Qinghai
province of China
Qinghai is an inland province in Northwestern China. It is the largest province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third-smallest population, with its capital and largest city being Xining.
Qinghai borders Gansu on the northeast, Xinjiang on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast, and the Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest. Qinghai province was established in 1928 during the period of the Republic of China, and until 1949 was ruled by Hui Chinese Muslim warlords known as the Ma clique. The Chinese name "Qinghai" is after Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China. In Tibetan, the lake is known as མཚོ སྔོན་པོ (Mtsho-sngon-po) or Tso ngönpo ("Blue Lake or Sea"). In English, it is sometimes referred to as Koko Nor, derived from the Classical Mongolian Oirat name for Qinghai Lake, ᠬᠥᠬᠡ ᠨᠠᠭᠤᠷ (köke naɣur); the modern Mongolian name is Хөхнуур (Höhnuur). Both Tso ngönpo and Koko Nor are names found in historic documents to describe the region.
Located mostly on the Tibetan Plateau, the province is inhabited by a number of peoples including the Han (concentrated in the provincial capital of Xining, nearby Haidong, and Haixi), Tibetans, Hui, Mongols, Monguors, and Salars. According to the 2021 census reports, Tibetans constitute a fifth of the population of Qinghai and the Hui compose roughly a sixth of the population.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Qinghai” is province of China. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Qinghai, province and China, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “province of China” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q45833. VIAF identifies the subject as 132529070. The Library of Congress control number is n81015718. Authority coordinates are 35.000, 96.000. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1928, 1949 and 2021.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Qinghai”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Qinghai primary sources, Qinghai archive and Qinghai research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Qinghai”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Qinghai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.