Gold and Silver Grassland

Chinese name: 金银滩草原
Location: Haiyan County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province
Opening time: 08:00-19:00
Best time for visit: from July to September
Recommended time for a visit: 2-3 hours

Introduction to Gold and Silver Grassland
With an area of some 1,100 square kilometers, the Gold and Silver Grassland is about 100 kilometers away from the capital city Xining in the east and 28 kilometers away from Qinghai Lake in the south. The Mapi River and the Halijin River run through the grassland. As a typical pastoral area, Tibetan people have lived on this land for generations.

The golden season of the Gold and Silver Grassland is July, August and September. Flowers bloom and birds sing; thousands of sheep and yaks scatter in the grass and wildflowers. For the grass on the land is rich, and the cattle and sheep there are strong, people use gold and silver to describe this beautiful and rich land, hence the name "Gold and Silver Grassland".

The Gold and Silver Grassland is the birthplace of the world famous song "Zai Na Yaoyuan De Difang ". It was once a little-known mysterious forbidden zone, the China’s first nuclear weapon research base which gave birth to the first atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb in China. Now it becomes a national patriotism education demonstration base and a national key cultural relics protection site.

Main attractions in the scenic area
Tibetan Style Garden
In order to promote and create a national AAAA-level scenic spot, the government of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture invested the construction of a three-star yurts city - Tibetan Style Garden on the Gold and Silver Grassland, which integrates accommodation, catering, entertainment, cultural exchange, conference and sports shows as one. The garden has a land area of 470 mu, a total floor area of more than 6,000 square meters of yurt buildings, and a maximum daily reception capacity of more than 2,200.

Wang Luobin Music Art Gallery
Wang Luobin came to Xining as a teacher in 1939. The boundless Gobi, towering snow-capped mountains, vast grasslands, blue lakes, and flocks of cattle and sheep inspired Wang's infinite emotion and creative passion. In 1940 when Wang Luobin accompanied a director filming on the Gold and Silver Grassland he created the immortal work "Zai Na Yaoyuan De Difang". The song made the folk songs of northwest China go to the world, and it was even incorporated to music teaching materials by the world-renowned Paris Conservatory.

More than 1,000 classic music works were collected and organized by Wang Luobin during his lifetime, among these over 50 works were completed on the Gold and Silver Grassland. In order to cherish this great folk music artist who carried forward the northwest culture of China, the Wang Luobin Music Art Gallery was built in 2009. The museum displays a large number of photos, real objects and nearly 100 unpublished manuscripts of songs and operas. It is the largest memorial hall in China that reflects Wang Luobin's music culture and the music art in northwest China.

Atomic City Memorial Hall
The Gold and Silver Grassland was the first nuclear weapon research base in China. The Atomic City, the Atomic City Monument, the Atomic City Memorial Hall, and the Detonation Test Site are all here. The Atomic City Memorial Hall covers an area of 9615 square meters, and the overall layout of it consists of the entrance memorial wall, the multi-functional film & television hall, the tourists’ service center and the main exhibition hall. It vividly reproduces the working and life scenes of the nuclear base workers as well as the history of the base since its construction through detailed texts, historical pictures and real objects.

Travel Tips
When first arrive here some people may have altitude sickness and should pay attention to carrying anti-altitude products. It should also be noted that this is a summer resort, and you must even bring a sweater in the height of summer.