Blinded by the light
To balance tourism development with ecological protection, the prefecture prioritized resource and environmental conservation from the beginning, said Yu Jiang from Ngari Museum.
"A dark sky conservation area covering around 2,500 square kilometers has been designated around the park, with strict controls on light pollution," Yu said.
Efforts to curb light pollution also extend to urban management. Under Ngari's 2024-28 urban development and management plan, local authorities called for controls on excessive decorative lighting and illuminated outdoor advertising.
In Lenghu, concerns over outdoor lighting led to legal action. Some hotels near its astronomical observation base installed bright outdoor lights that threatened scientific observations, according to a 2023 report by Procuratorial Daily.
The Regulation on the Protection of the Astronomical Observation Environment in Lenghu, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan autonomous prefecture, which took effect in January 2023, was China's first local regulation dedicated to dark sky protection. It established a core protection zone extending 50 kilometers beyond the observation base and restrictions on outdoor lighting.
In July 2023, local authorities issued six rectification notices requiring hotels to adjust or switch off problematic lights.
Enforcement has continued even as new businesses open.
In August 2025, prosecutors and local authorities ordered lighting adjustments at newly opened hotels and restaurants, according to a Procuratorial Daily report.
Protection requirements have also shaped larger development decisions. Lenghu has placed its entire 17,800-sq-km area under dark sky protection, with restrictions applying to core and buffer zones.
Plans for three new renewable energy projects were revised to move them away from the protected area, Xinhua reported in August 2025.
"Within the core dark sky protection zone, the strictest protection measures must be enforced. If necessary, some infrastructure projects must give way," Tian Cairang, executive deputy director of the Lenghu Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park administration, told Xinhua.
At Ngari Dark Sky Park, protecting the night sky involves managing even the lights brought in by visitors.
Guo Qiang, a part-time astronomy educator at the park, said vehicle headlights are a major source of visitor-related light pollution.
Xu, the returning photography enthusiast, encouraged visitors to turn off their headlights and park 100 or 200 meters before entering the park, then walk the rest of the way. "There's no need to drive right up to where people are photographing the stars," he said.
