Golmud 格尔木市

Setting and landscape

The city borders the Hoh Xil (可可西里) national nature reserve to the south and the Qarhan Salt Lake (察尔汗盐湖) to the north, and its Tanggula Mountains (唐古拉山) area is part of the Sanjiangyuan (三江源) nature reserve. The city counts the source of the Yangtze among its natural sights. Wetlands such as the Yushui River (渔水河), Wuzi Lake (五子湖) and Jinyu Lake (金鱼湖) ring the town. The prefecture government lists sunshine of more than 3,500 hours a year.

History

Golmud was set up as an administration in 1954 and rose as an industrial town based on potash, salt-lake chemicals, oil and gas. General's Building Park (将军楼公园), a 4A scenic area, is built around the former residence of General Mu Shengzhong (慕生忠) and the office of the road-building troops, and commemorates the building of the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway. Its Tianlu memorial tower (天路纪念塔) is 39.16 m high, a figure matched to the combined length of the two routes, and the park also holds a geological museum and a memorial hall to the general.

What to see

The Qarhan Salt Lake lies at 2,670 m and covers 5,856 square km, fed by the Golmud (格尔木河) and Qaidam (柴达木河) rivers; its scenic area is graded 4A. The Qinghai–Tibet Railway and Highway run straight across a natural salt crust 15 to 18 m thick with brine beneath, a stretch known as the "Ten-Thousand-Zhang Salt Bridge" (万丈盐桥). The lake is also a national mine geopark and an important base of China's potash production, and its salt flowers crystallise in many shapes.

Kunlun Pass (昆仑山口), at 4,767 m, carries the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway and is a viewpoint over the Kunlun Mountains. Yuzhu Peak (玉珠峰), 6,178 m high and 140 km from the city, is 40 km from National Highway 109 and draws climbers. The city's profile also names the Yaochi Pool of the Queen Mother of the West (西王母瑶池) and a Euphrates poplar forest (胡杨林) among its scenic spots.

Getting oriented

Three trunk highways meet at Golmud, the Qinghai–Tibet, Qinghai–Xinjiang and Golmud–Dunhuang roads, and the Qinghai–Tibet, Golmud–Korla and Golmud–Dunhuang railways pass through the city. The prefecture government describes it as a hub linking Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Tibet.

Highlights

• Qarhan Salt Lake 察尔汗盐湖: A salt lake at 2,670 m, with a 4A scenic area, whose salt crust, 15 to 18 m thick, carries the Qinghai–Tibet Railway and Highway.
• Kunlun Pass 昆仑山口: A 4,767 m pass on the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway with views of the Kunlun Mountains.
• General's Building Park 将军楼公园: A 4A park built around General Mu Shengzhong's residence, commemorating the Qinghai–Tibet road and railway.
• Yuzhu Peak 玉珠峰: A 6,178 m mountain 40 km from National Highway 109, visited by climbers.