Yuncheng Salt Lake - China's brilliant 'Dead Sea'

Hu Xiechi appeared in a special program of Chinese television in 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Xiechi Lake is also known as Yuncheng Salt Lake.

How did Yuncheng Salt Lake appear?

There are three types of salt lakes in the world: carbonate, chloride, and sulfate. The Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake in Utah are both chloride lakes. However, Yuncheng Salt Lake falls into the last category, sulfate lake.

The beautiful water color of Yuncheng Salt Lake - China's brilliant "Dead Sea". Photo: CNN.

Geography professor Bernie Owen of Hong Kong Baptist University explains: 'If the amount of sulfate in the lake's water is greater than the amount of calcium, all the calcium will quickly be used up, leaving the lake with an excess of sulfates and as a result forming. a sulphate lake'.

Xiechi is also a "closed basin" lake - meaning it doesn't drain into rivers or oceans - which explains why the lake's salt content remains so high.

As Professor Owen explains: 'Water is always accompanied by salt, water comes out, salt stays, more water flows into the lake with the salt, then gradually evaporates. And the salt continues to stay. There is no way out for this problem. The lake water will gradually become saltier, saltier and much saltier.

Vibrant colors from above of Yuncheng Salt Lake.

But what creates the beautiful colors that move the hearts of so many photographers? They are related to aquatic animals and plants.

'If you soak the shrimp in salt water, they'll turn red,' says Owen. 'There is a microscopic animal called a rotifer, and they will produce purple. Besides, there are also a lot of green, blue or orange algae that appear in salt water lakes'.

These salt lakes can freeze, although not as quickly as other normal lakes. Salt water always freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water.

Impressive shape of Yuncheng Salt Lake when frozen.

A shining star

In a bid to raise the bar internationally, China is taking steps to include Lake Xiechi on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In a 2019 WeChat social media post, Luo Huining, the party secretary of Shanxi province, announced that local officials had begun the registration process.

'Yuncheng Salt Lake is the crystallization of Chinese culture and civilization. The salt lake has a positive meaning in promoting pride and spreading our cultural heritage,' he asserted.

Seen from above, Yuncheng Salt Lake looks like a painter's watercolor palette. (

Currently, China has 56 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, second only to Italy in the overall list. That feat is even more impressive when the country's first UNESCO heritage sites - including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City - were only recognized in 1987.

The brilliant ice flower of Yuncheng Salt Lake. (Photo: ChinaPlus).

According to a statement from the Yuncheng city government, Lake Xiechi contains black mud that has restorative and healing properties - just like the Dead Sea. Many documents also claim that humans can float along the surface of the water without sinking - coincidentally, just like the Dead Sea can.