Yilong Lake () is a large freshwater

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 ...

located in

Shiping County Shiping County () is a county in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture in the southern part of the Yunnan province, China. It is located about from Kunming, the provincial capital. The county has a population of approximately 280,000 an ...

, Honghe Prefecture,

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

province,

southwestern China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) a ...

. The lake has a surface area of approximately and is particularly notable for its scenery, including the colorful

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often re ...

s that bloom on its surface. It is located about east of the county seat. The people who live in the vicinity of the lake are largely of the Yi ethnic group. As of the spring of 2013 a severe

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

had resulted in substantial lowering of the water level. The lake is one of the most-visited destinations in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It used to be called Yulong Lake, an allusion to the Yulong Mountain that lies to the lake's south. The change of name has mythological reasons. It is believed that in 1629, the dragon believed to live in the lake ascended to heaven in broad daylight, prompting the change in the lake's name. Not much is known about how the lake formed. Records tell that the lake formed during the Qin and Han dynasties. The lake is situated at an elevation of 1414 meters above sea level. It is 15 kilometers long, east to west. It is 3 kilometers wide. The lake's holds 220 million cubic meters of water. Its average depth is 4 meters.

Fauna

Yilong Lake used to host the

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

fish '' Anabarilius macrolepis'' and '' Cyprinus yilongensis''. However, the lake dried up in 1981 for 20 days as a consequence of water extraction, and they have not been seen ever since; they are now considered

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. The shrimp '' Caridina yilong'' is also endemic to Yilong Lake and considered critically endangered, possibly extinct, because of declining lake level and pollution.

Surrounding geography

To the north and the south of Yulong Lake are majestic peaks, whereas the eastern and the western coasts are bound by flat and fertile land. This combination of scenic landscape and rich agricultural lands is synonymous with southern Yunnan. There are three islands in the lake: Da Rui Cheng, Xiao Rui Cheng, and Ma Ban Long. The southern shore of the last of these islands is riddled with bays, totaling, according to some accounts, an amazing 72 bays. These bays further enhance the beauty and diversity of the lake. There are several bays within the larger bays. These small bays include Da Bay, Gao Jia Bay, Yang Jia Bay, Dou Di Bay and five other bays. The islands and hills surrounding the lake contain fascinating structures like the Lai He Pavilion, Huan Wen Tower, Luo Se Temple, Hui Lan Cabinet, Udakacandra Temple, Guang Yin Temple and several other buildings dating back to the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

and

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

dynasties.

References

Lakes of Yunnan Geography of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture {{Yunnan-geo-stub