Qinghai Hoh Xil

UNESCO Natural World Heritage site on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau — a vast, near-uninhabited upland hosting the largest population of Tibetan antelope (chiru) in China and exceptional high-altitude wilderness.

Hoh Xil (Kekexili) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017 as one of the largest and highest-altitude natural heritage properties in the world. The site covers 4.5 million hectares of the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, lying at an average elevation above 4,600 m, with peaks reaching over 6,860 m. The name means 'beautiful girl' in Mongolian, a poetic reference to the vast open grasslands and wetlands that characterise much of the landscape.

The protected area was established largely to address the near-extinction of the Tibetan antelope (chiru), which had been hunted to the brink of collapse for its extraordinarily fine underfur (shahtoosh). By the early 1990s the population had fallen below 10,000 animals. Anti-poaching efforts led by the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve Administration — whose work inspired the 2004 film 'Kekexili: Mountain Patrol' — helped the population recover to around 70,000 animals by the time of UNESCO inscription. Hoh Xil serves as the primary calving ground for Tibetan antelope, which migrate hundreds of kilometres each year to give birth here.

Other notable wildlife includes Tibetan wild ass (kiang), Tibetan gazelle, snow leopard, brown bear and over 230 bird species including black-necked crane. The landscape is dominated by alpine steppe, glacier lakes and braided river systems fed by permanent ice fields.

Public access is deliberately restricted to protect wildlife migration routes. The Qinghai-Tibet Highway (G109) and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway cross the eastern edge of the protected area, and travellers on the Lhasa train can observe Hoh Xil's open grasslands from the windows. Designated wildlife observation stops along the highway allow visitors to spot chiru and kiang herds. Independent off-road access into the core area requires permits.