions. Later on, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) passed Sun and Moon Mountain when she was going to marry Songtsen Gampo, king of the Tubo tribe. To commemorate the princess, the mountain was renamed the Sun and Moon Mountain, and the Princess Wencheng Temple was built at the foot of the mountain.

Sun and Moon Mountain is 40 km sothwest of Huangyuan County, Qinghai Province. Sun and Moon Mountain is 90 kilometers long, the highest peak is 4,877 meters. The part where Qingzang Road passes is 3,520 meters, and is a natural dam in the east of Qinghai. Sun and Moon Mountain has not both significant historical meanings and geographical meanings. It lies in the dividing line between monsoon region and non-monsoon region, situated in the overlap area of the Loess Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, also is the natural boundary of the inside and outside river basin in Qinghai Province. Sun and Moon Mountain divided cilivizations into farming and nomadism.

Quick Facts on Sun and Moon Mountain

• Name: Sun and Moon Mountain
• Location: 90 km from Xining
• Phone: +86-972-2484382
• Best Time to Visit: June to August
• Recommended Time for a Visit: 5 Hours
• Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
• Admission Fee: CNY 40

Qinghai lake is China's largest inland salt lake, with an area of 4,456 square km and a perimeter of 360 km, twice the size of Taihu lake in Hubei province. The east and west sides of the lake is long and the south and the north sides of the lake is narrow, looks like the oval shape of  the maple leave.

Since the average daily temperature in the hottest period of summer is only about 15 centigrade, Qinghai Lake is a favorable summer resort.

Qinghai lake, in the ancient was called "west sea", also called "fresh water" or "fresh sea". In Tibetan it was called "Lake Kokonor" which means "blue sea". Since the area around Qinghai Lake was Qiang people's pasture in the past, it was also called "xianbeijianghai"(fresh low Qiang sea), some people in the Han dynasty also called it "god sea". The lake has been named Qinghai since the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Location: 151 km from Xining

Kumbum Monastery was initially built in the Ming Dynasty (1560 A.D.). It is one of the China's six (Gelu branch) Tibetan Buddhism monasteries. In 1749, Qing Emperor Qian Long named it as "Fan Zhong Monastery". The monastery is built over hillside, with an area of 40 hectares, 15 halls, 9,300 dormitory rooms for monks, building area of 450,000 square meters.

The building style of Kumbum Monastery is a mixture of Han and Tibetan. Major buildings of the monastery include: Babaoruyi tower, Dajinwadian hall, Xiaojinwadian hall, Grand Scripture Hall, Wenshu Bodhisattva temple, Larangjixiangxingong temple, Mizun Institute, butter flower exhibition hall and grand kitchen. Dajinwadian hall is a three story building with Han and Tibetan architecture style combined in one. As a main hall, it is located at the central position of Monastery. Wall paintings, butter flower sculpture and Buddha portrait embroidery are unique arts of the Kumbum Monastery.

Xining is the capital city of Northwest China’s Qinghai province where there is large population of Muslims. Historically, Xining has been one of the most important cities on the Silk Road and Muslims have been inhabited in Xining since ancient times. IslamiChina has summarized the following Xining Muslim travel tips to our Muslim brothers and sisters to travel Xining during a short period of time.

Tour Itinerary Planning

Xining is located on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The best time to travel around Xining is from June to the end of September. The rest of year can be very cold in Xining. When planning your Xining tour, two days will be perfect, you can arrange your first day in Xining visiting Qinghai Lake which is about 151 km away from Xining. Qinghai Lake is the largest salt water lake in China covering a area of 4186 square kilometers. On the second day, you may visit the Kumbum Monastery which is birth place of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism and the Qinghai Dongguan Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Northwest China.

Accommodations

3-star Qinghai Muslim Hotel is located in the city center of Xining within walking distance to Xining Railway Station. This hotel is Muslim owned and restaurants serve Halal food.

Halal Restaurants in Xining

Xining is one of the cities in China where you can easily find Halal restaurants. You can find Beef Noodles restaurants almost in every corner of Xining.

Mosques in Xining

There are 239 mosques in Xining and its suburban area. Xining’s Muslim community is at Dongguan area with the Dongguan Mosque as the center. Xining Dongguan Mosque is the largest well-preserved mosque in Xining, capital city of Qinghai province. Xining Dongguan Mosque also ranks as one of the four most famous mosques in Northwest China. Xining Dongguan Mosque was built in the Song Dynasty (907-1379) with a history of 900 years. It has undergone several destructions and reconstructions since then. The existing buildings were rebuilt in 1913, expanded in 1946, and renovated in 1979. Xining Dongguan mosque covers an area of 13,602 square meters now, and the construction area is 4,654 square meters. Dongguan mosque combines the traditional Chinese architectural art with the Islamic architectural form.

Money Exchange

You can exchange traveler's checks or cash at most banks, and most 5-star and 4-star hotels always have a money exchange counter. You can also get a cash advance on your credit card on ATM machine. The exchange rate all over China are the same fixed by Bank of China. To change money, you have to have your passport at hand. If you want to change money in a hotel, you usually have to be a guest there. Sometimes if you are not a guest in a hotel but need to change money there, you can just say a random room number, but this doesn't always work. Remember to keep the exchange slip well because you need this slip to change the Chinese Yuan back to your currency if you do have this need at the end of the tour. At present, the RMB is not exchangeable on the International market, so it is only usable within the country. So when you are changing money, don't change too much, because it is difficult to change back into other currencies. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter.

Xining has a large abundance of shopping streets and shopping malls, which offer numerous commodities. However, the most attractive places when you are shopping in Xining are local markets where visitors can buy some local products. Xining has various local products ranging from herb to folk artifacts, such as Xining Rhubarb and carpets.