Gyaring Lake – the largest lake on the ranges of the Yellow River

China is the third largest country in the world with numerous historical and tourist destinations. It is the third most visited country all over the world with a history as old as five thousand years. It has several tourist attractions: historical, scenic and cultural sites. The Great Wall of China and the terracotta army are simply two examples of the famous tourist attractions in the country. One of such tourist destination is the Gyaring Lake. It is situated on the upper ranges of the Yellow River. The word Gyaring in Tibetan means ‘white long lake’ due to the fact that the Yellow River when flows into the Lake, gives the Lake a look of skidding ribbon when seen from some distance.

Gyaring Lake is the largest lake found on the ranges of the Yellow River. With a regular temperature of about -4 ℃, it is sited in Alpine area of Qinghai Province, next to Ngoring Lake. This lake is 4,294 meters above the level of sea. Yellow River transmits great quantities of sand into the lake. So, when the tough wind blows, the exterior of lake will display gray shade. It has great amount of phytoplankton and fish, thus it is one of the centers for fishing in Qinghai. In the west portion of the lake, there are three isles populated by huge numbers of birds in summertime, therefore it is likewise identified as birds islands.

History

Gyaring Lake is famed for its lovely scenery and plentiful resources from early time. It is not only a natural meadow for China's primeval wanderer to gaze cattle, but also a significant road to Tibet in olden times. Through Dynasty of Tang, the banks of the lake developed into places of planned reputation. It is supposed that after Princess Wencheng of Tang Reign wedded to Tibet, Sontzen Gampo, the ruler of ancient Tibet, stopped at the bank of the lake to greet the princess. After that, they left for west to Tibet.

Uniqueness

Gyaring Lake consists of three islands, whose craggy rocks turn out to be a natural nest home for wild geese, gull fish, brown-neck gull, and further, more than twenty types of birds that are migratory in nature. Each May, these birds come back to build their nests and reproduce their little birds. In June, you can discover eggs in all places on the island. The black-necked cranes and the swans are the national key endangered animals, particularly the black-necked crane which is a sporadic widespread bird species.

Above more than 1,000 meters upper than Qinghai Lake, China's major internal lake, Gyaring Lake is categorically a plateau lake. It is a delightful sightseer resort for huge terrain, copious pastures and lovely natural setting. In summer, the sky is so clean and blue, clouds are so snowy and peaks are so green. In the lake, many geese, swans, gulls, ducks and many fishes play gladly, and numerous sheep and cattle are like the tiny gems in the bank of lake. The whole scene is indeed mesmerizing.