Hoh Xil, also known as Kekexili (Mongolian for "Blue Ridge") or Aqênganggyai (meaning "Lord of Ten Thousand Mountains"), is a remote area in the northeast part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. On July 7, 2017, Hoh Xil in Qinghai was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list as "the largest and highest plateau in the world."

Geography

The region covers 83,000 square kilometers and has an average elevation of 4,800 meters above sea level. It stretches from east to west between the Tanggula and Kunlun mountain ranges in the border areas of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, northwest China's Qinghai Province, and China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The southeastern part of the Hoh Xil, drained by the Chumar River, is a major source of the Yangtze River. The rest of the area does not flow to the sea and instead drains into many isolated lakes; this area is sometimes called the "Hoh Xil lake district" by scientists. In 1995, 45,000 square kilometers of the Hoh Xil region, at an average elevation of 4,600 meters, was designated as a national nature reserve. The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes the western half of Zhidoi County and the western part of Qumarlêb County in Qinghai. Bukadaban Feng is considered part of the Hoh Xil.

Geology

Hoh Xil is a volcanic region. The nearby Northern Tibet volcanic field includes several volcanoes formed in the last few million years. Some of these volcanoes resemble those found in Hawaii. The Bamaoqiongzong area spans 300 square kilometers and has a well-preserved volcanic structure located northeast of its highest point. A lava flow in this area covers deposits from ancient lakes. This region contains a special type of rock called peralkaline phonolitic and foiditic rocks. The Yongbohu area has five volcanic vents made of dacitic, trachyandesitic, and andesitic rock. Qiangbaqian covers a large area along the southern edge of the Kunlun mountain range. A hill inside the Kekexili caldera was once thought to have been seen erupting in a satellite image from 1973, but it is now believed not to have been active in recorded history. Synonyms & Subfeatures

Wildlife

Hoh Xil has a very harsh climate, but it is home to more than 230 species of wild animals. Twenty of these animals are protected by the Chinese government, including the wild yak, wild donkey, white-lip deer, brown bear, and the endangered Tibetan antelope, also called the chiru. The plateau pika, a small rodent that digs burrows, is the main food source for brown bears in the area. Brown bears also eat yak and antelope. Before 2004, the region and the Tibetan antelope were not well known in China. However, the 2004 film Kekexili: Mountain Patrol made them famous. Zhuonai Lake in Hoh Xil is a place where many Tibetan antelope gather.

Transportation

The Qingzang Railway and China National Highway 109 travel along the eastern edge of the reserve. The Fenghuoshan Tunnel, currently the highest railway tunnel in the world (1338 meters long, with entrances at an elevation of 4905 meters above sea level), was built in the area.