Who says Qinghai is in the middle of nowhere? Fast food, brand boutiques, and wifi don't make a  place somewhere; those places are everywhere. No, Qinghai is in the middle alright, of people and cultures so far off the WTO map that they still believe in something besides buying their way to happiness, can still entertain themselves without electronic assistance. These three Qinghai destinations bear a stamp that can't be traded, but will leave a unique mark on your soul, not to mention your sense of geography.

Xunhua County

You were expecting Qinghai Lake, maybe? Next time, next time. First to the far western banks of the Yellow River. China has lots of gigantic lakes, but only one little corner wherein the Salar dwell. Neither Hui nor Uighur, yet Muslims who have lived in Xunhua since Yuan Dynasty days, their name means "Those who wave swords everywhere."

But that was all back in sword-waving days.  Couldn't anybody coexist peacefully back then, especially tribes more alike than different. So the Oghuz Turk brothers, Haraman and Ahman, ventured from Samarkand, searching for their promised land. A stray camel led them to the rich valleys of Xunhua County, where their descendants live in peace, if not plenty, and submission to Allah the All-merciful.

Let us stress that they coexist in peace. Although they comprise over sixty percent of Xunhua's population, the Salar share the land with ethnic Tibetans, including the home of the Tenth Panchen Lama. The  harmonious blend of the crescent moon, Turkey, and Western China shine through in both the faces and mosque architecture.

 Tongren

Alright, besides a fairly lively open market, Tongren doesn't have much to distinguish itself from a thousand other third-tier Chinese cities (Even if it is Rebkong Town of Amdo, to Tibetans). Until you hie on to the outskirts, that is.  Even the temple-weary should get a fresh burst of Buddha-bedazzlement in Longwu Temple,  where a hall of tribute to Sakyamuni is as ornate as the surrounding landscape is desolate.

The temple is also a monastery, two monasteries, upper and lower, with thousands of monk cells, and hundreds of monks engaged in holy craft - making thangkas. Symbolically instructive of the Buddhas' lives and lessons, thangkas are blessed exceptions to the world of mass-manufacturing. Each one takes weeks, if not months, of careful embroidery and silk overlay. Yes, yes, you will get bargain-basement prices on thangkas at the Longwu monasteries. Act now; supplies are limited.

 Kanbula

Diversity AND peace? What's the secret? Good fences make good neighbors, but endless elbow room makes people free of heart and hand. A visit to Kanbula National Park, realm of more majestic vistas than there are eyes to take them in, reveals that the good earth, unsullied, holds the middle together.