A province is named after the Qinghai Lake and an international cycling race is also named after it, which is the largest among all the salt and fresh water lakes in China.

The ongoing fifth edition of the Tour of Qinghai Lake, consisting of nine stages, started on July 15 and is to end on 23 with 140 riders representing 20 teams (7 riders & 5 staff members in each team) from five continents participating in this event. The total race distance will be approximately 1350 kilometers.

The route of the cycling race is a great attraction for those who have never been to the vast west province of China. The first and second stages winner Rene Weissinger was fully obsessed with the unique highland scenes.

The German cyclist of Dutch team Skil-Shimano (SKS) felt the deep fascination of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau scenery characterized with the highland salt lake, acres of cole flowers, vast undulating grassland and blue sky.

"When I got here two weeks ago, I was absorbed into the special pictures here, especially with the vast area of cole flowers and the large holly Lake on the plateau.

"It's kind of dream travel and the maize of cole flower sea made me dream about the yellow jersey in the forthcoming race. Thank God, I put on the jersey in the first and second stages. It's very nice both with the scenery and with the people here," said Weissinger.

Pieter Hoekstra, Team manager of SKS, also enjoyed the highland sights after staying in Qinghai province for more than half a month, which is his first visit to China.

"I led the team to train for eight days two weeks ago ashore the Qinghai Lake and that is a period in life unforgettable. You were totally licked up by the flower sea around the Lake and you were painted into a canvas that can enchant anyone, "said Hoekstra.

Qinghai Lake has a surface area of 4,300 square kilometers with a circumference of 360 kilometers, sitting at an altitude of 3,196meters. It always makes a deep impression on visitors to stand on its shores by looking across it's expanse to find the far sky and lake surface almost merge in the distance.

The appearance of Qinghai Lake changes according to the four seasons span whirling. In spring, flocks of migrating birds swarmed into the lake from South of China. They build their nests around the edge of the Lake and mate to hatch their eggs there centering in Bird Island. During summer and autumn, the Lake becomes very blue like a gemstone amongst the mountains with clearwater to see even fish swimming.

Birds soar in the blue sky, and the grass is green strewn with flowers, while clouds float in the sky like cotton bolls, all of which make up a very charming picture.

In the cold winter, the scene changes to a fairy-tale world when the whole Lake freezes and more than a thousand Siberian swans inhabit along the north-east side of the Lake.

For thousands of years, Tibetan and Mongolian minorities have been living around the pleasant grassy shores of the Lake. Here they identify themselves with its natural beauty of green grass and variety of flowers.

The blue sky, white clouds, smalt lake, yellow flowers, grassland with yaks and sheep together with the shrill Tibetan folksongs all contribute to the harmonious beauty of Qinghai Lake.

Editor: Wing