🌄 Xining & Beyond: Where Mountains, Monasteries, and Mirrors of the Sky Meet ✨

Xining, the gateway to Qinghai, is where cultures, landscapes, and colors collide. From Tibetan monasteries to surreal salt lakes and endless grasslands, it’s a place that feels both earthly and otherworldly. 📍 Must-Experience Highlights: 🏯 Kumbum Monastery (塔尔寺) – a sacred Tibetan Buddhist site with golden rooftops and prayer flags fluttering in the wind. 🌊 Qinghai Lake (青海湖) – China’s largest lake, shifting from sapphire blue to emerald green, framed by vast meadows dotted with yaks and sheep. 🪞 Chaka Salt Lake (茶卡盐湖) – the “Mirror of the Sky,” where reflections blur the line between earth and heaven. 🏔 Grassland Escapes – rolling hills and open skies, perfect for road trips into the highlands. ⛩ Cultural Crossroads – where Han, Tibetan, Hui, and Mongolian traditions meet in food, festivals, and daily life. Xining is more than a city—it’s the starting point of an unforgettable journey across the Tibetan Plateau. 🌌