QINGHAI

FOOD●Mutton is very popular in Qinghai -it is the staple food of the herdsmen -Herdsmen pick a fat sheep, kill it, cut it into large chunks

and since mutton doesn’t need to be fried it is ready in about half an hour

●If you go to Qinghai you will probably be offered zanba and milk tea

-Zanba is made with milk, tea, sautéed barley, golden butter and sugar

-milk tea is boiled in a pot and the main ingredients are tea and salt

●Yoghurt is very popular in Qinghai●Niangpi is a popular snack made from flour and baking

sodaThere are two kinds of niangpi; thin which is yellow and thick

which is light brown

CLOTHING●since the culture in Qinghai is closely

related to Tibet’s the clothing is similar as well

-The women wear wrap dresses -They have weaved purses and aprons

as well

CUSTOMS●On February 2nd monks display a

thangka which is a sacred painting on cloth. They roll it out on a hill outside a monastery in Tongren

●During weddings people perform a camel dance in groups of four

GEOGRAPHY●Qinghai is located in the northeastern part of China -It has a landmass of 9,600,000 sq km -It is the fourth largest providence in the China ●Qinghai has lots of high mountains, broad basins,

rolling hills and flat table land -The Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong river all originate

from Qinghai -Some mountain ranges include Tanggula, and Kulun

Mountains●The average elevation is 3000 meters -The average temperature is -5 to 8°c -Heavy winds and sandstorms are common in

February and April

TIMELINE Early 16th C. Immigration of Heshuote Mongols 1720es. Qinghai conquered by Qing Dynasty China; Chinese province 1724 Lubuzangdanjin Rebellion suppressed; hitherto Tibetan Amdo placed

under direct Manchu rule 1904 British invasion of Tibet, occupation of Lhasa; the Dalai Lama fled to

Qinghai 1912 the Northern Warlords government appointed Ma Qi as the highest

military commander of Xining

1915, Ma was entrusted to military and minority affairs concerning Mongolian nationality and Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai provinces

1923 Following a dispute between the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, the latter fled to Amdo (which he ruled until 1937)

1927 Nationalist Chinese administration in Nanjing created Commission for Tibetan and Mongolian affairs; Panchen Lama recognized sovereignty of Nanjing Government over Amdo 1

928 Qinghai Province created (largely identical with Tibetan Amdo) 1931 War between Tibet and Qinghai

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