Dangaer Ancient Town
丹噶尔古城
An ancient Ming- and Qing-era town in Huangyuan County, once a tea-and-horse trading centre. Known as the “throat of the Tibetan highlands,” it is worth visiting for its city gates, old streets and lantern exhibition hall.
Dangaer Ancient Town lies in the county seat of Huangyuan. It was founded in the Ming dynasty, and in the Qing period it was an important trading town for tea and horses between Han, Tibetan, Mongolian and other peoples, earning the nicknames “Little Beijing” and “Throat of the Tibetan Highlands.” After restoration, the old town keeps its city walls, the Gonghai Gate, the City God Temple, and the Confucian Temple. The old street is lined with the Dangaer Subprefecture Office, the Paideng Exhibition Hall, a folk museum and various shops. Huangyuan Paideng lanterns are a national intangible cultural heritage item. The old town itself is free to enter, while some museums charge separately or sell combined tickets (check locally). It lies about 45 km from Xining. Intercity buses run from the Xinning Square area in Xining, and the drive takes about 1 hour. It is often visited on the way to Riyue Mountain and Qinghai Lake.
Opening hours
Open all day (exhibition halls about 09:00–18:00)
Nearby sights
- Kumbum (Ta'er) Monastery
- Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wild Zoo
- China Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum
- Qinghai Provincial Museum
- Laoye Mountain
- Nanchan Temple, Xining
- Nanshan Park & Puning Pearl Tower
- Beichan Temple (Tulou Taoist Temple)