Q:How does Qinghai Lake form?
A:It’s believed that it was formed in 210,000 to 350,000 years ago. In far ancient, it was part of Mediterranean Sea. In the 3rd century, Alps Movement made Qinghai-Tibet Plateau rise. A large amount of sea fell down and formulated Qinghai Lake. At the beginning, the lake was connected with sea. The water ran from Qunai River to Huang River, and finally entered sea.

Q:What does Qinghai Lake look like in different seasons?
A:Qinghai Lake is on the northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The lake is surrounded by four lofty mountains, with Datong Mountain on its north, Riyue Mountain on its east, Qinghainan Mountain on the south and Xiangpi Mountain on the west. The altitude of these four mountains is from 3600km to 5000km. These four mountains like four barriers carrying Qinghai Lake in their arms. From the root of mountain to the Lake, there is vast and flat grassland. The green and wavy lake is similar to a grand jade lying between mountains and grassland. The shape of Qinghai Lake is like an ellipse, with 109km length from west to east and 65km width from north to south. It’s said that the lake seems to be a giant aspen leave floating on the grassland. The scenery of the lake is quite different in different seasons. In summer and autumn, trees grow flourish on mountains and grassland, which seems to be a thick carpet with colorful flowers as decoration. At the side of the lake, hordes of cows and horses drink water and eat grass. Large scale of farm lies beside the lake. The golden corn field likes wave when wind blows. In winter, the leaves begin to fall from trees. In Nov, the lake begins to freeze. At that time, the lake is like a mirror shining in the sunshine.

Q:What scenic spots are there?
A:Qinghai Lake is both a scenic spot with a mysterious coloring and a treasure house that scientists all over the world are interested in. With an average depth of 20m, the lake water contains sodium, potassium, magnesium as well as scores of salts, which are important materials for chemical, electronic, optic and pharmaceutical industries. The lake also abounds in fish. Qinghai Lake scaleless carp is a special product here. Local people say in midsummer fish like to swim on the water surface, and passersby can catch fish from the lake quite easily. While boating on the lake, you can feel this is quite true. For shoal after shoal of fish swam past your boat, so many sparkling reddish fish that it seems you have just to extend your arm and a fish is already in your hand .

Q:The brief introduction of Qinghai Lake
A:Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai Lake has a acreage of 4538 sq.km and perimeter of 360km, which is more than two time of the famous Tai Lake. The average depth of Qinghai Lake is about 16m, with the deepest point to 28m. The poundage reaches 71.9 billion stere. The altitude of Lake Surface is 3195m, which approximates to two height of Mount Tai. The weather is very cool here due to the high altitude. Even in midsummer, the average temperature is just 15 degree centigrade. It’s a perfect resort for passing the summer in a leisurely way．

Time: 2006-10-6, 10：00－12：00
Interviewing at: the administration office of Bird Island
Interviewee: administrative staff
Recorded by: Cao Yuan-zhang

Q:The brief introduction of Bird Islands?
A:Bird Islands on Qinghai Lake is one of the eight birds reserve in China, and also the important bird inhabitant area in Asia. It was authorized as the national nature reserve in Aug, 1975 and national beauty spot in 1994. The Avian Islands consist of two different islands- one on the east, the other on the west. These two islands are both on the northwest of Qinghai Lake-the estuary of Buha River.

Q:What’s the weak link in tourism of Birds Island?
A:Firstly, the traffic condition is not good because the roads here are one way traffic. Secondly, there is not a formal parking lot. This year many travelers came here by self-driving, and too many cars resulted in traffic jam. Thirdly, the capacity of tourist reception is limited. Fourthly, there is only one toilet here, which is far less beyond the requirement of national scenic area.

Q:How to protect the scaleless carp?
A:As Qinghai Lake is on plateau, its environment is affected by efflorescence, deforestation and swamp shrinking. All these reasons lead to the declination of scaleless carp production amount. Every year, the migrant birds eat nearly one thousand tons of it. Another point is that in 1960s, the grassland around Qinghai Lake was changed into farms. People build dams to prevent one hundred and eight rivers running into the lake, which blocked the way of scaleless carp copulate and reproduce. The total amount of reduces from 320,000 tons at the foundation of China to 7,000 tons now. Nowadays, over fishing is still a serious problem. We do a lot of work in propaganda. In 2005, we held the first “Fish Appreciation Festival”, which highlight people’s conception of protecting environment remarkably. We plan to hold this activity in Jun and Jul in 2007. We believe that we will do a better job. What’s more, we make educational propaganda in “Fish Protecting Week” and “Fish Protecting Month”. In Jul, 2006, we intercepted the river to save the rare species- scaleless carp. In recent years, our government orders to forbid fishing on Qinghai Lake and protect the natural environment.

Q:When the amount of scaleless carp is largest?
A:Every late March, when the ice covering of Qinghai Lake begins to melt and the temperature rises to 5-6 , shoals of scaleless carp move upstream to the rivers that empty into the lake, struggling against the current, they run after each other to reproduce by ovulation and insemination. Such activities reach their climax in May and June. Near the mouth of the Buha River, sometimes thousands of carps can be seen striving upstream toward the river, churn the water turbulently ,each one fearing to lag behind, while crossing the shallows, the dorsal and caudal fins of many of them protrude above the surface, as if a thousand sailboats are vying in a race.

Q:How to deal with garbage?
A:Our government invested a lot in sewage treatment plant and garbage transfer station. The garbage can’t be thrown into the river or lake, because there is no outlet of Qinghai Lake.

Q:Does the water level of lake increase?
A:Yes, in recent years, our government enforces protection of Qinghai Lake and the amount of rainfall is larger than before, which results in the water level increasing.