Field notes
The journal
What we've learned walking this city — written when there's something worth saying, not on a schedule.
Qinghai2 min read
Xunhua — A Mosque and a Monastery in the Same Valley
Xunhua county is the homeland of the Salar, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people, and it sits directly against Tibetan Buddhist territory. Two religious worlds share one river valley and one market.
Qinghai2 min read
Tongren — Where Thangkas Are Painted
Tongren — Rebkong in Tibetan — is the centre of Regong art: thangka painting, sculpture and appliqué, made here for six centuries and still made by hand in family workshops.
Qinghai2 min read
The Qaidam Basin — Salt Flats at 3,000 Metres
The Qaidam is a high desert basin ringed by mountains, floored with salt, and dotted with mineral lakes in colours that look wrong. It's the emptiest driving in China.