Tibet Skytrain Attractions

Much of the travel involves crossing a massive plateau nicknamed "The Rooftop of the World." Special diesel engines capable of operating efficiently at 3-mile-high altitudes were designed; an internal garbage disposal system was employed to reduce pollution along the route.

Major attractions along the Tibet by Train route include:

* Xining: Xinging, a city of just over one million inhabitants, is situated in a remote valley on the eastern edge of Qinghai Province - occupying China's rugged, cold-weather northern "frontier." The city is best known for the Kumbum Monastery (Ta'er Temple), one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist sites in China. The Gelugpa sect was founded here by Tsongkhapa, and the hillside monastery was erected in 1560 in his honor. Up to 2,000 monks can gather to chant sutras in the Great Hall of Meditation, whose roof is supported by carpet-wrapped pillars. The Hall of Butter Sculpture includes colorfully-painted yak butter scutptures depicting important events in Buddhist history. Once home to over 3,000 monks, Kumbum Monastery now houses 600.

* Qinghai Lake: The lake is about the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, though Qinghai Lake is not nearly as salty. Its waters support a variety of fish which, in turn, support a variety of birds - many of which call on Qinghai Lake during their bi-annual migrations. Commorants, gesse, cranes and swans are plentiful here. The summer months bring herds of yak. Over twenty rivers and streams flow into the lake but there's no outflow; evaporation maintains its level.

* Golmud: The city's economic mainstays are its burgeoning mineral, oil and chemical industries. But to the visitor Golmud's main function is "transportation hub." Through here funnels traffic from China's eastern and northern cities to the lone highway (and now, the lone railroad) leading southwest to Lhasa. To many visitors passing through, Golmud's surrounding landscape presents an almost lunar look; at an almost 10,000-foot elevation, the region is virtually treeless.

A deluxe 5 star sightseeing train (Tangula Luxury Train)will soon be up and running on the newly-completely Qinghai-Tibet railway, Ma Jiantang, vice governor of Qinghai province, revealed during a tourism promotion meeting held in Shanghai.