# Hongjiannao Lake Scenic Area (红碱淖风景区)

Northern Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province · Northwest, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hongjiannao-lake-scenic-area
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥30
- **Opening hours:** 08:00-19:00
- **Time needed:** 4–5 hours
- **Address:** Erlintu Town, Shenmu City
- **Getting there:** Take a bus from Yulin North Bus Station to Shenmu, where dedicated minibuses run to Hongjiannao. Interprovincial buses from Yulin to Dongsheng District in Inner Mongolia pass by Hongjiannao; the journey takes about 2 hours 30 minutes and costs ¥12.
- **Good for:** Wildlife, Nature

## About Hongjiannao Lake Scenic Area

Hongjiannao is China's largest desert freshwater lake and a habitat for the relict gull. The lake was named for the alkaline soil found along its shores, which can be boiled into a slightly reddish caustic soda. Legend has it that when Wang Zhaojun was married far away to the Xiongnu, she looked back toward her homeland from here, overcome with sorrow, and wept for seven days and seven nights. For this reason, Hongjiannao is also called 'Zhaojun's Tears.' Seven seasonal rivers flow into the lake year-round, and its misty waves stretch vast and seemingly imbued with spirit. Gazing at the sparkling water as waterbirds roam freely, you'll feel as though time has stood still.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 679. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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