中国新疆自治区的天池 Tianci or Heavenly Lake in Xinjiang, China

WS 64: 中国新疆自治区的天池 Tianci or Heavenly Lake in Xinjiang, China

新疆自治区的天池位于天山山脉东段博格达峰下，离省会乌鲁木齐东四十五公里。湖面海拔1,907米，面积五平方公里，最深处一百零五米。湖面呈半月形，南北长约三公里。居住在这个山区的人多是哈萨克族。2017年我们在湖边的哈萨克族的蒙古包里住了一个晚上，一个非常寒冷的夜晚。

天池是个著名旅游胜地， 风景区总面积达一百六十平方公里,有五区四十景。景区包括许多远离湖泊的景点， 我们只是在湖边轻松走动，云杉林中漫步，大伙儿谈天说地，欣赏高山湖泊自然景观，不刻意寻找什么著名景点。湖边有哈萨克族人的衣着，供游客租用拍照。那瀑布是“东小天池泻水瀑布”的一部分。 

Tianci, meaning Heavenly Lake, is located in the eastern section of Tianshan, or Heavenly Mountain in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It is 45 km east of Urumqi, the regional capital. The lake has an elevation of 1,907 m, an area of 5 sq km, and the deepest point is 105 m. The lake is half-moon shaped, about 3 km long from north to south. Most of the people living in this mountainous area are Kazakhs. In 2017, we spent a night in a Kazakh yurt by the lake, a very cold night indeed.

The Tianchi park, totally some 160 sq km, is a famous tourist attraction with over 40 scenic spots, some far away from the lake itself. We as a small group just took it easy, strolling along lakeside paths and inside the spruce forest, not bothered to search out the specific scenic spots, but enjoying the serene setting and company. There are Kazakh clothing by the lake for tourists to rent and take pictures.