Tianchi (, ) is an alpine

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

, Northwest China, situated at . The name (天池) literally means Heavenly Lake and can refer to several lakes in mainland China and Taiwan. This Tianchi lies on the north side of the Bogda Shan ("Mountain of God", ''Bogda'' is a Mongolian word meaning "God") range of the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

("Mountain of Heaven"), about south of

Fukang Fukang is a county-level city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Its area is and its population in 2007 was reported as approximately 1.5 million. Fukang is located in Northern Xinjiang in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, north of Ü ...

and east (straight-line distance) of

Ürümqi Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...

. It is an alpine drift lake shaped in the

Quaternary Glacier The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million year ...

period. Formerly known as Yaochi ("Jade Lake"), it was named Tianchi in 1783 by Mingliang, the Qing Commander of Urumqi Command. The lake is above sea level, covering , deep at the deepest point. In 2006, it was designated for four years of restoration work at a cost of 800 million yuan (US$100 million). The plan calls for the tourism area around the lake to be increased from the present 158 km² to 548 km². The lake is classified as a highest level scenic area by the

China National Tourism Administration The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA; ) was a Chinese government authority responsible for the development of tourism in the country. The CNTA was subordinate to the State Council. Its headquarters are in Beijing, with regional branch ...

. The lake is accessible by Provincial Highway 111 from Fukang.

Climate

External links

*http://www.farwestchina.com/2014/05/travelers-guide-xinjiangs-heavenly-lake.html *http://china.org.cn/english/environment/181476.htm *http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-09/18/content_691034.htm {{Lakes of China

References

AAAAA-rated tourist attractions Lakes of Xinjiang Tian Shan Tourist attractions in Xinjiang