Qumarlêb County 曲麻莱县

Setting and landscape

High mountains alternate with basins and flats; the main ranges are the Kunlun (昆仑山), the Bayan Har (巴颜喀拉山), Hoh Xil (可可西里) and the Dongwula (冬乌拉山). Average altitude is above 4,500 metres. The county government describes the climate as typical high-cold plateau: dry, with sparse plants, no clear seasons and a cold season of nine months, and with drought, snowstorms, gales and cold waves as the main hazards. The Hoh Xil national nature reserve within the county is on the World Natural Heritage list, and under the Sanjiangyuan National Park plan Qumarlêb falls in the park's Yangtze Source section, with its own management office. The county seat is Yuegai (约改镇).

What to see

The Yellow River rises in the Yueguzonglie area (约古宗列) of Maduo township (麻多乡), where a stone inscribed "Source of the Yellow River" (黄河源) in the hand of Jiang Zemin stands at the foot of the Yueguzonglie hills. Maduo lies in the north-east of the county, about 220 kilometres from the seat, on the wide valleys and flats north of the Bayan Har range. The Lema (勒玛河), Chumar (楚玛尔河), Sewu (色吾河) and Daiqu (代曲河) rivers, the main streams of the Yangtze's northern source, also rise in the county. The county names the Yellow River source, Yuzhu Peak (玉珠峰) and the sacred mountain Gaduo Juewu (尕朵觉悟) among its tourism resources.

Wildlife includes white-lipped deer, wild yak, kiang (wild ass), bears and leopards, among 45 mammal and 66 wild bird species listed by the county.

Food and local products

Herding is the main livelihood in Maduo, where families keep Tibetan sheep, yaks and horses. The county lists caterpillar fungus (冬虫夏草), rhodiola (红景天) and snow lotus (雪莲) among 121 kinds of valued medicinal materials, and also names mushrooms and juema (蕨麻, silverweed root) among its products.

Highlights

• Source of the Yellow River 黄河源: The river rises in the Yueguzonglie area of Maduo township, marked by an inscribed stone.
• Hoh Xil 可可西里: National nature reserve within the county, on the World Natural Heritage list.
• Yuzhu Peak 玉珠峰: Named by the county among its main tourism resources.
• Gaduo Juewu 尕朵觉悟: Sacred mountain named by the county among its main tourism resources.