TRAVEL TO CHINA, THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

The Roof of the World

Jagged brown mountains speckled with green tower above us on one side while the Yellow River snakes beneath us on the other. I wonder why they call the river "yellow" because it is the color of turquoise. The river is wild yet somehow welcoming, beautiful but ominous and mysterious from my vantage point, as I peer through the window of our tour bus and hang onto my seat high above it.

The bus seems to be traveling at the speed of light as we round consecutive hairpin turns. The driver blares his horn but it echoes off the walls of the narrow mountain pass, empty except for the occasional flock of sheep or a passing truck. The passengers bounce and jounce in their seats, some laughing and bravely gripping the armrests while others appear as if they may want to get off and hitch the next ride back to Beijing. But there is no turning back.

This journey through Qinghai Province, the third poorest in China, was one of the highlights of the 2006 Fulbright Hays Seminar Abroad in the History and Culture of China. In fact, the 2006 Fulbright group was the first Fulbright Hays Seminar Abroad group to ever visit this remote part of China. Our purpose was to meet with students and faculty at the English language program for Tibetan students at Qinghai Normal University and travel to several remote villages and townships to observe and participate in local and cultural traditions.

Qinghai is located on the northeast part of the Tibetan plateau (Chang Tang)the infamous "Roof of the World" with an area of 2.5 million square feet, which makes it four times the size of Texas or France. The average elevation is 3,000 meters above sea level.

Most of Qinghai Province is part of the traditional provinces of Kham and Amdo of Tibet. Qinghai is the birthplace of many influential figures in Tibetan history including Tsongkapa and many of the Dalai Lamas, including the present Dali Lama. In 1928, Qinghai became a province of the then Republic of China and for many years served as a remote penal colony. The province borders the Tibetan Autonomous region in the southwest and is said to offer a glimpse into traditional Tibetan culture.

But perhaps what is most appealing about this little known province is that it is home to many of China's 55 different national minorities. Though Han Chinese now comprise about 54 percent of the population in the province, Tibetans account for twenty three percent, while

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