Summer Resort: At the Foot of Kunlun Mountains, the Source of the Yangtze River, Home to a World-Class Canyon and China's Largest Salt Lake

Since July, many provinces in central and northern China have experienced sustained, high-intensity hot weather, with local maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. A few days ago, the Xixia Station in Henan recorded a maximum surface temperature of an astonishing 74.1 degrees Celsius. The above is a city surface temperature ranking released by China Weather Network, with Xi'an, Zhengzhou, and Lanzhou, three northern cities, taking the top three spots, which is quite surprising. Hefei, Yinchuan, Lhasa, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, and Jinan follow closely behind.

I traveled to Golmud in Qinghai some time ago, and it rained almost every night, but during the day it was clear blue skies every day. In the morning and evening, I needed to wear two layers, while at noon it was relatively warmer, around 20 degrees Celsius, which was very comfortable.

With such pleasant temperatures, I didn't notice it while I was there, but when I returned to Chongqing and stepped out of the airport, it felt like walking into an oven. That's when I realized how nice Golmud was. Although the altitude is higher, preventing intense exercise or running, the temperature there is truly something to miss.

I just checked the temperature in Golmud for the next half month: the highest is only 25-26 degrees Celsius, and the lowest is just over 10 degrees. It's like spring or autumn in the inland, yet it's the hottest time of the year. So it's really a suitable place to escape the heat.

Golmud is small, with a population of only 220,000, and its administrative level is just a county-level city, belonging to the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. But Golmud is also large, with a total area exceeding 110,000 square kilometers, larger than provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is not only the second-largest city in Qinghai after the provincial capital Xining, but also the largest county-level city in China.

Golmud is young. Although human history in this area dates back a long time, the city of Golmud was established only during the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in the last century, less than 70 years ago. The first building in the city was the command office of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, only two stories high.

Golmud is a transliteration of Mongolian, also known as Guolimao, Gaermu, Gaolusmusi, etc., meaning "a place with dense rivers." It is located at a strategic junction of the four provinces and autonomous regions of Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Gansu, and is one of the transportation hubs in the northwest. The three main highways—Qinghai-Tibet line, Qinghai-Xinjiang line, and Dunhuang-Golmud line—converge here. It can be said that this city was born and thrives because of the highways.

Golmud is sparsely populated and rich in tourism resources. It is home to the source of the Yangtze River, China's largest salt lake—Qarhan Salt Lake, numerous snow-capped glaciers in the Kunlun Mountains, desert poplars, Dongtai Jinaier Lake, and part of Hoh Xil, among many other fascinating tourist attractions. If you find your city too hot, visiting Golmud to escape the heat is a great choice.