Aydingkol Lake

Aydingkol Lake (means Moonlight Lake), 50 kilometers away from Turpan City, is at the bottom of the deepest depression in China's land mass. It has a long history going back about 250 million years. The lake covers an area of 22 kilometers and measures 40 kilometers from west to east, eight kilometers from north to south. Lying 155 meters below sea level, the lake is the second inland depression next only to the Dead Sea (-391m) in the world. Aydingkol Lake, together with the Flaming Mountains and Grape Valley are three outstanding natural features in Turpan.

Aydingkol Lake is composed of 3 sections: the outer circle, the center of the lake and the inner circle. It is about 0.5 to 1 kilometers wide in the outer circle, which is actually an alluvial plane. There are salt marshes in the center of the lake and there are pure white and shining salt rimes in the inner circle. You can never see fish or birds in the lake, but you may come across some insects and hares once in a while. This typical desolated landscape attracts the visitors and explorers from all over the world each year.
 
Aydingkol Lake is said to contain an amount of salt large enough to supply the one billion people of the country for a whole year. In addition, there are rich deposits of coal and oil under the lake. A chemical plant, the biggest enterprise in the Turpan area, has been set up by the lake side, which uses the crystal salt, vitriol and Glauber's salt as its raw materials and sells its products both at home and abroad.

Location: South of Turpan City, 50 kilometers away from the city center 
Entrance Fee: RMB 5
Opening Hours: 8:00-16:00