Tianchi

Tianchi (天池) may refer to several locations in China:

Lakes

Heaven Lake primarily refers to the crater lake of Mount Baekdu, on the Sino–North Korean border

Heaven Lake is the translation of a Chinese, Mongolian, Manju, Korean, etc. name of a lake; here "Heaven" may refer to Tian or Tengri here:

Places

Heaven Lake of Tian Shan

Tianchi (Chinese: 天池; pinyin: tiānchí) is an alpine lake in Xinjiang, Northwest China, situated at 43°53′9.7″N 88°7′56.6″E / 43.886028°N 88.132389°E / 43.886028; 88.132389. The name (天池) 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 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Fukang City and 45 kilometres (28 mi) east (straight-line distance) of Ürümqi. (Bogda is a Mongolian word, meaning "God".) 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.

The lake is 1,907 metres (6,257 ft) above sea level, covering 4.9 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi), 105 metres (344 ft) deep at the deepest point.

In 2006, it was designated for four years of restoration work at a cost of 800 million yuan (US$100 million). The plan calls for the tourism area around the lake to be increased from the present 158 km² to 548 km². The lake is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.

Heaven Lake

Heaven Lake (천지 (Ch'ŏnji or Cheonji) in Korean; 天池 (Tiānchí) in Chinese; Tamun omo or Tamun juce in Manchu) is a crater lake on the border between China and North Korea. It lies within a caldera atop the volcanic Baekdu Mountain, a part of the Baekdudaegan mountain range and the Changbai mountain range. It is located partly in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, at 42°00′22″N 128°03′25″E / 42.006°N 128.057°E / 42.006; 128.057, and partly in Jilin Province, northeastern China.

Geology and limnology

The caldera which contains Heaven Lake was created by a major eruption in 969 AD (± 20 years).

The lake has a surface elevation of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft). The lake covers an area of 9.82 km² (3.79 sq mi) with a south-north length of 4.85 km (3.01 mi) and east-west length of 3.35 kilometres (2.08 mi). The average depth of the lake is 213 m (699 ft) and maximum depth of 384 m (1,260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June, it is typically covered with ice.

Names and legends

In ancient Chinese literature, Tianchi also refers to Nanming (南冥 sometimes translated as "southern sea").