Qinghai: Zhouer, Wucai, Kunlun Mountain, July 2025

One of the most famous mountains in Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau is Kunlun Mountain.  Kunlun Mountain National Geopark 昆仑山国家地质公园 covers an area of 7000 km² and consists of 4 scenic areas: Nachitai Scenic Area, Xidatan Scenic Area, Yaochi Scenic Area, and Nanshankou Scenic Area.  Kunlun Mountain has been called the ancestor of all mountains due to its history, geography, and legends.  It is the world’s highest average altitude geopark.  According to legend, the immortal master of Kunlun Mountain is the Queen Mother of the West.  The “Yaochi” recorded in many ancient books is the Black Sea at the source of the Kunlun River.  Kunlun Spring, located on the north bank of Kunlun River, is the largest unfrozen spring in Kunlun Mountain.  It is said that this is the spring water used by Queen Mother of the West to brew nectar and jade elixir.  The Golmud River, which originates from the middle reaches of Kunlun Mountain, has long eroded Qianbanyan, forming a canyon with cliffs facing each other and dozens of meters deep.  At the entrance to the Kunlun Mountain Geopark is Wuji Longfeng Palace (Wuji Dragon Phoenix Palace) 无极龙凤宫, a Taoist temple of the Kunlun Sect.  The temple is so named because the Chinese nation is believed to be the descendant of the dragon and the phoenix.  The temple tells the story of Jiang Ziya’s enlightenment in Kunlun and the statue of the Queen Mother of the West is enshrined here.  According to Chinese mythology, Kulun Mountain is a fairy mountain where immortals reside and where the entrance to the other world exists.  The mountain is said to be divided into three layers where the first layer is the mountain on earth.  The second layer is the Queen Mother of the West’s hanging garden where all kinds of rare animals live and where exotic flowers and magical herbs grow that can make humans immortal.  Queen Mother of the West is said to have a human head and the body of a leopard and is served by two blue birds.  She is the Taoist deity in charge of guiding humans to become immortals.  The third and highest layer is the residence of the Emperor of Heaven which is the most sacred place between heaven and earth.  Legend has it that many emperors have come to Kunlun in search of immortality.

Xiwangmu Yaochi 西王母瑶池, translates to “Jade Pond of the Queen Mother of the West”, and is also known as Heihai Lake (Black Sea).  It is a legendary location in the Kunlun Mountains, believed to be the residence of the Queen Mother of the West who is a prominet figure in Chinese mythology.