It is easy to have a quick look at China's past and present, but it takes time to gain a panoramic knowledge of China. The "Panoramic China" series is meant to assist readers, especially those overseas, in this respect. Each volume in the series focuses on a province, municipality or autonomous region, describing, with illustrations, the outstanding characteristics of each area from different perspectives.

Qinghai: Sourceland of Three Great Rivers

Qinghai means "blue lake," and indeed the name of the province comes from the pristine waters of the vast Qinghai Lake high on the plateau - the "roof of the world." Three great rivers rise in Qinghai: the Yellow River and the Yangtze River nurtured dazzling Chinese civilizations that sprang up along their valleys; the Lancang River starts here too irrigating first Tibet and Yunnan, before flowing through Southeast Asia as the Mekong.