Hongjiannao Lake is China's largest "desert freshwater lake" which is located on the border of Shaanxi Province's Yulin City and Inner Mongolia's Ordos City . The lake  is the largest inner land fresh lake of Shaanxi and honored as 'Shining Pearl in Sand Sea'.

Hongjiannao Lake is an important breeding habitat for relict gull, a species classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is estimated that up to 5,000 pairs breed there, making it the largest breeding colony of relict gulls. Shrinking of the lake and changes in water quality are threatening the colony.

Hongjiannao Lake is relatively recent, formed around 1929 due to increased rainfall in the early 20th century; before, the basin was a wetland. The lake is supplied by four rivers, but there is no outflow. When its surface area was about 60 km2, its maximum depth was 10.5 m and the average depth 8.2 m . However, the lake has been shrinking sharply over the past decade, to 32 km2  at the present. The shrinking has been attributed to reservoir construction, mining, and agricultural irrigation.

Travel Tips

Admission Fee: CNY 60

Opening hours: 08:00-18:00

How to get there: take bus from Yulin City to the scenic area of Hongjiannao Lake.

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