Tibetan Culture & Medicine Museum
Xining
Exhibitions in the north hall focus on Tibetan medicine, astronomy and science. Many visitors come for the 618m-long thangka scroll in the south hall –…
©Megan Eaves/Lonely Planet
Xining
Situated on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, this lively and hugely diverse provincial capital makes a good base from which to dive into the surrounding sights and on to the more remote regions of Qinghai and beyond. Though many travellers use Xining (西宁, Xīníng) as a jumping-off or landing point from the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, it’s also a wonderful place to encounter the province’s varied cultures – Muslim (Hui, Salar and Uyghur), Tibetan and Han Chinese – especially the rich culinary mix that these groups bring together. There's superb food and a scattering of tempting cafes as well as an outstanding museum of Tibetan culture, some beautiful temples and mosques, plus the remains of the old city wall, so try not to race through without putting aside some time to explore.
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Must-see attractions
Xining
This beautiful and recently constructed mosque is really quite an astonishing sight. Built from marble and a variety of other stones and carved tilework,…
Xining
As becomes quickly evident to even the most casual observer, about one-third of Xining’s population is Muslim, and although the city's biggest mosque may…
Xining
This park, which is also known as Fènghuáng Shān (凤凰山), rises above Xining south of town. The grounds are home to two Buddhist temples: Nánchán Sì and…
Xining
One or two isolated sections of Xining’s Tang dynasty city wall still remain, the most accessible being this short stretch within a park on Kunlun Zhonglu…
Xining
At the east end of Xinning Sq (Xīnníng Guǎngchǎng), this provincial museum looks like an ominous government building from afar. Once inside, galleries…
Xining
Standing atop Phoenix Mountain, this Buddhist temple overlooks Xining from the south. The temple was built during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127),…
Xining
This vast, internally attractive and ambitious art museum on the south side of Xinning Sq displays art and calligraphy by artists from Qinghai and around…
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