Speech by the Governor
Qinghai is located in northwestern China, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and is reputed as the ancestor and the Source of Thousands of Mountains and rivers. Qinghai is the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong rivers, and is well regarded as the Water Tower of China and the Source of Rivers. Qinghai is an origin for most rivers in Asia, and is one of the areas with biodiversity and abundant resources in China.
Important ecological status and abundant resources are the most distinct features of Qinghai. It is the obligatory responsibility of Qinghai to China to well protect the ecological environment, and it is the promise of Qinghai People's Government to the 5.4 million people in Qinghai to rapidly develop its economy and society. Therefore, the double responsibilities of ecological protection and fast development should be shouldered in order to achieve a win-win of ecological protection and fast development in Qinghai.
Qinghai is very abundant with minerals, hydropower, agro-husbandry, tourism and national culture resources, etc. In order to achieve the objective of strengthening the province and enriching the people, the strategy of resources transferring must be greatly implemented, and the resource development must be carried out with our developed opening policies. Therefore, we must say that Qinghai is a hot land for both national and international investors and dealers to make their dreams come true, and is an extensive area for them to have a bright prospect with its great commercial potentials.
National and international friends and enterprises interested in resource development of Qinghai are sincerely welcome to invest here, visit and participate in the resource development of Qinghai, and jointly create a bright future of Qinghai.
Governor of People's Government of Qinghai Province Song Xiuyan
I . Survey
i. Geographic Location
Qinghai Province located on Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between8 9 24' and 10304' east longitude and 3132' and 3920' north latitude is adjacent to Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet and Sinkiang with the length of 1,200 km from west to east and the width of 800 km from north to south with the average altitude being more than3, 000 m above sea level, and is part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Qinghai Province is named after Qinghai Lake, the largest inland plateau lake,. In addition, the total area of Qinghai Province is 722,300 km2, accounting for 7.5% of the total area of China, and ranking fourth after Sinkiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia Autonomous regions. Currently, Qinghai governs seven prefectures such as Haidong Prefecture, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Haixi Mongolian & Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and one city, Xining City, as well as 51 county-level administrative units. Xining, Capital of Qinghai Province, is the political, economic and cultural center of the whole province.
ii. Climatic Characteristics
Qinghai is featured with plateau continental climate with the main characteristics of strong solar radiation, great temperature differences at day and night and small annual temperature difference, long winter, cool summer, obvious regional difference of precipitation and obvious seasonal changes.
There is comparatively more rainfall in Eastern Qinghai, and it is arid and windy in western and southern Qinghai. In addition, the sunlight hours of each year ranges from 2,500 to3, 650 hours with the annual average sunlight rate being 60% - 80%, and the solar energy received annually is equal to 162,300,000,000tons of standard coal, and 360 trillion kilo watt-hours of electrical voltage. The annual average temperature of the main areas ranges from –6℃ to 4 ℃, and the average temperature in midsummer commencing from June to August is from 5.4 ℃ to 19.9℃ . Therefore, Qinghai is considered to be a natural summer resort.
iii. Population and Nationalities
The total population of Qinghai Province is 5,432,000, including urban population of 2,132,100 and the rural population of 3,299,900. Qinghai is a province in which various nationalities in habit, including Han, Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, Tu, Sala, etc., and the population of minorities accounts for 46.32% of the total population of Qinghai. Almost the entire minorities that have lived in Qinghai for generations have their own religions, especially Tibetan Buddhism and Islam with their extensive incidence and deep influence.
iv. Infrastructure and Transportation
Airport
There are so far two airports (Xining Caojiapu Airport and Golmud Airport)in Qinghai and 270,000 passengers were transported in 2005, the passenger mileage was 389,110,000 km, and the rotation volume of freight transport was 5,630,000t/km.
Highway
Expressways closely link Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and a highway transportation network that covers the entire urban and rural areas of Qinghai with five main national highways, 28inter-provincial highways and more than300 county and township-level highways has been established.
Railway
There are 2 railway arteries, 4 laterals and 59 special railways in Qinghai, and Golmud-Lhasa Section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway is opened to public. There were3,680,000 passengers transported in 2005,and the freight volume was 14,530,000AviationAir navigation mileage exceeds 20,000km, and flights from Xining to Beijing,Urumchi, Lanzhou, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shanghai, Lhasa, Shenyang, Jinan, Hangzhou, Golmud, etc. have been opened.
Communications
Program-controlled telephone system of Xining and most prefectures and counties have reached all areas of China and over 160 countries and regions. The Lanzhou-Xining -Lhasa cable has become fully operational in addition to the rapid development of mobile communication industry.
Finance and Insurance
There are 883 financial branches in Qinghai, and the deposit balance of financial organizations totaled RMB 73,300,000,000 yuan in 2005, including RMB 34,890,000,000 yuan from urban bank deposit. The insurance premium income was RMB 780,000,000 yuan in 2005.
v. International Exchanges
By the end of 2005, Qinghai had established her friendship city pairs with7 foreign provinces and cities, including Gitega Province of the Republic of Burundi, Central District of Datian City of South Korea, Carlgatimaraqi City of Israel, Nevada State of the United States, Nirovsk City of Russia, Avila of Span and Dobrich-grad of Bulgaria.
International Trade Affairs, Exhibitions and Important Contests Qinghai International Tibetan Carpet Exhibition jointly organized by the People's Government of Qinghai, the People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region, China Chamber of Commerce for I/E of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-products, China Chamber of Household Textile Industry, etc. is a professional international exhibition of carpets. The Exhibition has been successfully held for three times since 2004, and the Exhibition mainly focuses on exhibition, spot and order transactions of carpets, exhibition and sale of raw materials of carpets and Tibetan cultural artworks, demonstration of manual spinning, plant coloration and hand-knitting of Tibetan carpet.
vi. Brief Introduction of Higher Education & Scientific Research
Higher Education There are five graduate student training institutes in Qinghai with the number of recruitment being 403 students, 8universities and colleges of higher education with the number of recruitment being11,600 students, and 47 junior vocational training schools with number of recruitment being 13,200 students. The comprehensive universities include Qinghai University, Qinghai Nationalities University and Qinghai Normal University, etc.
Scientific c Research total of 275 scientific and technical projects have been organized and implemented in Qinghai, and 175 scientific and technical achievements above ministerial and provincial levels have been made, including 10 basic theoretical achievements, 144 achievements of applied technology and21 achievements of soft science.
vii. Tourism
Humane History
The ancient Qinghai was under the administration of Western Military Apanage of Qing Territory of Han Nationality and in 121 B.C., Qubing, Huo, general of the then trooper, had the western Peace Booth, a military beachhead, built in the present Xining. And it was followed by the gradual building of counties like Western Sea and River Source counties in Sui Dynasty. Later, it became the appendage of Tuba Nationality in both Tang and Song dynasties before it was ruled by Publication & Administrative Court of Yuan Dynasty so that Qinghai enjoys its long-standing history.
As early as the Pal eolith Times 30,000years ago, the mankind started their multiplication and derivation and multi-nationality people have had their peaceful coexistence with their blended cultures so that they have created their well-rounded national traditions and cultures as well as the brilliant Chinese civilization since the ancient times. Thousands of the prevailing Tibetan Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques throughout Qinghai are the evidence and rime of the different cultures and wisdoms of multi-nationalities in Qinghai. The art featured Tibetan dancing of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gesa'er Legend, well-known Tibetan folk singing art chanting, Hua'er, Hehuang folk song undergoing Tibetan Art, etc. are very famous all over the world and they've become the highlight of the humane culture tourism in Qinghai
Tourism
Resources
Qinghai is quite abundant in tourism resources relying on the Three-river Source. So far, there are 408 scenery spots with their great development potentials including spots of international-level resources, 52 spots of national level resources and 84 spots of provincial resources. The representative scenery spots include Qinghai Lake, Kunlun Mountain and Kunlun Culture, Ta'er Monastery, Liuwan Painted Pottery, Atom Town, Folk Customs of Tu and Sala nationalities. And6,330,000 person-time national tourists and35,200 international tourists visited Qinghai in 2005.
The Featured Local Products of Qinghai include caterpillar fungus, honey products, and products of potential, anserine, lyciumbarbarum, hippophae rhamnoides, etc.
The folk snacks include boiled mutton, yoghurt, steamed starch noodles, etc.
Related Articles:
Doing Business in Qinghai Province of China: II. Economy
Doing Business in Qinghai Province of China: III. Investment
Doing Business in Qinghai Province of China: IV. Development Zones
