Yuncheng Salt Lake

The Yuncheng salt lake covers around one hundred and thirty square kilometres and has been worked since at least the Neolithic, with control of its salt a factor in the earliest Chinese states; the ancient extraction method of wind and sun evaporation, recorded here, was formalised in the Tang. The lake is divided into evaporation ponds by dykes, and through the warm months algae and salt-tolerant microorganisms colour the water in bands of pink, red, green and orange that shift with temperature and salinity, producing an effect often compared with the Dead Sea and photographed heavily. Production continues, mainly of sodium sulphate. Roads and paths run along the dykes for viewing.

What you actually see

• The coloured ponds - bands of pink, green and orange between the dykes.
• The dyke paths - routes across the lake giving views along the ponds.
• The working extraction - the industry still operating on the lake.
• The ancient salt history - four thousand years of production interpreted locally.

When to go

June to September, when heat and evaporation bring out the strongest colours; the effect fades in cooler months. Midday sun gives the most saturated colour from above, and aerial or elevated views show the pattern best.

Honest expectations

This is a working industrial site, not a scenic park, and access is limited in places. Colours vary considerably by pond and by week. Yuncheng is an industrial city with modest visitor facilities.

Nearby

The Guandi Temple at Haizhou is a few kilometres away; Yuncheng city is north.