Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area

Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area

Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area

Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area boasts unique cultural and natural landscapes. The area downstream of the reservoir features crisscrossing gullies and shaded trees, creating a distinctive oasis countryside scenery. The desert within the region is well-developed. The reservoir’s shimmering waters make it an ideal spot for bathing and sand therapy. Since the 1990s, it has attracted a continuous stream of visitors for leisure, fishing, swimming,…

The reservoir of this scenic area is located in Ying’airike Township, Hotan County, situated in the alluvial fan marginal depression about 18 kilometers from Hotan City. It stores water from the Yurungkash and Karakash rivers and is classified as a plain reservoir. With a total capacity of 42.25 million cubic meters and a regulating capacity of 25 million cubic meters, it has an average depth of 6.5 meters and a maximum water surface area of 12 square kilometers. To the west of the reservoir lies the Ying’ailike dune area, which includes the Golden Sandy Beach Tourist Zone and recreational zones for sand therapy, camel rides in the desert, and sand sliding. On both sides of the northern bank’s outflow outlet are fish ponds and landscaped gardens. The reservoir, situated in the alluvial fan marginal depression, enjoys a beautiful surrounding environment, embraced by oases. The western shore’s Ying’ailike Desert area offers breathtaking views of the undulating golden sands, making it a special place to watch sunrises and sunsets. It also serves as an observation site for studying the early stages of desert formation. At the foot of the desert lies the shimmering reservoir, where water meets the sky in one seamless horizon, framed by swaying willows along the shore—making it a perfect summer retreat for leisure, tourism, fishing, and sand therapy. Heading 10 kilometers due north from the reservoir and ascending onto the towering sandy ridges, visitors can gaze across vast stretches of pristine poplar forests standing between grasslands and sand ridges, along with large expanses of tamarisk forests, offering yet another unique experience. Travelers can hire donkeys or camels to venture deeper into the desert. They can also observe the ever-shifting fine sands atop the dunes and sandy ridges, witness the changing hues of the desert at sunrise and sunset, or see how different areas display varying colors.