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Lop Lake lies to the east of Korla. It was an important station on the ancient Silk Road and once a very large lake. In the Han dynasty, it was the second largest inland lake in China and was even mistaken as the source of the Yellow River. Now, the Lop Lake, reputed as the "lake of death", attracts historians and geographers from home and abroad every year. Lop Lake is also called Lop Nur, a transliteration of the lake's Mongolian name, which means a lake where waters gather. The lake was once a huge lake in the northeast of the western regions, where about 6 or 7 river joined here, such as the Tarim River, the Peacock River, the Milan River, etc.
On March 28th, 1900, a Swedish adventurer named Sven Hedin and his guide discovered the ancient city of Loulan, which was then reputed as the “Oriental Pompeii”. In the later over 100 years, the city of Loulan has attracted thousands of adventures, historians and travelers both from home and abroad. The ancient city of Loulan was founded on the west bank of Lop Lake in the second century BC. The city was once the capital of State Loulan, one of the 36 western regions states and occupied very significant position on the Silk Road. However, the city just vanished in the middle of the 6th century AD after about 400 years’ prosperity, with a mystery left behind forever.
Bayinburuke means "Rich Fountains" in the Mongolian. The adequate water supply there endows the area with luxurious grasslands, large varieties of flowers and hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. Bayinburuke is the second largest grassland in China covering an area of 23,000 square km. This vast highland prairie is home to the descendents of Mongols who came to the place from Russia about 100 years ago. Bayinburuke Grassland is famous for Swan Lake, the only nature reserve for swans in China and one of the largest swan reserves in the world. Thousands of swans of different species live in the area, providing the spectacle of thousands of swans in flight across the vast open sky.
Horse racing of Mongol can generally be divided into two: walking race and galloping. In walking horse racing, horses compete in speed, resistance, steadiness and beauty via running with alternating side steps (the front hoofs and hind hoofs move in turns). The horses for racing are generally older than five years and the riders are always adults. The race require a highly lofty horsemanship so that the rider is able to rein the horse to walk steadily, beautifully, and as fast as possible, without running. However, over deforestation and environmental deterioration caused by human activity curtailed the lifespan of the lake andduring the 4th century AD codes and regulations had to be introduced to control the use of the insufficient water.
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