Tianchi Lake or Heavenly Lake in Yunlong County, Dali
Chinese Name: 大理云龙天池
Chinese Pinyin: Dali Yunlong Tianchi
English Name: Tianchi Lake or Heavenly Lake in Yunlong County, Dali
Type: natural reserve, lake
Area: 1.5 square kilometers
Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2-3 hours
Ticket: RMB 10
Location: Tianchi Mountain, over 20 km west of Yunlong County
Tianchi Lake in Yunlong
Tianchi Lake(天池), also called as the Shuchang Lake(署场海), is entitled as the national natural reserve. 20 km west of Yunlong County, the Tianchi Lake is embraced by mountains peacefully. It is the famous highland lake of west Yunnan. Among the dense forest, there are various wild animals and plants. Especially the primitive Yunnan pine forest preserves a good ecological environment.Due to the abundant natural resources, it is known as the national natural reserve. As if a graceful lady, Tianchi Lake represents her beauty to the world continuously.
How to get to Tianchi Lake?
Travelers can take the shuttle bus from Xiaguan to Yunlong County firstly. It is advisable for travelers to drive to Tianchi Lake. It will be convenient for you to transfer.
Where is Tianchi Lake?
Located in Tianchi Mountain, more than 20 kilometers west of Yunlong County, Tianchi Lake is 2551 meters above sea level, with a water surface of about 1.5 square kilometers, The deepest point is 16.8 meters, and the average water depth is 8.5 meters. It is 175 kilometers from Xiaguan and 574 kilometers from Kunming.
Legend
A legend is handed down by locals around Tianchi Lake. It was a grass for graze, rich in the wild flowers. One year, the son of the Dragon King of Erhai Lake could not stand the abuse of the maiden and the friction between the brothers, he determined to leave the Erhai Sea and find another place to live. So he invited Dali’s caravan to carry the things form his father in the mountain gorge to the direction of the setting sun. Finally, he was fascinated by the charming dam hidden in the mountain. At the moment, I will settle down and let the horse riders go to the mountain to spend the night. Each person will have a blue brick as a pillow. Repeatedly, don’t open their eyes regardless of what happens at night so that you can be safe. In the middle of the night, with lightning and thunder,it rained heavily. When the weather was fine, they discovered that the blue bricks of the pillows last night turned into gold bricks. The fascinating green grass dam disappeared. Instead, it was a green lake. The lake slammed down the Dongshan Pass and flowed into the dry fields under the mountain.
Natural Resources
Tianchi Reserve is the most important area for the growth of Pinus of Yunnan and the snub-nosed monkey. It has a large scale of virgin forests and is home to more than 50 species of first-class and second-class protected animals such as the snub-nosed monkey. The national first-class protected plants include Taxus chinensis var. chinensis(红豆杉), Taxus chinensis var. Mairei(南方红豆杉), Taxus wallichiana（T. yunnanensis）(云南红豆杉) and Torreya yunnanensis(云南榧树). There are 4 national first-class protected animals, covering snub-nosed monkey(滇金丝猴), Panthera tigris(虎), Panthera pardus(金钱豹), Neofelis nebulosa(云豹) and Moschus berezovskii(林麝).
Useful Travel Tips
When the weather is fine in Dali, the sunshine is heated, and ultraviolet light is strong. People should avoid direct sunlight, and the sun hat preparation is required during outdoor activities, a pair of sunglasses will make you comfortable in the trip.
Please protect the environment of Tianchi Lake.
