Price for a one-day tour of Xinjiang Tianshan Tianchi Lake
Reservation phone number for a one-day tour of Tianshan Tianchi Lake: 0991-8585456 181-3962-2229
One-day tour of Tianshan Tianchi Lake – Click to book
Tianshan Tianchi Lake is a national scenic area, a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, and a national water conservancy scenic area.
Enjoying the reputation of the "Pearl of Tianshan", Tianshan Tianchi Lake is a natural alpine lake. It is located halfway up the mountain under Mount Bogda in the eastern section of the Northern Tianshan Mountains, at an altitude of 1,980 meters. The lake surface is crescent-shaped, 3,400 meters long and about 1,500 meters wide at its widest point, covering an area of 4.9 square kilometers. The lake depth varies from a few meters to 105 meters. The lake water is clear and crystalline like jade. It is surrounded by mountains, lush green grass, and colorful wildflowers. Towering and verdant spruce and fir trees cover the mountains, blocking out the sun and sky. To the southeast of Tianchi Lake lies the majestic main peak of Mount Bogda (Bogda in Mongolian means sacred mountain), which stands at an altitude of 5,445 meters.
Tianchi Lake is a moraine lake. Geologists believe that since the Quaternary period, the global climate has undergone multiple drastic changes between warmth and cold. As far back as 200,000 years ago, during the third global cooling and the onset of the ice age, spectacular valley glaciers developed in the Tianchi area. Carrying gravel, the glaciers slowly moved down the valley, strongly grinding and eroding the ice bed, excavating and carving the valley, and forming various glacial landforms. Tianchi Valley thus became a huge ice cellar. The front end of its glacier tongue, due to compression and melting, released meltwater, and the gravel and boulders carried by it gradually accumulated, forming a terminal moraine ridge that blocked the valley. Subsequently, as the climate warmed and the glaciers retreated, water accumulated here to form a lake. This is today’s Tianshan Tianchi Lake. According to historical records, from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Tianchi Lake was known by various names such as Ice Pool, Dragon Pool, Dragon Lake, and Sacred Pool, but historical records rarely describe the true appearance of Tianchi Lake. In fact, it was difficult for ancient people to reach Tianchi Lake.
In feudal times, the first person to truly visit Tianchi Lake and name it was Ming Liang, the Governor-General of Urumqi 200 years ago. In the 48th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1783), he personally led a cavalry expedition to climb Bogda Mountain, discovered Tianchi Lake, and dug a drainage outlet to channel water down the mountain for irrigation. In his inscription ‘Inscription on the Canal Dredging of Lingshan Tianchi Lake’, he named the lake ‘Tianchi’, borrowing from the line ‘Seeing the vast divine pool, like a sky mirror floating in the air’. It is said that later, some wealthy officials and merchants who worshipped Lingshan and Tianchi Lake built eight temples nearby, including Fushou Temple, Wangmu Temple, Wuji Taoist Temple, and Zhenren Shrine, for visitors to burn incense and worship Buddha.
Tianchi Lake is now not only a summer resort for visitors from home and abroad every year but has also become an ideal alpine skating rink in winter. When the lake freezes, it attracts ice athletes from Xinjiang and other provinces, who train and compete on the broad lake surface, basking in the bright sunlight and fresh air. The mountains surrounding Tianchi Lake are also a ‘treasure trove’ of resources. Here there are fertile pastures for cattle and sheep, logging forests, and deer farms. Above the snowline, snow lotuses and snowcocks grow, while roe deer roam in the pine forests. Mushrooms, as well as medicinal herbs like codonopsis, astragalus, and fritillaria, abound. Precious birds and animals inhabit the valleys, fish and waterbirds populate the lake area, modern glaciers cap the peaks, and various minerals such as copper, iron, and mica are buried beneath the mountains.
Dragon’s Den Clear Moon
A poem praises, ‘A clear stream forms Dragon’s Den, green pines and white snow frame a jade plate. In the golden autumn moon, it sinks to the bottom, like Chang’e emerging from the Moon Palace.’
Southern Mountain Snow View
Pillar Stabilizing the Sea
Legend has it that there is a water monster in Tianchi Lake, which often wields its power arbitrarily, stirring up trouble. It churns up the waters of Tianchi, flooding the surrounding areas and displacing the residents, forcing them to wander homeless. One year, the Queen Mother of the West held a grand peach banquet in the Heavenly Palace. She invited all the deities, but forgot to invite the Tianchi water monster. The water monster was displeased and unleashed its fury. In an instant, muddy waves towered into the sky and floods spilled over. Heavenly soldiers reported this to the Queen Mother, who was enraged and immediately took out a jade hairpin from her head and threw it into the water. Immediately, the wind calmed and the waters subsided. The jade hairpin transformed into an elm tree. Since then, it has grown beside Tianchi Lake and become a treasure to control the waters. This elm tree, transformed from the Queen Mother’s jade hairpin, is later called the ‘Pillar Stabilizing the Sea’ by future generations.
Western Mountain Pine Viewing
Here, the spruce forests connect peaks and ridges, providing dense shade that blocks the sun, making it an excellent destination for tourism. The ‘Western Mountain Pines’ are delightful to the eyes and refreshing to the mind.
Sea Peak Morning Light
A poem praises, ‘Clouds shroud and mist swirl around the towering peaks, morning light reveals a fresh scene. Colorful dawn glow heralds the sunrise, Bofeng smiles at the magnificent spectacle.’
Suspended Kettle Flying Waterfall