Dungkar

Dungkar, known in Chinese as Danggār, stands on the route between the Qinghai pastures and the lands around Xining. Its name means “white conch”, and its position near the eastern approach to Qinghai Lake made it a meeting place for merchants and herders. Tea, horses and pastoral products passed through the town as traffic crossed between the plateau and the agricultural districts to the east.

In 1725 the Qing moved the regional tea-and-horse market from Duoba to Danggār, and two years later built a walled town there. Trade expanded under the Jiaqing and Daoguang emperors: wool, hides, salt and medicines came from Tibetan and Mongol pastoral lands, while tea, cloth and other goods arrived from inland China. Intermediaries who spoke several languages helped visiting merchants negotiate the market.