Desert in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Chen Hongyu/CGTN

Desert in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Chen Hongyu/CGTN

A road cuts through the desert in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Chen Hongyu/CGTN

In the vast Qaidam Basin of Qinghai Province, northwest China, the roads cut through the deserts in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture stretch like lines drawn across another planet. Gravel plains, wind-swept silence and endless horizons create a landscape that feels almost unreal.

This alien landscape has become a striking backdrop for Chinese cinema, including films such as Pegasus 3 and The Tree of Life, where speed, memory and human emotion unfold against the stark beauty of the desert.