Mountain lake associated with sad love story in Xinjiang

CHINA According to local legend, the "emerald" Sayram made from the tears of the Kazak couple, vowed to die to reunite with each other.

Located west of the Tianshan Mountains, Sayram is the largest and highest mountain lake in Xinjiang. In Kazak, the name of the lake means "blessing". Standing 2,000 meters above sea level, the crystal-clear Sayram Lake is surrounded by verdant meadows and snow-capped peaks. The surface of the lake is 460 km2 wide as a mirror reflecting the scenery of flowers, grass, trees and sky. Therefore, the mountain was dubbed the "emerald" by Xinjiang.

The lake contains about 21 billion cubic meters of water and the deepest reaches up to 90 m. Photo: BBS Ivye.

Sayram Lake was formed about 70 million years ago, due to the displacement of the Himalayas. However, local people said that the origin of the lake is associated with the sad love story of the Kazak couple.

Legend has it that once there was a boy and girl in love with each other passionately. However, the beauty of the girl accidentally seduced the evil demon and he forced her to be his wife. After trying to flee, she was captured by the demon. Not wanting to be his wife, she jumped into the abyss to show her loyalty to her lover. As for the boy, after learning that his lover was dead, he threw himself to the bottom of the cliff to reunite with her. Their teary tears formed Lake Sayram.

In every season, Lake Sayram puts on its own beauty, but June - November is the best time to visit here. At this time, the surface of the lake was as calm as a mirror gathering white swans, on the banks were horses and sheep grazing on the grass.

Spectacular mountain views by Lake Sayram. Photo: Wildsam.

In July and August, the Mongols and Kazak gathered in the fields to hold the Nadam festival. The event lasts for 6 days, including competitions such as horse racing, wrestling and archery. The cattle herders in the vicinity also attended the festival with traditional ethnic costumes. In addition, the event also gathered many musical performances such as dancing, singing, dancing and the "chasing girls" contest.

In addition to experiencing local cultural festivals, visitors can horseback ride or take a scenic boat ride, at a cost of about 20 CNY (70,000 VND) a day. With its poetic scenery, Lake Sayram attracts many tourists to take wedding photos and enjoy their honeymoon.

Sayram Lake is one of Xinjiang's 4 most beautiful lakes, next to Kanas, Ulungur and Bostan. Entrance fee to visit the lake is 10 CNY (35,000 VND).

To get here, visitors can travel by domestic flights, lasting 4 hours from the capital Beijing to the city of Urumqi. Each day there are about 14 connecting flights between the two cities. After arriving at Urumqi, you can take a bus from Yining station, Jiefang Road to Lake Sayram. The trip will take about 3 hours.

Hotels around the lake have an average price of 200 CNY (700,000 VND) per person per night. In addition, you can also stay at a homestay for 15 - 20 CNY (55,000 - 70,000 VND) per night.