Lop Nur

Lop Nur

Lop Nur is located in the northeastern part of Ruoqiang County and was once China's second-largest inland lake, at an altitude of 780 meters.

Lop Nur has had many names—some based on its characteristics, such as Aozhe (Depression Marsh), Yanzhe (Salt Marsh), and Hehai (Dry Sea), and others based on its location, such as Puchang Hai, Laolan Hai, Kongque Hai (Peacock Sea), and Luopu Chi (Luopu Pool). After the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Lop Nor. In the mid-to-late 20th century, due to reduced water flow from the Tarim River and severe desertification in the surrounding area, it rapidly degraded and completely dried up by the late 1970s (prior to the 1970s, it was China’s second-largest saltwater lake; after Lop Nur dried up, Namtso became China’s second-largest saltwater lake, with Qinghai Lake being the largest). [5-8]

Rivers in the basin, such as the Tarim River, Kongque River, Charchan River, and Shule River, converged here, once forming a massive lake. Later, as the lake shrank, the ancient city of Loulan became ruins. In 1931, Chinese scholar Chen Zongqi and German geologist Hörner conducted on-site surveys of the newly formed waters in Lop Nur following the Tarim River’s course change in 1921, and completed measurements of the entire lake area in 1931. The measured water area of Lop Nur was 2,375 square kilometers, with water sourced from the Kongque River entering the lake from the northern end, expanding toward the center and then bulging eastward, resembling a “boot.” It was 85 kilometers long from north to south, 20 kilometers wide from east to west in the northern part of the lake area, and 45 kilometers wide in the southern part. The lake was very shallow, so shallow in some areas that boats could not navigate and often ran aground. To the southwest, a channel connected it to Lake Karakax.

After 1921, when the Tarim River dried up, the lake refilled somewhat. Measurements in 1942 showed the lake covered 3,000 square kilometers. By 1962, it had shrunk to 660 square kilometers. After 1970, it dried up completely, mainly due to a sudden population increase along both banks of the Tarim River. Continuous water extraction caused the river’s length to shrink drastically to less than 1,000 kilometers, leaving over 300 kilometers of its channel dry, which ultimately led to Lop Nur’s complete desiccation. Dunhuang, Hami, Shanshan, Turpan, Korla, Ruoqiang, Qiemo, Hotan, Aksay, Subei, Guazhou, Yuli, Minfeng, Yutian, Moyu, Yumen, and Tiemen Pass are all located in the regions surrounding Lop Nur.

There is considerable debate over the exact time of Lop Nur’s drying up. Most literature records it as 1972. Since the United States released satellite images of the dried-up Lop Nur’s “Big Ear” in 1972, the “Big Ear” has been considered the dried lake basin of East Lop Nur. During the recently concluded scientific expedition “Retracing Peng Jiamu’s Exploration Route,” researchers discovered continuously extending shorelines of East Lop Nur stretching westward, leading to estimates that the ancient Lop Nur lake area exceeded 10,000 square kilometers.

DGPS measurements in 2006 revealed that the Lop Nur Big Ear lake basin is relatively flat, with a depth of only 5.2 meters. The average slope to the southwest is 0.19‰, and to the northeast is 0.09‰, making it an eccentric shallow lake basin. The salt pan covers nearly 5,500 square kilometers, at an altitude of about 800 meters.

Attractions in the Region

Han Dynasty Beacon Tower

A well-preserved ancient beacon tower site located 60 kilometers from Korla. Some scholars, considering the defensive purpose of the Great Wall’s construction, believe the western end of the ancient Great Wall should include this beacon tower in Yuli County. If true, this would make it the starting point of the western Great Wall.

Yingpan Han Dynasty Ruins

A relatively well-preserved ancient site in the Lop Nur region. It features a circular wall with a diameter of 300 meters and a remaining height of nearly 6 meters. To the west of the wall is the site of a Buddhist stupa, with broken adobe bricks forming a pyramid shape. Two kilometers north of the ancient city, on a high terrace, lies the base of another stupa, with a famous cluster of ancient tombs to its west—the largest burial site in the Lop Nur region. According to historical records, Yingpan served as an official military post and caravan station, guarding the central route of the Silk Road to protect merchants, while also benefiting from the nearby Kongque River for land cultivation.

Dragon City Yardang

One of the three major yardang formations in the Lop Nur region, located on the northern shore of Lop Nur. The earthen mounds all run east-west, forming long strip-like structures. Viewed from afar, they resemble a dragon, hence the name Dragon City. Also known as White Dragon Pile Yardang, it was ranked second among China’s most beautiful three yardang formations by Chinese National Geography and hailed as “the most mysterious yardang” because few have seen its true appearance.

Tuyin

An ancient logistics post site discovered and named by Chinese archaeologists. Very little remains, but in ancient times, it was a military stronghold along the Silk Road.

Sun Tomb

Located on the northern bank of the ancient course of the Kongque River. Discovered in the winter of 1979 by archaeologists Hou Can and Wang Binghua, the site contains dozens of tombs. Each tomb features a central circular wooden stake enclosure for the deceased, surrounded by wooden stakes over a foot high forming seven circles and several rays, resembling the radiating beams of the sun. Carbon-14 dating indicates the Sun Tombs are around 3,800 years old.

Ancient Populus Forest

Located west of the Sun Tomb site, on a terrace on the northern bank of the ancient river course, there is a large expanse of dead poplar trees with uniform spacing between trunks and rows. The trees are over a foot in diameter. These rows of dead trees show clear signs of artificial planting.

Yu Chunsun’s Tomb

Located on a small earthen mound not far from the exit of Tieban River. In June 1996, explorer Yu Chunsun lost his way, walked to this spot, and died of exhaustion and thirst. He was just 2 kilometers away from the water and food supply point he had buried himself. A tombstone has been erected at the site.

Lop Nur Lake Center Marker

At the end of 1997, an engineer measured the lake center coordinates based on a map. Though unverified, it has become a scenic spot. In 1997, only an empty gasoline drum was buried at the marker point. In February 1998, after the first wooden monument was erected by Guangdong’s first all-female Lop Nur exploration team, several stone bases and wooden monuments have since been added, making it a place where travelers leave memorabilia.

Kumuketag Desert

A high-altitude desert located between the Altyn-Tagh Mountains and the lake basin. It is China’s third-largest desert and is known for its unique feathery sand ridges.

Kongque River

Peacock River

Originating from Bosten Lake, it flows through Korla and Yuli County before entering the Lop Desert. Nowadays, the middle reaches of the riverbed are filled with drifting sand, occasionally dotted with sparse populus euphratica trees, reeds, and tamarisks. The lower reaches, however, are completely barren, devoid of any vegetation, silent and desolate, having turned into a desert. Along the riverbanks, the occasional fallen dead populus euphratica tree lies toppled.

Loulan Ancient City

The ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Loulan. Visitors can also see the remains of residential buildings, some household utensils, Buddhist stupas, and ancient tomb complexes. The colorful paintings on a small stupa, despite being over a thousand years old, remain distinguishable to this day. Loulan, one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, thrived on the historical stage for only about 800 years before mysteriously disappearing in the 4th century AD. More than 1,500 years later, Swedish explorer Sven Hedin and his Loulan guide, Oerdek, rediscovered it on March 28, 1900, causing a global sensation and earning it the nickname "The Pompeii of the East." For a century, Loulan has remained a focal point of research and exploration for adventurers, historians, and travelers from China and around the world.

Loulan Farm

Adjacent to the ancient city of Milan is a farming and garrison settlement established by a production and construction corps. Thanks to the snowmelt from the Altun Mountains since ancient times, the area has conditions suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry. As such, besides modern reclamation efforts, there was also a well-developed irrigation system in ancient times. At the Ethnic Squad of Milan Farm, visitors can meet descendants of the Loulan people.

Hongliugou

A Gobi landscape on the southern shore of Lop Nur, characterized by earth mounds formed by tamarisk bushes.

Dunhuang Yardang

Dunhuang Yardang is part of the ancient Lop Nur region. It is a desert plain area with abundant sunlight, low rainfall, high evaporation rates, and strong winds throughout all seasons, with maximum wind speeds exceeding Force 12. Geologically, it is located at the center of the Cenozoic (dating back approximately 65 million years) Dunhuang-Shule River Fault Basin. Due to the horizontal orientation of the rock strata and well-developed vertical joints, the relatively soft rock layers have, over a long period of intense weathering from natural wind and rain, given rise to various yardang landforms shaped by wind erosion. It is situated about 180 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang City and approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Yumenguan Pass. The park covers an area of 398 square kilometers.

Lop Nur Town: The administrative region of Lop Nur Town is located in the Lop Nur area in the northeastern part of Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang. It borders Yuli County to the northwest and neighbors Hami and Shanshan to the north, covering an area of about 52,000 square kilometers. The town government is situated at approximately 40 degrees north latitude and 90 degrees east longitude, and it has now become the largest town in Xinjiang, as well as the most unique town in China.

Officially established on February 27, 2006, at 8:40 AM.

Lop Nur is located in the northeastern part of the Taklamakan Desert, at the center of the Eurasian continent, and in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The "Da Qing Yi Tong Yu Tu" (Imperial Unified Map of the Great Qing) once referred to this... [Lop Nur Town detailed information++]