At the mouth of the Quanji River in Gangcha County, the lake’s edge becomes a seasonal passage. In early summer, Qinghai Lake naked carp gather where freshwater enters the saline lake, then move upstream toward spawning grounds. Their route follows moving water, which stimulates the fish as their reproductive organs develop. The fish travel between two environments: the lake where they spend much of their lives and the river channels where they reproduce. The mouth is a threshold, but the journey continues far beyond it, through bends, channels and structures placed across the flow.
From the journal
The Fish That Swim Home Against the Current
Each warm season, Qinghai Lake naked carp leave the lake for freshwater rivers. Their return upstream has reshaped how people manage dams, fishways and the meeting point between lake and river.
A lake fish at the river mouth
Small steps in a larger river
Beginning in 2010, dams were removed on the Shaliu, Quanji and Hargai rivers, and seven fish passages were built or modified. One passage gives the migration an architectural rhythm: a 100-meter channel, with a small step and pool every 1.6 meters. The step is 30 centimeters high. Each pool offers a short pause before the next rise in the water. At the Quanji mouth, the wider story becomes visible in a simple movement: fish leave the lake and follow the river upstream.
