Salt lakes drive Qinghai's industrial-tourism hub
發佈日期: 2025-06-30 21:17
TVB News
From mineral extraction to biking tourism, Qinghai's lakes have helped drive the province's economic growth.
In this fifth episode of our series, Jacky Lin visits two landmark lakes in Qinghai to explore how they balance ecological and tourism goals.
Nestled near the eastern end of Qaidam Basin, Chaka Salt Lake's surreal beauty earns itself the nickname the "Mirror of the Sky."
Tourist trains glide through this otherworldly terrain of brine and salt crystals, transporting visitors to the world's largest outdoor salt sculpture group.
Qinghai boasts 150-plus salt lakes with 85 percent of the whole country's lake salt reserves.
Chaka alone produces 1.2 million tonnes annually.
Local authorities said they are setting their sights on building a global salt industry-tourism hub to boost local incomes.
Last year, Chaka hosted 2.4 million visitors.
The salt crystals in the lake are very coarse, and the salt concentration in the water is very high.
So, in order to protect yourself, you have to wear these shoe covers.
Biking tourism around Qinghai Lake fuels another lakeside economy with the influx of cyclists, especially during international races.
It's not just couples who pedal along the 360-kilometre lakeside route.
Families too.
She said cycling trains her son the value of resilience.
Wheels turn, and so do the other supporting sectors, from catering to bike rental services and first aid stations.
This Lake Cycling Service Base manager said at an altitude of 3,200 metres, support vehicles are vital for the safety and emergency repair work along the four to five-day-long cycling route.
