Zhaling Lake

Zhaling Lake lies on the upper Yellow River in the northeastern Tibetan plateau, west of neighboring Eling Lake. Cold grasslands and streams surround the lake in a highland landscape used by pastoral communities.

Qing expeditions investigated the Yellow River headwaters, including a survey led by Laxi and Shulan in 1704. Eighteenth-century geographical works described the upper streams entering Zhaling, then known as Chalinghai. These accounts record attempts to map the wider headwaters rather than a complete history of communities around the lake.