Atlas of China
Riyue Mountain 日月山Rìyuè Shān
4A scenic area · Xining, Qinghai
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Xining
- Region
- Qinghai
- Type
- Nature
- Listed as
- 4A scenic area
About Riyue Mountain
A pass at 3,399 m on the road west from Xining to Qinghai Lake, dividing the Huangshui river basin and the farming zone to the east from the Qinghai Lake basin and the herding zone to the west. By tradition Princess Wencheng of the Tang passed this way in 641 on her journey to marry the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, and legend says she smashed a magic mirror here that showed only her own reflection, and that the Daotang River, which unusually flows west, rose from her tears. Two small modern temples on the pass carry murals of the royal couple and nomad life, and a folk-song gathering is held around the sixth day of the sixth lunar month.
How to get to Riyue Mountain
About 40 km south-west of Huangyuan county town on the road from Xining to Qinghai Lake, roughly an hour and a half by road from Xining.
Nearby
- Kumbum Monastery 塔尔寺 40 km
Golden roofs and butter sculptures at the birthplace of Tsongkhapa
Also within 20 km: Zongjiagou Scenic Area 宗家沟 (20 km).
On the map
Open Riyue Mountain on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Riyue Mountain on the map