“Cultural Exchange Activities of Presenting China to the World”---”The Most Beautiful China” Series Activities to Visit China’s Salt Lake City·Golmud.

Golmud is Mongolian, meaning a place full of rivers. It is situated in the south of Qinghai Province, bordering Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to the west and Tibet to the south. Its terrace is very complicated, the south higher than the north. The splendid Kunlun and Tanggula Mountains traverse across the whole area. Since Golmud City is situated on the Roof of the World with numerous snow mountains and glaciers. Geladandong Snow Mountain, the major peak of Tanggula Mountains as high as 6549 meters, is the source of Yangtse River and Lancang River. There are flat basins, fluctuating sand dunes and oases, and numerous salt lakes and moors, including Chaerhan Salt Lake, which is the world's largest salt lake, dubbed as the "king of the salt lake".

The famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway passes through Golmud that boasts many places of interest, such as snowland glaciers, Kunlun snow views, etc. Its jurisdiction features continental plateau climate. It has won many awards, such as the "national advanced collective of soldiers and civilians to build socialist spiritual civilization", “ the Advanced Chinese Landscaping City", "national advanced city on Children’s work", "China’s excellent tourism city", etc. In 2012, it was listed into the Top 200 Most Charming City in China.

In Golmud’s adjacent basin, it abounds in salt lakes, especially Chaerhan Salt Lake whose salt reserve equals 50 times as much as that of the Sears Salt Lake in the U.S. It is the largest salt deposit of magnesium and lithium, including 60 billion tonnes of chloride. The reserve and quality of potassium, magnesium, lithium, boron, bromine, iodine and rubidium are among the top of the country. Thanks to the plentiful salt lake, oil, and natural gas of Qaidam Basin, Golmud city has developed its salt chemical industry and petrochemical industry. The Qinghai potash fertilizer factory, built in Chaerhan Salt Lake with annual capacity of 1 million tonnes, is the largest production base of potash fertilizer in China.

Golmud’s adjoining Tanggula Mountainous area is the natural reserve of wild animals and plants in Qinghai Province. The unique wild yak, the white-lipped deer, wild donkey, snow leopard, snow chicken, black-necked cranes and snow lotus are very precious species. There are abundant crystal, lead and zinc, and coal mines to be exploited.

The Chinese jade culture boasts a time-honored history. There are varied jades with rich cultural connotations. The jade within Gold medals used by the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 perfectly combines the Chinese jade culture with modern sports ideals. The Kunlun Jade, used for the gold medals, is produced from Golmut, the shining pearl of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and a modern industrial city. It is also home to the Beijing Olympic Games Mascot Yingying.