province of NW China, northeast of Tibet: 278,379 sq mi (720,999 sq km); pop. 4,430,000; cap. Xining
salt lake in the NE part of this province: c. 2,200 sq mi (5,698 sq km)
See Qinghai in American Heritage Dictionary 4
also Ching·hai(chĭngˈhīˈ) or Tsing·hai(tsĭngˈ-)
A province of northwest-central China. Both the largest and least populated of China's provinces, its northern border is the Qilian Shan. Xining is the capital. Population: 4,820,000.