Xining is the capital city of Northwest China’s Qinghai province where there is large population of Muslims. Historically, Xining has been one of the most important cities on the Silk Road and Muslims have been inhabited in Xining since ancient times. IslamiChina has summarized the following Xining Muslim travel tips to our Muslim brothers and sisters to travel Xining during a short period of time.
Tour Itinerary Planning
Xining is located on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The best time to travel around Xining is from June to the end of September. The rest of year can be very cold in Xining. When planning your Xining tour, two days will be perfect, you can arrange your first day in Xining visiting Qinghai Lake which is about 151 km away from Xining. Qinghai Lake is the largest salt water lake in China covering a area of 4186 square kilometers. On the second day, you may visit the Kumbum Monastery which is birth place of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism and the Qinghai Dongguan Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Northwest China.
Accommodations
3-star Qinghai Muslim Hotel is located in the city center of Xining within walking distance to Xining Railway Station. This hotel is Muslim owned and restaurants serve Halal food.
Halal Restaurants in Xining
Xining is one of the cities in China where you can easily find Halal restaurants. You can find Beef Noodles restaurants almost in every corner of Xining.
Mosques in Xining
There are 239 mosques in Xining and its suburban area. Xining’s Muslim community is at Dongguan area with the Dongguan Mosque as the center. Xining Dongguan Mosque is the largest well-preserved mosque in Xining, capital city of Qinghai province. Xining Dongguan Mosque also ranks as one of the four most famous mosques in Northwest China. Xining Dongguan Mosque was built in the Song Dynasty (907-1379) with a history of 900 years. It has undergone several destructions and reconstructions since then. The existing buildings were rebuilt in 1913, expanded in 1946, and renovated in 1979. Xining Dongguan mosque covers an area of 13,602 square meters now, and the construction area is 4,654 square meters. Dongguan mosque combines the traditional Chinese architectural art with the Islamic architectural form.
Money Exchange
You can exchange traveler's checks or cash at most banks, and most 5-star and 4-star hotels always have a money exchange counter. You can also get a cash advance on your credit card on ATM machine. The exchange rate all over China are the same fixed by Bank of China. To change money, you have to have your passport at hand. If you want to change money in a hotel, you usually have to be a guest there. Sometimes if you are not a guest in a hotel but need to change money there, you can just say a random room number, but this doesn't always work. Remember to keep the exchange slip well because you need this slip to change the Chinese Yuan back to your currency if you do have this need at the end of the tour. At present, the RMB is not exchangeable on the International market, so it is only usable within the country. So when you are changing money, don't change too much, because it is difficult to change back into other currencies. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter.