Haiyan Opens a New Chapter as a "Readable City"

If Qinghai Lake is a timeless blue memory, then Haiyan is the most substantial and weighty page behind this body of water. Spending two days in Haiyan, from unfamiliarity to acquaintance to familiarity, one finally understands what it means to be a place that is "both hardcore and gentle." Standing on the northern shore of Qinghai Lake looking back at Haiyan, you are easily moved by its unique temperament—here lies the vastness of snow-capped grasslands, the solemnity of red revolutionary memories, and the warmth brought by ethnic integration. As the political and cultural center of Haibei Prefecture, Haiyan is not just a small plateau town but a "complex" that encompasses nature, history, faith, and the spirit of the times. Many come to Haiyan for Qinghai Lake, but what truly makes people pause is Tongbaoshan. Standing atop this mountain known as the "Guardian God of the Sacred Lake," watching the sunrise bathe Haiyan in golden light, one side reveals the vast lake, the other the site of the former Atomic City. History and nature converge in the same view, creating a shock that photos and short videos can hardly fully convey. Descending from Tongbaoshan leads to the former sites of China’s Atomic City and the Air Force’s 12th Independent Surface-to-Air Missile Battalion. This was the most secretive and hardcore battleground of New China. For 27 years, the 12th Battalion remained on constant alert, successfully completing missile tests here. The moment the "Red Flag-2" missile streaked across the plateau sky was not only a military test victory but a real testament to the nation’s security bottom line. Today, through exhibition halls, physical artifacts, and literary works, that "unspeakable history" is being genuinely seen and seriously understood by more people. On the spiritual inheritance front, the Model of the Times Memorial Hall provides another powerful contemporary footnote. Names like Gabulong and Lian Fuzhang are no longer just exemplary figures in documents who wholeheartedly served the people; through their real life stories, words like "dedication," "integrity," "loyalty," and "service to the people" become tangible, learnable, and relatable real-life examples. It is both a museum and an ongoing "open class on faith." In terms of historical depth, the West Sea Commandery Museum, set to officially open in 2025, adds a profound "cultural foundation" to Haiyan. From the Han Dynasty border commandery to the Silk Road hub, from archaeological sites to digital interactions, West Sea Commandery is no longer just a name in history books but re-enters contemporary life in a way that is touchable, visible, and experiential. More meaningfully, Haiyan offers not only the weight of "looking up at history" but also the gentleness of "listening to the water." At the foot of Baohutu Mountain, the source of the Huangshui River quietly flows. As an important tributary of the upper Yellow River, it starts from these meadows and snow mountains, connecting a broader picture of the Hehuang civilization. From Atomic City to West Sea Commandery, from Tongbao Sacred Mountain to the Huangshui source, from red revolutionary spirit to the reality of multi-ethnic coexistence—today’s Haiyan is transforming its "resource advantages" and "spiritual wealth" into a new engine for cultural and tourism integration. Haiyan is no longer just "a coordinate passing by Qinghai Lake," but a plateau city worth "a special trip and deep stay": with scenery, history, faith, and a future. On the northern shore of the sacred lake, songs reach the distance. Haiyan is moving from the depths of memory toward a broader stage of the times.