Lenghu

— At Niubiziliang we returned to the embrace of the Altun Mountains, then turning eastward we soon reached Lenghu, an oil city in Qinghai Province. The city of Lenghu was originally a salt lake. Located at a high altitude and in a frigid zone, it has no vegetation. The discovery of oil, however, has brought both people and vitality to this barren area. Today there are shopping arcades, cinemas, a TV station and hotels, but still one sees neither animals nor plants anywhere. Departing from Lenghu our car climbed up Dangjin Pass, the main passage leading to Gansu Province.