Yulong Bay Scenic Area

　　Yulong Bay Scenic Area (Bukumu Reservoir

　　) is situated in Doru Township, Luopu County, 12 kilometers from the county seat and 7 kilometers from National Highway 315. It is a comprehensive tourism, leisure, and sightseeing scenic area prominently promoted by the Hotan region.

　　The Yulong Bay Scenic Area falls under the category of natural lake landscapes within hydrological scenery. During the abundant water period in summer, the lake is full and the scenery is beautiful. The lake and the surrounding desert are cleverly integrated, with abundant vegetation growing along the lakeshore, creating a unique landscape that holds high potential for tourism development.

　　The scenic area combines snow-capped mountains, reed-covered lakes, sand dunes, beaches, poplar forests, flocks of sheep, wild ducks, white cranes, and ethnic villages. The central part of the scenic area features continuous sand dunes and open beaches spanning 3 square kilometers. The lake’s surface area reaches up to 1,650 mu at its largest and shrinks to 480 mu at its smallest. Around the lake, there are 15 fishing ponds of varying sizes, all surrounded by reeds. To the northwest of the lake lies a dense poplar forest. In golden October, the yellow poplar forest, sand dunes, and reflections of the snow-capped mountains on the emerald-green lake surface, together with the wild ducks and white cranes gliding over the lake, the Uyghur houses by the shore, and the flocks of sheep, form a highly distinctive ethnic-themed tourist attraction.

　　Currently, the planning of this scenic area has been entrusted to the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The planned development area covers 17.14 square kilometers. After a comprehensive evaluation, the scenic area has been designated as a 3A-level tourist attraction. The plan aims to provide visitors with services such as sand therapy, sand bathing, vacationing, fishing, and leisure entertainment. The total planned investment is 55.2247 million yuan, with the overall construction period scheduled from 2006 to 2010. To date, 7 kilometers of asphalt road have been laid from the county seat to the scenic area, and a parking lot covering 5,000 square meters has been built.