Xining-the key point of the south branch of the Silk Road

Location: located between 10149' east longitude and 3634' north latitude, in the east part of Qinghai province

Neighboring Areas: Gansu and Sichuan provinces; Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Physical Features: topography slopes down from northwest to southeast

Population: 1.11 million
Urban Population: 700,000
Area: 7,671 sq km

Nationalities: Han, Hui, Manchu, Tibetan, Sala and Mongolian

History: a history of 2000 years; originally called Xipingting; once as a capital in Nan Liang dynasty; the key point of the south branch of the Silk Road

Climatic Features: the continental mid-drought climate with rich sunlight and little rainfall, short frost-free, long freeze-up, no bitter coldness in winter or extremely hot in summer

Rivers: the Yellow River, Nanchuan river, Beichuan river