Xining History

The remains of ancient civilizations found in Qinghai indicate that people resided here even 5,000 years ago though Xining was only given this name around 900 years ago in 1103.

A successful farming community developed in Xining even thousands of years before the royal government of Emperor Wudi of the West Han Dynasty built a fortress and the Xining Pavilion here in 121 B.C. It resulted in the establishment of the region and counties of the Central Plains.

After uniting Tibet in the 7th Century AD, Songtsen Gampo took control of the tribes in the Qinghai area establishing an enduring connection between the Han and Tibetan people. Xining flourished as a trading town and its importance as a military, economic and political outpost grew when it became an important stop on the legendary ‘Silk Road’. In 1927, the Kuomintang Government established Qinghai Province and it led to the birth of the Qinghai People's Government in 1950, with Xining named as the capital.