Sayram Lake: The Last Teardrop of the Atlantic Ocean

Chen Zhiying

Sayram Lake is located in the Bortala Prefecture near the Tianshan Mountains， Xinjiang. In Kazakh， "sayram" means "blessing". Sayram Lake has gained the reputation of "the pearl embedded in the Tianshan Mountains" since it's the only lake located in the Tianshan Mountains and looks like a pearl from the distance and been dubbed as "the last teardrop of the Atlantic Ocean" for it's the farthest place that the warm and humid air current of the Atlantic Ocean reaches. Every year， the Nadam Fair will be held on the grassland around the lake， attracting numerous tourists to visit. For centuries， people are captivated by the fascinating scenery of and legends behind the lake.

Four seasons with distinctive features

Sayram Lake is a fairyland with wonderful natural scenery. Its water is very pure and clear. People can see everything under the water， thus， it got the name of “clear sea” in ancient times. On the surface， flocks of ducks and swans sunbath and frolic. Flourishing cypress and cedar trees cover the whole mountain range. Cottages scatter the foothills of the mountains. Herds of horses and sheep graze on the pastures. What a vivid and splendid picture！ The lake has become a top choice for lovers to take wedding photos and spend their honeymoons.

The scenery is quite varied in four seasons. In March， when flowers are in full blossom in regions south of the Yangtze River， Sayram Lake just start to thaw， showing us the true face of the lake. Its deep seaweed green. In the sun， the water shimmers as gusts of wind blow across the river. In summer， the sapphire water of the lake seems to meet the sky in the distance， and the yurts of the Kazakh or Mongolian herdsmen can be seen on the mountain slopes covered with a green blanket dotted with colored blooming flowers. Here， nature and humans co-exist in perfect harmony. When it comes to autumn， the fertile grassy meadow around the lake is gone. In its place， instead， is a golden-yellow colored steppe. The mountain peaks are covered with white snow. The belly of the mountain range is unremarkable gray， but at its foot are stretches of golden forests.The striking contrast of these diverse colors presents a brilliant painting before us. In winter， snow falls and the lake begins to freeze. There are different shapes of ice on the surface of the lake， looking like cotton， clouds， earrings， etc. Sayram Lake is wrapped with silver which forms a magnificent view of the snowfield.

Lovers teardrop

Behind the romantic name of “the last teardrop of Atlantic Ocean”， there is a beautifully sad story about the coming of Sayram Lake. It is said that it was composed of the tears of a couple of Kazakh young lovers. A beautiful girl and a young man were deeply in love. One day， a cruel devil was captivated by the girls beauty. He captured the girl and confined her to his residence. The girl took a chance to escape， but the devil found out very soon and went after the girl. She was forced to jump into an abyss. Later， her boyfriend heard of this and he was so sad that he jumped into the abyss to reunite with his lover. Their painful tears flooded into the abyss and formed Sayram Lake.

At dusk， the lake becomes grayish brown. Although the sun has set， the sky is still golden. Against the afterglow of the setting sun， the scenery of the mountain is alluring. When it is getting dark， the outline of the mountain separates itself from the sky， giving a sense of inexplicable sadness. Sometimes， the wave lashes the shore. It seems to tell the old and sad Kazakh love story to people. Is this why there seems a force of magic power existed around Sayram Lake？ A sad love story blended with the charming scenery adds a special charm to Sayram Lake. Although the lake was formed by tragic tears of the lovers， today， the azure lake reflects only the joyousness of families， lovers and friends who come here.

Nadam Fair

In July or August， many joyous activities take place here at Sayram Lake as the Mongolians and Kazakhs celebrate traditional festivals such as the three-day Nadam Fair.

The Nadam Fair is an annual Mongolian sports event and is well-loved by the people. A large-scale Nadam Fair generally lasts between seven to ten days and involves hundreds of horses and wrestlers. Typical activities in the Nadam Fair include wrestling， horse-racing， and archery. Now， the Nadam Fair has become a comprehensive celebration activity integrated with ethnic sports， culture and art， product exhibition and sales， investment invitations， tourism and sightseeing. During the Nadam Fair， Mongolian and Kazakh herdsmen coming from all areas come to take part in activities and spectate. At the same time， the commercial department will take a large batch of commodities to the site and set up tents as provisional shops. The song and dance ensembles， artistic troupes， equestrian art troupes， and sci-tech exhibition departments also gather together at the meeting place， making the Nadam Fair even more appealing. Every July and August， Sayram Lake is an ocean of dances and flowers. All kinds of competitions and performances are wonderful， enabling people to feel the enthusiasm and the ethnic customs of Mongolians and Kazakhs.

Boasting grasslands， snow mountains， horses and sheep， moving love stories， and lively Nadam Fair， Sayram Lake is undoubtedly better than the so-called charming West Lake.

Tips

Transportation： Although there is a train that goes from Urumqi to Yili （passing the lake）， the best way to see Sayram Lake is either by bus or taxi. Buses leave Urumqi daily and are your cheapest option at only a couple hundred yuan. Taxi is much faster and convenient， but youll pay between RMB 400-600 yuan per day.

Season： The appropriate time to visit Sayram Lake is autumn and summer.