'''Xining''' (__?; ''X?ning'' and ''Sulang'' in Tibetan) is the capital of Qinghai province and the capital of Xining City District, a prefecture of Qinghai.
Understand
The large city of Xining acts as one of the major gateways to the Tibetan Plateau. It is an ancient highland city on the Yellow River which offers many scenic spots and historical sites. Although the city itself has a strong Islamic flavor, as it is home to many Hui people, you will start getting a more Tibetan feel as you move away from the city.
Get in
[http://www.topleveltour.com/ Top Level Tour] - A tour agency based in China and have office in Kathmandu. They can arrange different Tibet and Qinghai package tours.
By plane
'''Xining Airport (IATA: XNN)''', located 15km south, southeast of the city, has flights to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Golmud, Guangzhou, Lhasa, Shanghai, Shenyang, Urumqi, and Xian. The local CAAC office offers transport to/from the airport for __10. Since 29 September 2008, Shenzhen Airlines fly into Xining from Hong Kong.
By train
Golmud - takes about 14-16 hours
Lanzhou - takes about 3-5 hours
Lhasa - takes about 26 hours
By bus
Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: Jianguo Lu
Banma - takes about 2 days
Heimahe - takes about 7 hours
Lanzhou - takes about 5 hours
Maduo - takes about 11 hours
Tongren - takes about 5 hours
Xunhua - takes about 5 hours
Yushu - takes about 24 hours
Zhangye - takes about 9 hours
Dunhuang - takes about 20 hours
Jiuquan - takes about 10 hours
There are also buses for Golmud, Lhasa and Yinchuan at the western end of the square in front of the train station.
Get around
By Bus
There are plenty of buses that get you around town. These cost \1 a trip.
By Taxi
Taxis run on the meter. The price starts at \6.
See
Beishan Si. 5 for entrance.
This is a Taoist Temple in the hills north of the city. At the moment a lot of it is closed for safety reasons. This includes the walkways between man-made caves in the mountain.
There is a pagoda above, on the hill, which costs another \2. From here there is a great view over the city.
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'''Northern Ch'An Monastery''' - see the Taoist Tulou (Rammed-earth Pavillion)
'''Southern Ch'An Monastery'''
'''Dongguan Monastery'''
'''Datong Laoye Mountain Forest Zone'''
'''Qinghai Provincial Museum''' - nice place for those curious about Qinghai's history and ethnic relationships
Do
Buy
The Banks in Xining only accepts forein '''credit'''cards, not debitcards. The only exeption is the ''Industrial and Commercial Bank of China''.
Handmade Tibetan Handicrafts can be bought at the AmdoCafe (see Drink section).
Eat
Xining's main minority groups provide a large portion of the food on offer. The Hui, a broad term for Chinese Muslims, serve up spicy noodles, lamb kabobs and roast naan. Tibetan food choices are concentrated around the train station, mostly small places the serve momos and noodles and seat guests on small coaches.
Western food options are very slim. There are two <b>Kentucky Fried Chicken</b> outlets and a <b>Dico's</b> near the city square, along with a locally run pizza buffet. On the fourth floor of the stadium, there is a Western-styled restaurant - the food here is quite expensive, so if on a budget you'll have wait until Lhasa or Lanzhou for a decent hamburger.
There is a restaurant area right next to the Shuijing Xiang Bazaar, in the center of the city, and throughout the evening and into the night there are many street stalls serving good food around Ximen and on the western side of Jianguo Lu.
Drink
A number of bars are located at the end of the city's main snack street. These tiny places each have only a dozen tables, and all offer extensive drink specials. Beer starts at \6 for a Tsingtao, but expensive imported liquor is also available. There is usually no cover charge.
'''New York Subway (??_n?)''', Nanguan Jie 57. An underground bar/club, loosely themed around the NY Subway system. It features a bar with good selection, as well as a small dance floor with a live DJ and lights. Booths and a foozball table are scattered around for those who would rather kick back and take in the atmosphere.
AmdoCafe. atongjie. lose to Beidajie. 213127. ttp://amdocraft.com. -6. This coffee shop, which also offers AmdoCraft Tibetan Handicraft products, which are also found at www.amdocraft.com, provides a relaxed, quiet atmosphere in which to sip and sample real, fresh-brewed coffee, or sup on steaming pastries, cakes, and cookies. The coffee is some of the most inexpensive real coffee in the area.
Sleep
Budget
Lete Youth Hostel. 6th Floor, 5# Building, International Village Apartment. 0971)8202080. nlete@gmail.com. ttp://www.xnlet.cn.
Nice, clean hostel. The staff speak great English. There is a travel company upstairs that will organise trips in the local provence and to Tibet. There is also a good cafe in the hostel. Prices range from \25 dorm - \120 room.
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There are dozens of small guesthouses near the train and long distance bus station. Look for the characters "______," which in this part of town are on every other building. Most places seem aimable to taking foreigners, and prices range from \10 in a grimy four-room bunk (expect the other occupants to smoke in the room all night long) to \100 for a deluxe double.
More guesthouses can be found around the town' West Gate, or Ximen.
Mid-range
Jianyin Hotel. 5 West Street. 0971)8261561. 0971)8261515.
Xining Tower. 1 Jianguo Road. 0971)8419991. 0971)8419779.
Splurge
Get out
'''Qinghaihu National Park''' (___C__ - also called Lake Koko Nor) - this 5,694 km lake is the largest lake in China, and is located between Hainan and Haibei
'''Taersi Monestery''' (______) - perfectly situated in the village of Huangzhong. The surrounding countryside is pleasant.
'''Tu Minority Village''' - located at Weiyuanzhen Old Village, 32 km from Xining