Most of the Yadan landforms discovered in the world are located in extremely arid areas. In the Qaidam no man's land in Northwest Qinghai, there is a little-known "Water Yadan". In the boundless desert, a vast ocean appears out of thin air. Standing on the ocean, Yadan ghost town is magical and mysterious with unparalleled stunning beauty!
Wusute Yadan Geological Park, also known as Water Yadan, is located in the northwest of Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province. After thousands of years of geological movement and spatio-temporal changes, it has formed and cultivated the largest and most spectacular Yadan community in the world, covering an area of 21000 square kilometers, mainly distributed in Nanbaxian and Oboliang region. Wusute Yadan is located in the South Baxian Yadan group. The Yadan mound in the area is 10-25 meters high, with a maximum of 50 meters. Yadan is distributed in lakes, which is the earliest water Yadan landscape in the world.
Wusute Water Yadan Geological Park is composed of Yadan landform and Yahu lake. The lake originates from the Nalingele River Valley in the Western Kunlun Mountains. For thousands of years, due to environmental changes, water erosion and wind erosion, the Yadan group at the junction of the northern and western hills of Qaidam has formed a unique and spectacular Wusute Water Yadan group. There are a small amount of aquatic plants such as reeds distributed around the lake and wild unique Yadan fish and plateau crabs in the water. Every summer and autumn, thousands of wild ducks gather here, forming a spectacular scene in this area which is vividly called "hundred birds and thousand islands lake" by outdoor and self-help travel enthusiasts.
In the distance to the north of Dongtianmen in Wusute Water Yadan Scenic spot, a Yadan group, like a Tibetan mastiff, screams in the sky, known as "the group of Mastiffs look north".
From the two piers, you can take the Ornate boat to the other side of Yadan in the lake to enjoy the more beautiful scenery. You can also take the sightseeing car to see Yadan in the air during the flight experience. You can also go to the depths of the most beautiful core of Yadan to explore the experience on foot or drive off-road vehicle and cross-country motorcycle, which is more beautiful and breathtaking.
It is also the best place to experience the sunrise, sunset and the stars. The sun rises early, sets late and shines for a long time. It really gets dark around 10 o’clock in the evening.
At night, the sky is quiet and the stars are bright. Milky Way lies between heaven and earth, reflecting the surface of the water. Seventy-two constellations, looking at each other from afar, reflect all things. The beautiful Milky Way starry sky covers the vast earth. The silence and desolation, the emptiness and the sky, the feeling of looking up to the sky and picking up the stars makes people feel like a grain of dust standing outside the time, the heaven and earth.
Before 2015, Water Yadan was still an undeveloped region and could only be visited by off-road vehicles. Due to the popularity of Water Yadan in recent two years, the two kilometer road from National Highway 315 to the water has been basically completed, and all kinds of vehicles can arrive without obstacles.
The National Highway 315, known as the "U-shaped sky road" of Dachaidan, is lined with Gobi and desert on both sides. In this Gobi desert, a straight black asphalt road extends to the horizon, and the end connects with the white clouds in the sky. You can enjoy the vast and desolate Northwest China when you drive through it. The vast Yadan landform adds a more peculiar and mysterious color to the National Highway 315, which is amazing.
Knowledge Popularization:
The Yadan landform, or wind-erosion ridge, is a typical wind-erosion landform. Yadan in the Uyghur means "a small hill with a steep wall". Due to the wind erosion, the lower part of the hill is often subjected to a strong denudation and gradually formed into a concave shape. If the rock layers on the upper part of the hill are relatively loose, it is easy to collapse under the action of gravity and form a steep wall, forming the Yadan landform. Some landforms look like ancient castles, commonly known as “ghost town”.
