Heavenly Lake of Tian Shan

Tianchi (Chinese: 天池; pinyin: Tiānchí, Uyghur: بوغدا كۆلى) is an alpine lake in Xinjiang, Northwest China. 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 ("Mountain of Heaven"), about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Fukang and 45 kilometres (28 mi) east (straight-line distance) of Ürümqi. It is an alpine drift lake shaped in the Quaternary Glacier period.

LocationBogda Shan (Tian Shan), in Fukang City, Xinjiang

Coordinates43°53′9.7″N 88°7′56.6″E

BasincountriesChina

Surface area4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi)

Quick facts Tianchi, Location ...

Tianchi
Tianchi in the winter
Tianchi
Location	Bogda Shan (Tian Shan), in Fukang City, Xinjiang
Coordinates	43°53′9.7″N 88°7′56.6″E
Basin countries	China
Surface area	4.9 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Max. depth	105 m (344 ft)
Surface elevation	1,907 m (6,257 ft)

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Formerly known as Yaochi ("Jade Lake"), it was named Tianchi in 1783 by Mingliang, the Qing Commander of Urumqi Command.

The lake is 1,907 metres (6,257 ft) above sea level, covering 4.9 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi), 105 metres (344 ft) 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.^[1]

The lake is accessible by Provincial Highway 111 from Fukang.

The lake is the titular starting point of Vikram Seth's first book, From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983), which describes his hitchhiking journey through Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet and Nepal to return home to India, during a break in his studies at Nanjing University in 1981.