[Photo/VCG]

At the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Poland on July 7, 2017, Hoh Xil was recognized as a new world natural heritage site and became the largest one in China with a vast area of 45,000 square kilometres.

Hoh Xil, which means "beautiful girl" in Mongolian, is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and listed as the largest and highest plateau in the world. With an average elevation of 4,600 meters above sea level on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is one of the major headwater sources of the Yangtze River. The rest of the region is endorheic, with drainage to numerous isolated lakes.