Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region - The Heavenly Lake 天池

Located south of the city of Fukang in Xinjiang, 90 kilometers away from the east of Urumqi, the Heavenly Lake stands at an elevation of 1,900 meters. It is a world-famous mountain lake.

The Heavenly Lake, a barrier lake, was formed after its river courses were blocked up by mud-rock flow of glaciers in ancient times. Although it encompasses more than 4.9 square kilometers, ninety-meter-deep, the lake enjoys a remarkable favour, which other famous mountains and great rivers inland could not enjoy. Legend has that it was the Fairyland Pool that the Queen Mother of the West ( a mythological figure, usually described as a beautiful immortal, who dwells at Jaspel Lake瑶池in the Kunlun Mountains and in whose huge palace grow the magic peach trees which bear the fruits of immortaility蟠桃once every three thousand years) met King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty and gave a banquet in his honour in those remote days. Another story says that it was a silver mirror of the Queen Mother of the West’s inlaid on her dressing table. All this is farfetched, but it covers the renowned scenic spot—the Heavenly Lake, with a more charming and mysterious colouring.

Over the centuries, many celebrities and scholars made trips to the Heavenly Lake with curiosity. Exclaimed with admiration by the unique, charming and wonderful sight, some people felt a strong urge to write poems and some could not help drawing pictures, and others celebrated in song in high spirits. Although many works written or drawn by the scholars or celebrities reached the height of perfection, they could not surpass the beautiful scenery created by nature.
When tourists visit the place, in which the beautiful scenery will attract them. An expanse of limpid water on the lake present itself before your eyes, and it is changing its charming colour, and the gentle wind rippled the surface of the Heavenly Lake and sunlight shimmered on the waters of the lake. When visitors look around, they can find the steep snow-capped ridges and peaks resemble warriors with silver helmets and in silver armours, and also they look like fairy maidens in white. Under the snow line, pine trees stretche for hundreds of miles, it was so dense that you could not see the sun under the trees in the daytime. In the depths of the forest, the weeds are flourishing, bright mountain flowers in full bloom. The sheep grazing leisurely on the grassland are like moving clouds in the blue sky and the yurts look like snow-lotus blooms in blossom, alongside the shore of the lake, the luxuriant and well-spaced branches and leaves are fondling the lovely shape of villas and pavilions. The performance of tinkling mountain springs and the chorus of the forceful soughing of the wind in the pines gave the mountain lake a kind of romantic charm of the Fairyland Pool.

The lake has been shrinking rapidly due to siltification resulting from damage to trees and grasslands around the lake since 1984. It is now shrinking at a speed of 200 square meters annually and it might disappear from the world within 80 years unless effective measures are taken. Effective measures have been taken to protect the lake. As much as 65.10 million yuan (US $ 7.84 million) collected from the state, local government and other channels have been invested. According to local government plan to save the lake, seven sand-contrlo dikes and dams have been built. In addition, 4,000 square meters of drifting silt at the southern entrance of the lake where thawed snow from Tianshan Mountain flows into the lake have been cleared away. The government also replaced trees and grass in a 1.92-million-square-meter area around the lake. To remove herdsmen from mountains and grasslands, the local government made great efforts to have built a homeland in the northern part of the city of Fukang. The crescent-shape Heavenly Lake, formed 2 million years ago as a result of glaciations, was named one of the first 44 State-level scenic spots in 1982. It is the only one in Xinjiang.

Noted for its dark blue waters and imposing mountains, the lake attracts about 500,000 tourists annually both at home and abroad.

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