Wēiníng

Introducing Wēiníng

Wherever you’ve come from in China, you probably haven’t seen a town like this. Men crack whips and scream as they race by on donkey-pulled chariots. Uighur music blasts out of Muslim kebab stands. Doors on the town’s disintegrating taxi fleet flap open like bird wings whenever drivers take a corner.

And that’s just at one intersection.

There’s not much to do in Wēiníng, but it oozes character. There’s a modern mosque serving the Hui minority in the northern part of town and a quiet market street in the old, eastern part of town. A larger market is held every three to four days.

The jewel-like Caohai Lake ; Cǎohǎi Hú; Grass Sea Lake) is the area’s main draw and one of China’s premier sites for seeing wintering migratory birds, especially the rare black-necked crane.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009