Capital · Historic city · Cultural centre · Qinghai
Xining
西宁
Plateau capital between Kumbum Monastery and the Dongguan Mosque
Xining is the capital of Qinghai and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau, lying at about 2,200 metres in the valley of the Huangshui. A trading town between the Chinese farming world and the Tibetan and Mongol grasslands for a thousand years, it has large Hui and Tibetan communities; Kumbum Monastery, birthplace of Tsongkhapa, lies on its south-western edge.
Key facts
Overview
Xining grew as a frontier market where tea, grain and cloth from China were traded for horses, wool and hides from the plateau. The Muslim Hui and Salar merchants who dominated that trade built the Dongguan Great Mosque, one of the largest in north-west China, while Tibetan and Mongol pilgrims passed through on the way to Kumbum and Lhasa.
The modern city is the administrative, industrial and transport centre of Qinghai, and the starting point for journeys to Qinghai Lake, the Qaidam and the Tibetan south.
Names and nicknames
夏都
“summer capital”
For its cool summers, which draw visitors from the hot lowlands.
青唐城
The name of the city as capital of the Tibetan Gusiluo (Tsongkha) kingdom in the eleventh century.
西宁
“peace in the west”
The name given by the Song in 1104; the Tibetan name is Siling.
History
Under the Han a fort called Xiping stood here. In the eleventh century it was Qingtang, capital of a Tibetan kingdom that allied with the Song against the Western Xia; the Song annexed it in 1104 and named it Xining. The Ming and Qing held it as a garrison city, and from 1724 the Qing imperial commissioner for the Kokonor region resided here. Xining became the provincial capital in 1929 and was the seat of the Ma family's government until 1949.
1032
Capital of the Tsongkha kingdom
The Tibetan ruler Gusiluo made Qingtang his capital, controlling the tea-and-horse trade.
1104
Named Xining
The Northern Song annexed the city and gave it its present name.
1380
Dongguan Great Mosque founded
Founded in the early Ming, the mosque has been rebuilt several times and is the centre of Muslim life in the city.
1560
Kumbum Monastery
A temple was built beside the 1379 stupa marking Tsongkhapa's birthplace; it grew into one of the six great Gelug monasteries.
1929
Provincial capital
Xining became the capital of the new province of Qinghai.
2014
High-speed rail
The Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed line connected Xining with Lanzhou and Urumqi.
Landmarks
Temple or shrine
Kumbum Monastery
塔尔寺
Gelug monastery in Huangzhong district with gilded roofs, the Great Hall of Golden Tiles and a hall of butter sculptures.
Temple or shrine
Dongguan Great Mosque
东关清真大寺
The largest mosque in Qinghai, where many thousands gather for Friday and festival prayers.
Museum
Qinghai Provincial Museum
青海省博物馆
Liuwan painted pottery, Tuyuhun and Tibetan finds, and Buddhist art.
Temple or shrine
Beishan Temple
北山寺
Cliff temple on the northern hills, with walkways and views over the city.
Museum
Tibetan Medicine Museum
中国藏医药文化博物馆
Museum of Tibetan medicine with a thangka scroll hundreds of metres long.
Neighbourhoods
Dongguan
东关大街
The Hui quarter around the Great Mosque, with markets and halal restaurants.
Mojia Street
莫家街
Food street in the centre with yoghurt, noodles and lamb.
Food
Yoghurt
酸奶
Thick set yoghurt in bowls, sold everywhere in the city.
Hand-held lamb
手抓羊肉
Boiled lamb on the bone with salt and garlic.
Goujiaoniao flatbread
狗浇尿
A thin pan-fried flatbread with layers of oil, given its irreverent name for the way oil is poured round the pan.
Culture
Xining's streets reflect Qinghai's mix: Hui men in white caps near the mosque, Tibetan monks and pilgrims, Tu and Salar traders and Han office workers. Summer brings the Qinghai Lake cycling race and festivals of hua'er singing, and Kumbum's great festivals, with giant thangka displays, fall in the first, fourth, sixth and ninth lunar months.
Getting around
- Xining station is the hub for high-speed trains to Lanzhou and Urumqi and for the Qinghai–Tibet railway to Golmud and Lhasa.
- Xining Caojiabao International Airport lies east of the city in Haidong.
- Buses and a bus rapid transit line serve the valley; Kumbum is in Huangzhong district south-west of the centre.
Day trips
Qinghai Lake
青海湖
The great salt lake west of the city, over the Riyue Shan pass.
Qutan Temple
瞿昙寺
Early-Ming monastery in Ledu with palace-style halls and fine murals.
Huzhu
互助土族故土园
The Tu autonomous county, with villages, embroidery and highland barley distilleries.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Xining Municipal People's Government — Xining Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Xining — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)