TSINGHAI

WadeGiles romanization Ch'ing-hai, Pinyin Qinghai, sheng (province) of northwestern China in the Tibetan highlands, bounded on the north and east by Kansu, on the southeast by Szechwan, on the south and west by the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and on the west and north by the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang. Tsinghai was a remote region of China, lying to the west of the historic provinces that made up China proper. Parts of it came under Chinese control in the 3rd century BC. For centuries it was sparsely occupied by nomadic herdsmen, chiefly Tibetans and Mongols, plus a few Chinese settlers on farms around the northeastern corner of Koko Nor (lake). The Chinese population increased over the years, and Tsinghai was made a Chinese province in 1928. Its capital is Hsi-ning. Most of Tsinghai consists of mountains and high plateaus. Between these mountain ranges are broad valleys, rolling hilly areas, and extensive flat tablelands. The Tsaidam Basin, an immense, low-lying area, is in the northwestern part of the plateau. The basin's southeastern part forms a broad swamp which is in turn formed by several rivers flowing from the snowcapped T'ang-ku-la Mountains. Tsinghai's climate is typically continental, influenced by the region's remoteness from the sea and its protection from sea winds by its mountain masses. Most rainfall occurs in the summer. Winters are dry, cold, and windy; summers are hot. Strong winds from the Mongolian Plateau blanket the region with sand, causing serious agricultural problems. The plateau thrives with grass, nevertheless, and Tsinghai possesses some of China's best pasturelands for sheep, horses, and yaks. The region is a historic home of nomadic herdsmen and is noted for its horse breeding. Also found in the region are antelope, wild horses, wolf, fox, bear, and some exotic birds. Besides the Han (Chinese), many national minorities live in Tsinghai, including Tibetans, Mongols, and Hui (Chinese Muslims). Although Tsinghai is China's fourth largest political unit in area, it is sparsely populated. Economically, Tsinghai is divided into two parts by the Ch'ing-hai-nan Mountains. The eastern side takes advantage of drainage from the Huang Ho and has large tracts of farmland crisscrossed by irrigation canals and dotted with settlements. The principal crops raised are spring wheat, barley, and Irish potatoes. The western side is the plateau basin, where herds of cattle, yaks, horses, and sheep graze on the vast stretches of grassland. Most of the Tibetans and Mongols have long engaged in herding there. In the pastoral areas, large tracts of land have been opened up for cultivation, which has enabled the introduction of a farming-livestock economy. The Kunlun and Ch'i-lien mountain ranges are well forested; among the timber products are spruce, birch, Chinese pine, and Chinese juniper. In nearby farming areas are found peach, apricot, pear, apple, and walnut orchards. Crude oil is produced in the Tsaidam Basin oil field. The basin also has deposits of coal, iron ore, gold, and other minerals, including potassium, which supplies a large fertilizer plant located there. The big salt lakes offer large reserves of borax and, especially, of salt. Industrial enterprises in Tsinghai, mostly in Hsi-ning, include tanneries, match factories, and woollen textile and dairy facilities. The province's first rail link with the rest of China was established in 1959. Truck transportation is important, and there are several main highways in the region. Area 278,400 square miles (721,100 square km). Pop. (1990) 4,456, 946; (1995 est.) 4,740, 000. Chinese (Wade-Giles) Ch'ing-hai, (Pinyin) Qinghai, sheng (province) of northwestern China. Located in the Tibetan Highlands, it has an average elevation of 13,000 feet (4,000 metres). It is bounded on the north and east by Kansu, on the southeast by Szechwan, on the south and west by the Tibet Autonomous Region, and on the west and north by the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang. Tsinghai has an area of about 284,600 square miles (737,000 square kilometres). It is the fourth largest political unit in China in area, but it is sparsely populated. The capital is Hsi-ning, which is 120 miles west of Lan-chou, Kansu Province. The province derives its name from a large lake, Ch'ing-hai (Blue) Lake, which is conventionally known as Koko Nor, in the northeast. A historic home of nomadic herdsmen, Tsinghai is noted for its horse breeding, and it has earned new prominence as a source of both petroleum and coal. History The cultivable land near Koko Nor was settled in prehistoric times and may have been the original home of the tribes who settled in Tibet. The Tsinghai region, called Amdo in Tibetan, was long considered part of Tibet. The Han referred to the people of Koko Nor and beyond as Ch'iang and sought to keep them out of the Han Empire by establishing a military outpost near the lake in AD 4. The post was soon abandoned, however, and the Chinese remained ignorant of the Tsinghai region for centuries. During the period of political fragmentation following the decline of Han power, a branch of the Hsien-pei tribe established a state based in the Tsinghai region and extending east into present-day Kansu. Called T'u-y-hun, this state lasted more than three centuries. A Lhasa dynasty assumed control over the region in the 7th century, reaching its peak of power in the 8th century when territory was extended far to the northeast and even reached the T'ang capital of Ch'ang-an (near modern Sian, Shensi Province) for a time. Contact was friendly between Lhasa and Ch'ang-an during the T'ang period. Slow caravans of yaks and ponies carried Buddhist monks and pilgrims across the Tsinghai desert, and traders met near Koko Nor to exchange locally bred horses for Chinese tea, which was the chief Tibetan export until the 20th century. The Tsinghai region was later ruled by Tangut leaders who established a state called Hsi Hsia, based near Koko Nor, in 1038. Genghis Khan began his campaign against this state in 1205 and incorporated it into his expanding Mongol Empire in 1227. After the Mongol conquest of North China, Tsinghai became part of the Yan Empire based in Peking. The founder of the Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow Hat sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsong-kha-pa, was born near Koko Nor in 1357; his 16th-century successor converted Mongolia to Tibetan Buddhism and was given the title Dalai Lama by the Mongolian Khan. During the Ming period the Tsinghai region remained closely allied with Tibet, despite increased communication with China through trade and tribute missions. In 1642 a Mongolian dynasty was established in Tibet that lasted until 1717, when a local uprising caused the Chinese to directly interfere in the region's affairs. Tsinghai was placed under separate administration in 1724. During the Ch'ing period immigrants from the east settled in Tsinghai, and Chinese political and cultural influence in the region increased. Tsinghai was made a province of China in 1928. Victor C. Falkenheim