Lake Bosten

With a length of 55 kilometers and a width of 25 kilometers, Lake Bosten is the largest lake in Xinjiang and the biggest inland freshwater lake in China. It is located in the southeast of the Yanqi Basin, Korla City. Originally, the lake was called “West sea” and changed to “Fish Sea” in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was finally named as the “Bosten Lake” in the middle period of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Bosten means ‘stand-up’ in Mongolian. There are three hills standing in the central part of the lake, therefore, it was called Bosten.

The whole Lake Bosten can be divided into two parts, the big lake district and the small lake district. The big one covers an area of about 1,000 square kilometers and the small one being 240 square kilometers. Lakes, snow mountain, oasis, desert and wild rare animals set off mutually, which forms a rich and colorful landscape picture. It was regarded as a bright pearl of the Oasis.

Bosten Lake is rich in reeds and it is an important reed production area in China. What’s more, it abounds with a variety of freshwater fish and is the largest fishing area of Xinjiang Province. In recent years, the tourist facilities in Lotus lake, acacia lake and other scenic spots have taken shape. Visitors can surfing, diving, sunbathing on the beach and enjoy a authentic feast of the fish. Lake Bosten is an important emerging aquatic amusement area in the south of Xinjiang. The Golden Sand Beach, on the north shore of the lake, is known as “the Oriental Hawaii of Xinjiang”.

The unique desert landscape and the beautiful lake scenery form a sharp contrast, which makes this vast pearl extremely charming. With wide water and lush reeds, Lake Bosten fuses blue and green and shows a colorful landscape picture.