Force of nature

Before I put a foot on the sand, some local residents tried to persuade me to change my travel plan, saying that "it's not a good idea to visit these places in winter".They cautioned that the temperature can drop to as low as -20 C. The waters of Qinghai Lake are frozen, and the oasis would be bare of greenery. Daylight begins at around 9 am and night falls at around 6:30 pm. Most tourism-related entertainment and transportation services are suspended for the winter. Locals do the minimum of outdoor activities.

But I had made up my mind to go, as I had not traveled for almost a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to refresh myself by pressing the pause button on my usual life in Beijing. And I was right to make the trip, as far from being disappointed, as people said I would be, I was wonderfully surprised. By avoiding the crowds that are usually encountered at popular tourist sites in the warmer months, I was better able to appreciate the scenery and take as many photos as I liked at my leisure. I also didn't have to book everything in advance and, of course, I saved money.

It cost me about 4,400 yuan ($679) in total for the tour. All hotel rooms, four-star level and above, were about 200 yuan cheaper. All the scenic spots I visited offered deep discounts on entrance-ticket prices to drive winter business.

Although it caused some inconvenience that government-organized tourist buses were suspended, enthusiastic travelers can always find a way to solve the problem. For example, I paid only 113 yuan to join a one-day tour through on-demand service platform Meituan Dianping to visit Qinghai Lake and Qarhan Salt Lake in Qinghai (entry tickets and lunch not included).

The Qinghai Lake scenic spot, the largest inland lake in China, is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive away from Qinghai's capital, Xining, and is about 3,200 meters above sea level. Eight tourists, all traveling alone, gathered at 6 am, excited to be the only tourists visiting.

Partly frozen, the lake was like a broken blue mirror. The trees and wooden houses standing on the center of the lake, together with the snow-covered banks, gave it the appearance of an oil painting. Birds scattered in all directions when we disturbed them. Wavelets lapped on the stones along the banks, leaving icy traces. In some areas, it was hard to tell whether it was just ice or land.

Ma Qingfei, 24, a tourist in the group, wrote in a WeChat Moment that: "It's a pure land to refresh one's heart entangled by noisy city life. The harmonious scene left a long-lasting aftertaste."

Jiang Huiling, 23, who had traveled from Guangdong province, says she had never seen real snow before. She thought the trip was well worth it.

Before entering Qarhan Salt Lake to the west of Qinghai Lake, which is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Xining, we saw a train transporting salt out. Our driver and guide said the salt would end up on people's dinner tables after it's processed.