Xining, despite the few attractions within the city itself, has a charm that is refreshing in this rugged western province. Most travellers here are either on their way to other destinations in Qinghai, most obviously the Kumbum Monastery and Qinghai Lake, or planning to travel on to Tibet. Of most interest to visitors in the town is a visit to one of the markets, either for food or exotica. 
Just near the West Gate are the two best markets: Water Well Alley Market (see Dining) and the Riverside Market (see Shopping).
The city is literally translated Western Peace, a projection of wish fulfillment by imperial order. It has long been on the fringes of the western Chinese empire, probably established around the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), and it remained an important trading post in the area, mainly for goods to and from Tibet and China. It was by the sixteenth century that the city was set up as both a military garrison and a major trading post upon the Southern Silk Route.
It was not until 1928 that the city, with the formal establishment of Qinghai as a province, was to become the official capital. It has now emerged as the political and economic center of the province. The city lies on the Qinghai/Tibetan Plateau at an elevation of around 2,200 meters above sea level, and is around 225km from Lanzhou. With mountains lying sharply to the north of the city, and desolate plains stretching before it, Xining is a welcoming staging point for treckers to areas beyond. Most of the city lies to the south of the Huangshui River (Huangshui he), and it is more or less bisected by the South River (Nan chuan). The city has its center between two set of crossroads, at Ximen (West Gate) and Dashizi (Big Crossroads). The population within is roughly 60% Han Chinese, but it is the ethnic minorities that give the town its true flavour. Of these it is the Tibetan and Muslim Hui that make up the biggest proportion, accounting for around a quarter of the total population.
