National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (natural, 2013) National Park of China (first batch) AAAAA tourist attraction |
| Province | Xinjiang |
| Location | Western foot of Bogda Peak, Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang |
| Latitude, longitude | 43.9, 88.1 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Alpine lake, snow mountains, forest |
| Wildlife | Snow lotus |
| Area | 548 km² |
| Elevation | 1,910 m |
| Highest point | 5,445 m |
| Nearby cities | Ürümqi |
| Nearby sites | Bosten Lake, Kumtag Desert, Lop People’s Village, Sayram Lake |
| Themes | Lakes, Snow mountains, Forests, Stamps |
About
Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) lies below Bogda Peak in Fukang County, Xinjiang. Crescent-shaped, it is 3.4 km long and up to 1.5 km wide, 4.9 km² in area, about 105 m deep and 1,910 m above sea level; the scenic area covers 548 km².
It is an alpine lake formed when an ancient glacial mudflow dammed the valley. The water is clear and blue-green, ringed by forested mountains, deep gorges and grassy shores, with spruce and pine, snow lotus and snowcock. The climate is moist and cool in summer, with about 500 mm of rain a year.
The name dates from 1783, when Mingliang, the military governor of Xinjiang, set up a stele at the lake inscribed “a divine pool, vast and misty; a heavenly mirror floating in the sky”.
Bogda Peak, 5,445 m, rises south-east of the lake.
Stamps
On 8 August 1996 China Post issued 1996-19 “Heavenly Lake of Tianshan”, four stamps: the calm lake in the high gorge, the hanging spring and waterfall, snow peaks behind the lake, and the lakeside scenery.
The ninth stamp of the 1981 definitive set R21 “Scenery of the Motherland” shows the Tianshan.
Travel information
Admission: 90 yuan in low season (2007).