The fact is that adequate snowfall in winter and spring and ample precipitation in summer and autumn provide plentiful water resources for grass around the lake, making it a vast and fertile grazing pasture. The "Qin horses" raised locally were known for their strong bodies and fast speed as long as 2,000 0r more years ago during the Warring States Period(220-280). During the Sui Dynasty(581-618), people cross-bred the horse here with Kazak and Fergana horses to develop a unique breed known as the Qinghai horse, which was most popular for fighting wars. During the Tang Dynasty that followed, the Sun and Moon Mountain became a place for horse and tea trading and the horses thus bought were enlisted in the cavalry.

The most charming islands in the lake are the Egg Island and the Haixipi Island, both lying in the northwest of the lake, not very far from the oasis of Buh River, the largest of its kind, whose water empties into the lake. Facing each other, the two islands are also called "Bird Islands" because of the large number of birds residing on them.

The Egg Island, also known as the Lesser West Hill, rises barely 7,6 meters above the water level. Small as it is, it is home to the greatest number of birds, over a hundred thousand of them, including the bar-headed goose, great black-headed gull and red-neck gull. Every sprin9, huge flocks of these birds come to this traditional home of theirs to build nests and raise their chicks. The whole islet is densely populated with birds and many bird eggs have given rise to its name.

[Close] [comment]