Haixi.

Qaidam’s stories change with the material under examination. Salt crystallizes at Qarhan and Chaka; archaeological objects emerge from Dulan’s Reshui tombs; instruments at Lenghu gather light. Delingha’s lakes and poems lead into different readings of the basin. The oil town, the desert landforms and the observatory each keep their own dates, working processes and questions.

A boardwalk across Chaka Salt Lake, photographed in February 2026.

Haixi

Original editorial diagram linking Hai Zi’s 1988 passage through Delingha with the poetry hall described in 2024, its Bayin River setting and its seven exhibition sections. No manuscript or museum object is reproduced.

How a Poem Put Delingha on the Literary Map

A poem written while passing through Delingha became a lasting part of the city’s public memory, now gathered at a riverside exhibition hall.

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Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: Keluke is freshwater and Tuosu saline; 138 bird species were recorded across the reserve, not assigned to either lake.

Two Lakes, Two Waters: Keluke and Tuosu

Adjacent lakes in Delingha differ in salinity and support a varied wetland setting for birds.

Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: Repeated transects and survey points recorded 138 bird species across the reserve during 2019–2021.

A Stop on the Central Asian Flyway

The Keluke–Tuosu reserve is part of a migratory-bird network, and its monitoring records show how field observation works in a desert wetland.

Salt pans near Golmud in a 1993 historical photograph.

Salt Flowers in the Potash Landscape of Qarhan

At Qarhan Salt Lake, visible salt forms sit beside an industrial process that sends brine through concentration, purification and crystallization.

Lenghu site search began in 2018; researchers compared atmospheric steadiness, cloud cover and water vapour over three years. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.

Why the Telescopes Came to Lenghu

Three years of measurements on Saishiteng Mountain showed why an isolated desert ridge could serve an observatory.

Lenghu regulation: core and buffer zones direct outdoor light downward; effective 1 January 2023. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.

Protecting the Darkness Around Lenghu

A 2022 local regulation treats darkness as part of the observatory environment, with protected core and buffer zones and rules for night lighting.

Saishiteng measurement platform: about 4,200 m elevation, difficult access and three years of atmospheric observations. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.

Building a Measuring Station on Saishiteng Mountain

Field researchers carried instruments through a high, roadless landscape to test whether the Lenghu site could support an observatory.

Yardang landforms beside the Mars No. 1 road near Mangya in August 2024.

An Actual Desert Before the Mars Analogy

The Yadan landforms of Lenghu are a geological landscape; a nearby camp uses their appearance as a setting for simulated Mars education.

The Chaka Salt Lake scenic-area entrance in 2024.

Chaka on the Map: Town Address, Lake, Visitor Precinct

The official scenic-area address places the destination in Chaka Town, while its public identity is organized around a much larger salt lake.

The North Hulsan branch of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway in 2024; railway context rather than a photograph of the Wanzhang Salt Bridge.

The Salt Bridge: A Railway Across Qarhan

A 2026 account of railway maintenance calls the Qinghai–Tibet Railway’s passage across Qarhan Salt Lake a 33-kilometre “Salt Bridge.”

Golmud railway station’s new building, photographed in July 2020.

Where Two Railways Meet at Golmud

A 2020 junction project connected the Golmud–Korla Railway with the existing Qinghai–Tibet line through a new switch installation at Golmudhe.

Salt harvesting near Golmud in July 1993; an archival view of work at that time.

From Qarhan Brine to Golmud’s Sodium Products

A 2023 account of Golmud Industrial Park traces a shift from basic salt processing toward a broader family of sodium products.

Golmud railway station’s new building, photographed in July 2020.

A 70-Degree Turn Above the Qinghai–Tibet Railway

A bridge on the Zongjia–Golmud East road project was designed to rotate across an active railway after being built beside the line.

Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: The Xuewei No. 1 excavation separated an above-ground enclosure from several underground rooms and object groups.

How Archaeologists Read the Reshui Tombs

A complex tomb at Dulan’s Reshui cemetery became a historical argument built from architecture, timber dating, an inscribed seal and written records.

Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: The 2018 excavation context led to a 2023 museum display of the seal; the diagram does not reproduce the artifact.

A Silver Seal Leaves the Reshui tombs

A 2023 exhibition at China Archaeology Museum placed a small inscribed seal from Dulan’s Reshui tombs before visitors as both an artifact and evidence.

The Lenghu oil-base settlement heritage marker, photographed in August 2024.

The Ruins of Lenghu’s Oil Town

A 2022 field report follows the remains of the old No. 5 oil base near Lenghu, where pumps, a site marker, sand-filled rooms and former civic buildings preserve the outline of an oil town.

Yardang landforms beside the Mars No. 1 road near Mangya in August 2024.

Mapping the Ground at Oboliang

At Oboliang in Lenghu, a student field project tested high-precision positioning with three base stations and a drone, then set out a plan for route guidance and terrain protection.

Original editorial schematic of colored salt-water compartments and a salt road, referring to the lake preparations described before the planned May 2021 opening. Shapes and colors are illustrative, not a satellite image or site plan.

The Many Blues of Mangya’s Emerald Lake

A 2021 account of Mangya’s Emerald Lake links its changing colors to salt beds, brine and a landscape shaped by both industry and tourism.

Photo credits and rights

A boardwalk across Chaka Salt Lake, photographed in February 2026.AkakiBalanchivadze · CC BY 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial diagram linking Hai Zi’s 1988 passage through Delingha with the poetry hall described in 2024, its Bayin River setting and its seven exhibition sections. No manuscript or museum object is reproduced.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: Keluke is freshwater and Tuosu saline; 138 bird species were recorded across the reserve, not assigned to either lake.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: Repeated transects and survey points recorded 138 bird species across the reserve during 2019–2021.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Salt pans near Golmud in a 1993 historical photograph.lorenz.king@geogr.uni-giessen.de · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Lenghu site search began in 2018; researchers compared atmospheric steadiness, cloud cover and water vapour over three years. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Lenghu regulation: core and buffer zones direct outdoor light downward; effective 1 January 2023. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Saishiteng measurement platform: about 4,200 m elevation, difficult access and three years of atmospheric observations. Original editorial diagram; illustrative, not a photograph or measured site plan.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Yardang landforms beside the Mars No. 1 road near Mangya in August 2024.Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
The Chaka Salt Lake scenic-area entrance in 2024.Woudloper · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
The North Hulsan branch of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway in 2024; railway context rather than a photograph of the Wanzhang Salt Bridge.Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Golmud railway station’s new building, photographed in July 2020.BMSBridge · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Salt harvesting near Golmud in July 1993; an archival view of work at that time.Matti&Keti · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: The Xuewei No. 1 excavation separated an above-ground enclosure from several underground rooms and object groups.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial diagram, not a photograph or measured plan: The 2018 excavation context led to a 2023 museum display of the seal; the diagram does not reproduce the artifact.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
The Lenghu oil-base settlement heritage marker, photographed in August 2024.Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.
Original editorial schematic of colored salt-water compartments and a salt road, referring to the lake preparations described before the planned May 2021 opening. Shapes and colors are illustrative, not a satellite image or site plan.© 2026 IFreeing · Rights information Photo source ↗ Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping. No objects were added, removed or reconstructed.