Beijing-Xining:
on the train through China’s Loess Plateau
One day after visiting the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing, my girlfriend and me took the train all the way through Mainland China to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. This journey took 22 hours and brought us through the vast Loess Plateau with its rural landscapes. In addition, we stopped at some major cities with their omnipresent apartment blocks and construction sites (for a map of our journey click here).
Xining has 2.2 million inhabitants, but the actual city centre is not very big – compared to Beijing, it felt like a small town. We strolled through its streets and found a colourful market, always a good place to get a feeling for a city. While observing the locals, we quickly noticed that Xining is a place where different cultures meet. Most prominent is the large Muslim community who constitutes about one third of the population, evident by a number of impressive mosques. The most prominent is Dongguan Mosque, one of the largest in China. While Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the actual prayer hall, it is possible to walk around its courtyard. Construction of Dongguan Mosque started already in the 14th century, but most of the present buildings are much younger.
We stayed in Xining for a couple of days exploring two neighbouring sights: the Kumbum Monastery and the Qinghai Lake.
Matt Travels 
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Call the NG!! Your photos are super!!
ha – I wish!! 😀 but thanks anyways!! really glad that you like them!! 🙂
Great photos of Xining..this is the first time i am reading about this place
thank you!! 🙂 China has really a lot of megacities to remember them all! 🙂
Great post! I was surprised to see all the different cultures in you photos:)
thank you!! 🙂
beautiful photos and very interesting article 😀 Sara
thanks a lot!! 🙂 glad you like it!! have you been to China before?
not yet but i hope to visit China in the future 🙂
this post brought me back to my childhood. I grew up in a small city YInchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, not too far away from Xining. In winter, usually got up early and walking in crisp air to buy breakfast in a little stand owned by a friendly Muslim family….. hope you enjoyed travelling in China.
thank you for your comment! I really enjoyed travelling in China – it was already my fourth visit to the country! 🙂 sunny and cold winter mornings can be great! would be interesting to see the remote corners of China during the winter months…
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