On the 26th, people from all walks of life in Mangya City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, gathered in the auditorium to sing and dance, offering their own birthday wishes to the city on its fifth anniversary.

When it comes to "loneliness," Mangya is bound to "make the list." With a permanent population of only 68,000, this city is so "lonely" that it has "no close neighbors"—no city within a 350-kilometer radius and no county seat within 200 kilometers. As April approaches, it seems even spring has overlooked this city; walking the streets of Mangya, one cannot catch a hint of spring. Yet at the same time, Mangya has never lacked a "sense of presence." In recent years, popular internet-famous spots such as Aiken Spring, Emerald Lake, Thousand Buddha Cliff, and Mars Camp have all been hidden in this small city.

"Mangya" means "forehead" in Mongolian. Since ancient times, this place has been a necessary passage on the ancient Silk Road, a vital throat route connecting Gansu, entering Tibet, and reaching Xinjiang, and the "west gate" of Qinghai. Because the proven asbestos reserves in Mangya account for one-third of China's total reserves, and the later discovery and exploitation of the Qinghai Oilfield, Mangya has also earned the reputation of "Oil City." On December 27, 2018, it became the fourth county-level city in Qinghai Province.

In just five years, Mangya's construction in all aspects has advanced rapidly. Walking in Huatugou Town, where the Mangya municipal government is located, you will find it exceptionally clean and tidy, with broad and very straight roads. On the streets, people come and go and merchants gather, full of vitality everywhere.

At Huatugou Airport and along National Highway 315, rows of Qingyang poplars, Xinjiang poplars, tamarisk, and sea buckthorn trees line up in order. When summer comes, the tender green branches will become the most beautiful adornment of this small Gobi town.

In recent years, Mangya's rich cultural and tourism resources have also attracted tourists from all over China. Emerald Lake, Thousand Buddha Cliff, Aiken Spring, and Mars Camp have become internet-famous check-in spots. The Eboliang Yardang landform group is hailed as "the place on Earth most like Mars." The *** astronomical observation base has settled in Lenghu, and cultural and tourism industries such as the dark night sky and science fiction, science popularization, and scientific innovation have broad prospects.

"Last year I went on a self-driving trip along the ancient Silk Road to Hotan and Ruoqiang in Xinjiang, and I also reached Mangya. The 'Eye of the Devil' (Aiken Spring) shocked me, and Emerald Lake made me feel the beauty of a paradise on earth," said Cao Bin, a tourist from Sichuan who once drove here.

Food, accommodation, and transportation are indispensable parts of a journey. In 2020, Qu Linlin, a young woman from Northeast China, came to Mangya with friends to open a homestay. She personally witnessed the development of Mangya's cultural tourism and at the same time did her best to provide better services to tourists.

In addition, the reporter learned that over the past five years, the total output value of Mangya's salt lake industry has reached 6.56 billion yuan; a total of 14 new energy projects have been built, achieving an output value of 489 million yuan; internet-famous check-in spots have been transformed into scenic areas, with one 3A-level tourist attraction successfully created; 37,146 hectares of desertified land have been artificially protected, and a total of 6,600 hectares of the Three-North Shelterbelt and Grain for Green projects have been implemented; 775 million yuan has been invested in people's livelihood, accounting for 76% of total fiscal expenditure... These figures undoubtedly demonstrate to people the city's development achievements and its infinite future possibilities.

According to official information from Mangya City, over the past five years, Mangya's gross regional product has grown from 8.201 billion yuan in 2019 to 10.888 billion yuan in 2022, breaking the 10-billion-yuan mark for the first time since the city's establishment and becoming a new 10-billion-yuan city in Haixi Prefecture.