The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is currently the only railway built to reach Tibet, crossing the Tanglha Mountain Range at an altitude of over 15,000 feet. In the 1970s, the railway was constructed from Xining to Golmud. However, the challenge of extending this railway over the 'Roof of the World' to Lhasa has long puzzled Chinese engineers. In 2006, after decades of construction, the most difficult and also the most spectacular section of the railway, from Golmud to Lhasa, was officially opened.
Departing from Golmud, the train enters a thousand-mile-long uninhabited area. After crossing the gorge along the Kunlun River and passing over the Kunlun Mountains, a sacred mountain in Chinese Taoism, the train enters the Kekexili area, which is over 13,000 feet above sea level and known as the homeland of the Tibetan antelope. Crossing the Tuotuo River at the foot of the Tanglha Mountains, which is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the train reaches its most challenging section, the Tanglha Mountain, where blizzards occur throughout the year. This area marks the boundary between Qinghai and Tibet. After entering Tibet, crossing the Northern Tibetan Plateau and the Nyainqentanglha mountain range, the 13.5-hour journey through the uninhabited area concludes, arriving at the final destination, Lhasa Railway Station.
As a railway enthusiast and landscape photographer, I was deeply captivated by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway from my first ride in January 2020. Over the next two years, I drove along the railway seven times, traversing mountains to capture images of trains against the backdrop of snowy peaks. You will see magnificent landscapes in temperatures ranging from -15℉ to 100℉, across different seasons.
All the images on this website are my photographic works from the past three years.
From this point on, the oxygen supply system inside the train will be activated. The attendants will ask passengers to sign a statement acknowledging that they are aware the train is about to pass through a high-altitude uninhabited area and that their physical condition is suitable for the journey. The electrified railway currently extends only to Nanshan Pass, near the outskirts of Golmud City. Here, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway diverges from the Golmud-Korla Railway, which crosses the Altun Mountains en route to Xinjiang.
At Golmud Station, the train switches from an HXD1D electric locomotive to a fuel-driven locomotive, typically pulled by either the NJ2 or HXN3 model.
The Xueshui River Bridge has the deepest bridge piers on the entire Qinghai-Tibet Railway. When photographed in the cold of January, the moonlight illuminates the frozen river surface and the distant snow-capped mountains.
Near Nachitai Station, the Kunlun River flows gently, offering a vast expanse of open water.
The Sanchahe Bridge is the highest bridge on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, spanning a total length of approximately 2264 feet. It is composed of 20 circular piers, with the tallest pier reaching about 177.5 feet in height. Due to the extreme cold, in order to complete the construction within the brief available window and to ensure frost resistance, 17 of the bridge piers are hollow.
"Sanchahe" in Chinese means the three-way junction of rivers. The upper reaches of the Kunlun River flow from the Taoist sacred lake, Xi Wangmu Yaochi, along the Wild Bull Gully to this point, where it converges with another tributary. After the confluence, it runs parallel to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Qinghai-Tibet Highway (National Highway 109).
You may notice the step-like terrain on both sides of the river, which is formed by water erosion. According to the Kunlun Mountain National Geopark, "This reflects the rapid uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since the Late Pleistocene. In the Sanchahe area, there have been at least four intermittent uplifts, each with varying degrees of elevation, indicating that the crustal uplift is uneven."
Mount Yuzhu, with an altitude of approximately 20,270 feet, is the highest peak in the eastern section of the Kunlun Mountains. The photo, taken in May 2020, shows a freight train traveling at the foot of the magnificent, perennially snow-covered mountain, appearing very small in comparison.
Wangkun Station, situated at an altitude of approximately 14,711 feet, is an unmanned siding station. The name "Wangkun" in Chinese means "Overlooking the Kunlun Mountains."
The photo, taken in February 2021, captures the moment in -15℉ temperatures where the train's headlights slice through the cold night sky, creating a stunning contrast with the brilliant starry sky above.
The Kunlun Shankou(Mountain Pass), at an altitude of approximately 15,640 feet, is the highest point before reaching the Tanglha Mountains. After this, the train slightly descends towards the vast and high-altitude uninhabited area of Kekexili. This region became well-known due to a magnitude 8.1 earthquake that occurred on Nov. 14, 2001.
The Kekexili uninhabited area is one of the four largest uninhabited areas in China, through which the Qinghai-Tibet Railway passes. This region is perennially cold and oxygen-deficient, making it a no-go zone for humans.
However, it serves as a paradise for wildlife in the Tibetan region. To protect these animals, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway uses bridges in place of ordinary railroads here, providing numerous migration passages for wildlife.
Click on the image to know your animal friends!
Tibetan Antelope
Kiang
Tibetan Fox
Plateau Pika
Bar-headed Goose
Tibetan Goa
This is not a well-known river and there is no information available about it on the internet. The only way I learned its name was from a fleeting glimpse of a road sign reading "Yama'er River Bridge" beside the Qinghai-Tibet Highway.
However, when I drove past this location, the scenery, reminiscent of an Ice Age, instantly captivated me. Thus, I chose this spot to photograph the last train before sunset. The photo was taken with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro in January 2022.
The Tuotuo River, which is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is crossed by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway's Tuotuo River Bridge, known as the "First Bridge of the Yangtze River over Thousands of Miles." It is the first bridge to span China's mother river along this route.
This location is also home to Tanglha Mountain Town, the first village encountered hundreds of miles after leaving Golmud. At an altitude of about 15,700 feet, this small town offers amenities like small motels for truck drivers, Sichuan cuisine restaurants, a nature reserve station, and a post office.
Although the Z6802 train, seen in the photo and stopping here daily, does not officially sell tickets to the public, it transports railway workers, villagers, and essential supplies to this town.
I have visited this place twice, and this photo was taken in May 2020. By then, the Tuotuo River had thawed, but the freshly fallen snow whitened the riverbed, revealing the textures of the earth shaped by the flowing water. The photo was taken using a Mavic Pro drone in a panoramic stitching technique.
This place was named by General Mu Shengzhong, who led the Chinese army in the 1950s to forge the first road into Tibet through the cold wilderness at an altitude of 16,000 feet – the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. After enduring the arduous task of crossing mountain after mountain, they finally came across a flat area, prompting General Mu to joyfully name this place.
However, my first visit here was not a happy one, as despite having oxygen masks, my companion and I still suffered from severe altitude sickness. Waking up in Tanglha Mountain Town with splitting headaches, we nevertheless had to continue our photography journey towards Lhasa.
Even in summer, you can still encounter blizzards here due to the high altitude of 16,640 feet. Tanglha Mountain Station holds the distinction of being the highest railway station in the world. It operates fully automatically and is unmanned. After passing through here, one officially enters the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Upon entering the territory of Tibet, the train traverses the grasslands of Northern Tibet and the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, passing through Nagqu City on its way to Lhasa.
The railway journey along the Qinghai-Tibet line comes to an end in Lhasa, but for your trip in the Tibetan region, it's just the beginning. Atop this 'Roof of the World,' there are the most magnificent snow-capped mountains and canyons, as well as a splendid culture. This is the place that fascinates me, and I hope to share its beauty with you through my lens.
