Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area

　　Yushatan Tourist Scenic Area boasts unique cultural and natural landscapes. Downstream of the reservoir, ravines crisscross and trees provide ample shade, forming a distinctive oasis-style pastoral scenery. The desert within the area is well-developed. The reservoir’s shimmering waters make it an ideal spot for bathing and sand therapy. Since the 1990s, the area has seen a continuous stream of visitors coming for leisure, fishing, swimming, and exploration.

　　The reservoir of this scenic area is located in Ying’airike Township, Hotan County, situated in the alluvial fan fringe depression about 18 kilometers from Hotan City. It draws and 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 regulated 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’airike dune area, which hosts the Golden Sandy Beach tourist zone, as well as recreational areas for sand therapy, camel rides in the desert, and sand sliding. On the northern bank, on both sides of the water outlet, there are fish ponds and landscaped gardens. The reservoir is situated in the alluvial fan fringe depression and enjoys a beautiful surrounding environment, embraced by oases. The western side of the reservoir, in the Ying’airike desert area, offers sweeping views of the majestic sea-like expanse of the desert. Watching the sunrise and sunset here provides a unique experience, and it also serves as an observation site for studying the early stages of desert formation. At the foot of the desert lies the reservoir, with rippling blue waters meeting the sky, willows swaying along the shore, making it a great summer retreat for leisure, tourism, fishing, and sand therapy. Heading 10 kilometers due north from the reservoir and climbing onto the towering sand ridges, you’ll be greeted by vast views of pristine populus euphratica forests standing between grasslands and sand ridges, along with large expanses of tamarisk forests—offering another layer of intrigue. Visitors can hire donkeys or camels to venture deeper into the desert. You can also observe the ever-shifting fine sands atop the dunes and ridges, witness the changes the desert undergoes with sunrise and sunset, or see how different areas display varying colors.