Get to know Huangzhong District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Xining
- Chinese name
- 湟中区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,444.00 km²
- Population · 2020
- 463,900
- Administrative seat
- Lushar Town
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
In the Ming the area belonged to the Xining garrison (西宁卫). The Qing replaced the garrison in 1724 with Xining Prefecture and the counties of Xining and Nianbo (碾伯). In 1945 the urban area was split off as the city of Xining, and in 1946 Xining County was renamed Huangzhong because it shared the city's name. In December 2019 the State Council approved turning Huangzhong County into a district of Xining, and the district was formally set up on 22 July 2020.
What to see
Kumbum Monastery stands in Lotus Mountain (莲花山) south of Lushar, 25 kilometres from Xining, and was placed on the first list of national key heritage sites on 4 March 1961. Chinese Wikipedia counts it among the six great monasteries of the Gelug school. It grew from a stupa: in 1379 Tsongkhapa's mother built a memorial stupa at his birthplace, and in 1560 monks built a temple beside it. Halls including the Great Hall of the Golden Roof (大金瓦殿) and the Great Assembly Hall (大经堂) followed from the late Ming, and colleges for tantra, medicine and the Kalachakra were added under the Qing from 1649, completing, with the exoteric college, a system of four colleges. It reopened on 15 February 1979 and was opened to foreign visitors that July.
Food and local products
Three arts are called the "three wonders of Kumbum": butter sculpture (酥油花), murals and appliqué embroidery (堆绣). Kumbum butter sculpture, shaped from butter, entered the first national intangible-heritage list in 2006. Huangzhong appliqué, worked mainly in Tianjiazhai (田家寨), Duoba (多巴) and a few other townships, depicts mainly Tibetan Buddhist subjects by cutting and piling cloth, is mostly used for thangkas, and was listed nationally in 2008. The same 2008 list includes the Qianhuying high floats (千户营高台), a folk art staged mainly at Spring Festival that the national heritage register traces to the Hongwu reign of the Ming, combining local painting, embroidery and woodcarving.
Highlights
- Kumbum Monastery 塔尔寺: Gelug monastery at Tsongkhapa's birthplace; national key heritage site since 1961.
- Kumbum butter sculpture 塔尔寺酥油花: One of the 'three wonders of Kumbum'; national intangible heritage, 2006.
- Huangzhong appliqué embroidery 湟中堆绣: Cut-and-piled cloth thangka craft; national intangible heritage, 2008.
- Qianhuying high floats 千户营高台: Folk art staged mainly at Spring Festival, traced to the Ming Hongwu reign; national intangible heritage, 2008.
Sources for this guide
湟中区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
塔尔寺 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
塔尔寺酥油花 - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
湟中堆绣 - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
抬阁（芯子、铁枝、飘色）（湟中县千户营高台） - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-26.
Explore Huangzhong District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Huangzhong District
Ta'er Monastery · Plan your visit
Getting there
Huangzhong District is about 25 km in a straight line from central Xining. Search for 湟中区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Kumbum / Ta'er Monastery. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Xining →More in Xining
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 湟中区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 塔尔寺 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Kumbum / Ta'er Monastery · Andreas Gruschke · CC BY 3.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.