A 4 picture stitch panoramic of local tourists at the Chinese alpine beauty spot, Heavenly Lake.

A 4 picture stitch panoramic of local tourists at the Chinese alpine beauty spot, Heavenly Lake.

Paul Springett D / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID: CRR9AT

Tianchi is an alpine lake in Xinjiang, Northwest China, the name literally means "Heaven Lake" or "Heavenly Lake" and can refer to several lakes in mainland China and Taiwan. This Tianchi lies on the north side of the Bogda Shan range of the Tianshan Mountains, about 45 kilometres east of Ürümqi. It is an alpine drift lake shaped in the Quaternary Glacier period. Formerly known as Yaochi (Jade Lake), it was named Tianchi in 1783 by Mingliang, the Qing Commander of Urumqi Command and is 2,000 metres above sea level, covering 4.9 square kilometres and 105 metres at the deepest point.

Location: China, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, 45 km east of Urumqi, Tianchi (Heavenly Lake).