“世界屋脊”的风情

陌上尘

青海雄踞“世界屋脊”青藏高原的东北部，平均海拔在3 000 米以上，这里长期居住着藏族、回族、蒙古族、土族、撒拉族等多个少数民族。世界五大宗教—佛教、伊斯兰教、道教、基督教和天主教—在青海都有传播。长期以来，多民族文化在历史变迁中演绎出独具特色的高原风土人情。

Qinghai Province， with an average elevation of over 3，000meters， is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-TibetPlateau， known as the “Roof of the World.” This region has longbeen home to various ethnic groups， including the Tibetan， Hui，Mongolian， Tu， and Salar minorities. All five major religionsin the world — Buddhism， Islam， Taoism， Christianity， andCatholicism — have a presence and influence in Qinghai.Over the course of history， the local multi-ethnicalcustoms and practices have evolved into a blendof unique plateau cultures.

祭神

Worshipping the Devine

祭祀活动历来是中华文化重要的组成部分。在青海湖周边地区，“祭海神”是每年重要的礼俗活动之一，当地人以此来乞求海神保护，求得一年人畜平安。通常，大型祭祀开始时，祭台上会摆放已经屠宰好的牛（两头）和绵羊（八只），还会准备十余只活羊和一些糖果、点心、酒、哈达等祭品。当主祭官宣布祭海开始时，人们起立行鞠躬之礼。随着祭乐响起，主祭人诵读祭文并进香、进帛等。随后，祭祀者会将十余只活羊赶入海中，案板上的祭品也都随之投入海中，以示敬海神。礼毕，参与祭祀的人们开始“祭海盛宴”，并按古老传统进行“抢宴”，抢的都是提前准备好的手抓牛羊肉和糖果等。“抢宴”结束后，人们拿着各自所得物品到海神牌位前行礼谢恩，寄托对一年美好生活的期望。

Worshipping activities have always been an integralpart of Chinese culture. Worshipping the Sea Godis one of the most important annual rituals in areasaround Qinghai Lake， with which local people seekprotection for both humans and livestock for the year.Usually， when the grand worship ceremony begins，two slaughtered cows and eight slaughtered sheep areplaced on the altar， accompanied by other offerings，such as candies， snacks， wine， khatas （traditionalTibetan ceremonial scarves）， and over ten live sheep.When the chief priest announces the beginning of theritual， people stand up and bow as a sign of respect forthe Sea God. Ceremonial music is played， while thepriest recites the ritual text， offers incense for the deity，and presents offerings such as silk fabrics. Then， theparticipants drive the live sheep and cast the offerings on the altar into the sea as a gesture of worship. Whenthe worshipping is completed， participants move on toenjoy their “Sea Worship Feast，” where they follow theold tradition of competing for pre-prepared candiesas well as hand-grabbed beef and mutton. After this，participants bring the items they acquired to the SeaGod shrine， perform rituals to express gratitude， andconvey their hopes for a wonderful year ahead.

除了“祭海神”，每年七月初，土族還会举行“转山节”。当地人会请出在寺庙供奉的神灵，扛着大大小小的旗子，敲着鼓、背着经书开始转山，以求山神保佑一方平安。

In addition to this， the Tu ethnic people celebratethe “Mountain Pilgrimage Festival” each year in earlyJuly. During this event， local residents worship thedeities enshrined in temples. They then carry flags ofvarious sizes and scriptures， and beat drums as theybegin to walk either within or around the mountains，seeking protection of the mountain deities.

茶飲美食

Tea and Cuisines

“一日无茶则滞，三日不饮则疾。”青海地区牧民的主食以牛羊肉为主，由于食物都偏酸性，人们就通过茶叶的碱性来调节平衡，解腻化食。他们一般用铜壶或陶瓷罐熬煮茶，以茯茶为主。按照煮茶时加入的佐料，茶分为三种：一是盐茶。藏族谚语有“茶无盐，水一样”的说法。煮茶时加入盐巴，慢火熬煮成色泽红褐、滋味醇厚的茶汁。二是酥油茶。煮茶时加入酥油和盐，相传是唐朝文成公主嫁到西藏时创制的。酥油是牦牛奶的精华，这种奶香浓郁、色泽金黄的酥油茶深受当地人喜爱。三是奶茶。在煮好的茶中加入牦牛奶，搅匀后烧开即可。此外，稍微讲究一点的人在煮茶时还会加入生姜、荆芥，味道会更加地道。

In Qinghai， there’s a saying that goes， “A day without tea leads to stagnantdigestion， while three days without tea can make one ill.” This is because theprimary meat sources for the pastoralists are beef and mutton， which tend tobe acidic， and to counterbalance the acidity， locals turn to tea， known for itsalkaline properties. Apart from restoring balance in the body， tea drinkingalso alleviates the greasy feeling and promotes digestion. Traditionally，Qinghai people brew Fu Tea， a type of dark tea， using copper or ceramicpots. Depending on the ingredients added， tea in Qinghai can becategorized into three main types. The first variety is salted tea， and thereis a saying among the local Tibetan people that goes， “Tea without salt is asplain as water.” Therefore， during the gentle brewing process， salt is added，resulting in a richly flavored tea with a reddish-brown hue. The second typeis yak butter tea， where yak butter （the essence of yak milk） and salt areadded while brewing the tea. Legend has it that this tea-brewing method wasinvented by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she married theTibetan king. Known for its creamy buttery aroma and golden hue， the yakbutter tea is deeply cherished by the residents. The third variety is milk tea，where people add yak milk into brewed tea， and blend and boil the mixture.For those with a more discerning palate， traditional ingredients like ginger andSchizonepeta tenuifolia are added to enhance the flavor.

青海还有很多特色的美食。主食里面就有炒青稞磨成的面粉，当地人称之为“郭日勒”。牧民早上喜欢喝“豆玛”，就是在碗底放少许糌粑，再加奶豆腐和酥油，与茶一起冲泡而成。节日或招待客人时用“德色”或“托日”。“德色”是由大米饭加糖，再浇以融化了的酥油而做成的饭；“托日”是熟面加酥油、糖、核桃仁、葡萄干、奶豆腐及调味品，然后混合在一起做成方块形的食物，最后在食物的四角及中央放上红枣。这些也是本地人招待贵客的美食。

In Qinghai， there are many special local delicacies. One unique staple is guorile，made from roasted highland barley flour. Locals also enjoy douma， a drink whereroasted barley dough is placed at the bottom of a bowl， topped with milk tofu and yakbutter， and brewed with tea. During festivals or when hosting guests， they prepare deseor tuori. Dese consists of sweetened rice drenched in melted butter， while tuori is a cubeshapedtreat made from cooked flour mixed with butter， sugar， walnuts， raisins， milk tofu， andseasonings， garnished with red dates at the corners and center. These are the culinary delightsQinghai residents offer to their special guests.

塔尔寺“三绝”

“Three Wonders” of Ta’er Monastery

青海民间艺术的顶流要数塔尔寺“三绝”了。塔尔寺位于青海湟中县，是当地藏传佛教中的第一大寺院。塔尔寺以酥油花、壁画和堆绣闻名于世，号称“三绝”。其中酥油花是一种用酥油来塑型象物的特殊技艺，能制作出各种佛像、人物、山水、亭台楼阁、飞禽走兽、花卉树木等艺术精品。酥油花的制作分为“扎骨架”“做胚胎”“敷塑”“装盘”四道工序。由于酥油花在25℃时就会融化，所以只能在室温0℃左右的房间内制作。每年农历正月十五，寺内的酥油花展览都会吸引众多的游人及信徒前去参观、膜拜。塔尔寺壁画属喇嘛教宗教画系，其颜料提取自当地石质矿物，色泽鲜艳，经久不变。画面上展示的有佛经故事、神话故事、姻缘故事、释迦牟尼生平故事等，壁画人物形象立体感强，层次分明，栩栩如生，令人叹为观止。塔尔寺的堆绣艺术，就是在布幔上用各色布块（绸缎）粘贴、堆砌大小佛像，并在周围点缀各种花卉图案，是塔尔寺独有的一种地方民族工艺。堆绣题材丰富，包括人物、山水、花卉等。

The most representative of Qinghai folk art isthe “Three Wonders” of Ta’er Monastery. Located inHuangzhong County， Qinghai Province， Ta’er Monasteryis the largest local Tibetan Buddhist monastery and isrenowned for the “Three Wonders”： butter sculptures，murals， and piled embroidery. The people of Qinghaidemonstrate a unique skill in crafting intricate yakbutter sculptures， ranging from Buddhas and figuresto landscapes， pavilions and towers， animals and birds，trees and flowers， among others. The production ofbutter sculptures involves four steps： creating theframework， sculpting the structure， carving andcoloring， and installing the sculpture on the board. Asyak butter begins to melt at around 25°C， these wonderfulworks of art can only be completed in environmentswith temperatures near 0°C. Each year， on the 15th dayof the first lunar month， a butter sculpture exhibition at the monastery becomes a magnet for countlesstourists and devoted pilgrims alike. The muralsat Ta’er Monastery， part of the Tibetan Buddhisttradition， use pigments from locally sourcedminerals for vivid， enduring colors. They depictBuddhist scriptures， myths， fateful encounters，and the life of Siddhartha Gautama. Thecharacters in these murals are painted with strongthree-dimensional qualities， clear layers， and alifelike appearance that leaves viewers in awe.The piled embroidery art is a local craftsmanshipunique to the monastery. Typically， silk fabricpieces of various colors are layered and stitchedonto the base fabric to create Buddha statuesof different sizes， adorned with floral patterns.The subject matter of piled embroidery is rich，including figures， landscapes， and flowers.

藏医药浴

Tibetan Medicinal Bath

作为中华医药学的重要组成部分，“藏医药浴法”是青海当地极具特色的防治疾病方式之一。药浴主要以五种藏草药为基本方，并随症加药，也称为“五味甘露浴”。这五种草药分别是刺柏、杜鹃、白野蒿、藏麻黄和水柏枝。通常是將身体浸泡于药物熬煮的水汁中，通过皮肤吸收或发汗，达到散寒祛风、活血化瘀和燥湿止痒等目的。

The Tibetan Medicinal Bath is a distinctive methodof disease prevention and treatment in Qinghai，representing a significant part of traditional Chinesemedicine. Such baths primarily utilize a base formulaconsisting of five Tibetan herbal plants （Juniperusformosana， Rhododendron simsii， white Artemisia，Tibetan ephedra， and Germany Falsetamarisk），earning it the name “Bath in Five-Flavored Sweet Dew.”Additional herbs are added to cater to special needs.People usually soak in the herbal solution， allowingabsorption through the skin or promoting sweating，with the goals of dispelling cold and wind， enhancingblood circulation to remove blood stasis， and relievingdampness and itching.

当然，除了“五味甘露浴”，藏医传统疗法还有涂擦、木棍疗法、放血、火灸、冷热敷法、拔罐等特色治疗方式。

There are also other unique Tibetan medicinaltreatment methods， such as smearing and rubbingtherapy， stick-tapping therapy， bloodletting， firemoxibustion， cold and heat compress， and cupping.

玉樹卓舞

Yushu Zhuo Dance

玉树卓舞又称“锅庄舞”。玉树藏族自治州一带的传统“玉树卓舞”历史悠久、种类繁多。题材大多以对家乡、自然风光的歌颂为主，完整的演出分为序舞、正部和尾声三部分。由于舞蹈服装的袖子很长，表演时舞者主要通过甩袖来表现。这种舞蹈常常有几十人甚至上百人共同参与，甩起来的袖子随着舞蹈动作变化多样，场面宏大气派。

Yushu Zhuo Dance， also known as the “GuozhuangDance，” is a traditional dance in Yushu City， TibetanAutonomous Prefecture， featuring various forms thatcelebrate homeland and the beauty of nature. A fullperformance includes a prelude， the main dance， and afinale. Usually， dozens or even over a hundred dancersparticipate in this performance， expressing themselvesby sweeping the long sleeves of their costumes inharmony with the dance moves， creating a grand andmagnificent vibe.

生活在“世界屋脊”青藏高原上的各少数民族，彼此的文化都在历史长河中相互渗透，形成了特色鲜明的青海民俗。他们传承着历史，也在草原歌舞、藏戏、摔跤和赛马等活动中走向现代，为雪域高原的多彩生活增添了一抹别样风情。

The diverse cultures of ethnic minorities living onthe Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have interwoven throughouthistory， giving rise to distinct traditions in Qinghai.These ethnic groups preserve their historical heritagesand， at the same time， embrace modernity throughactivities such as grassland singing and dancing， Tibetanopera singing， wrestling， and horse racing. They add aunique flavor to the vibrant life on the snowy plateau.