Xining is located in the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, upper reaches of the Yellow River, with an average altitude of 2,295 m above sea level. Xining, the capital of Qinghai, is the center of politics, economy, culture, with a total area of 7,649 square kilometers. Up to the end of 2004, permanent population was 2,069,700, including 35 ethnic groups. The long history of Xining is the important component of the culture of the Yellow River Catchment, one of the sourced of Chinese ancient culture.