Yan Qijing
It is said that there are two earth-shattering flowers in Qinghai, one is the butter sculpture in Ta 'er Temple, and the other is the salt flower in Chaerhan Salt Lake.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, Chaerhan Salt Lake was once the sea of Wang Yang. Later, due to the rising of the earth's crust, the seabed was exposed and became a basin.
Due to the hot and dry climate, the evaporation of lake water is much higher than the precipitation, forming high-concentration brine in the lake, and then gradually crystallizing into salt particles.
Salt flower is a special-shaped crystal formed by salt crystallization in salt lake. Because of the different temperature, climate, time and concentration during crystallization, various beautiful salt flowers are formed.
In the forbidden area of life, everything is silent, and only "salt flowers" bloom most vigorously. It is a wonderful flower endowed by nature to mankind, guarding this pure land day and night.
These salt flowers do not need artificial carving, and have different shapes, some like shells, some like towers, clusters, pieces, clusters, standing in the salt lake, decorating the salt lake like a fairyland.
If we are lucky, we can see a mirage.
Beautiful legend
If Chaka Salt Lake is a smooth mirror, then the vast Chaerhan is like a flawless diamond, quietly leaning against the south of Qaidam Basin.
Because there are few people, Chaerhan Salt Lake looks quiet and desolate during the day, but it is precisely because of this that you can enjoy the shock of 5,800 square kilometers.
On the calm lake, water and sky are the same, and the white clouds in the distance are like waves, coming at you layer by layer.
Thick salt cover, ups and downs, is the waves of the sea, washing your heart over and over again.
At dusk, here is another scene. Beautiful lake and sparkling lake, the next second I think fairy Xia Zi will come from a distance with colorful auspicious clouds. The scenery is simply an unforgettable memory for me.
Legend has it that a long time ago, Chaerhan was full of gold, silver and jewels, but the mountain monsters were irresponsible and indifferent, fighting endlessly all the year round and robbing treasures, which brought great disasters here.
The Queen Mother of the West, who lives in the depths of Kunlun Mountain, said, "This is outrageous." She decided to solve these problems. She ordered the water god to put down Tianshui and drown all these treasures, so that no one could get them, leaving only future generations to stay on earth.
As a result, salt lakes appeared here.
Although it is only a beautiful myth, it also adds a lot of "mood" to this land. It is no longer a cold forbidden area, but a lively "life".
Zhang Wan Yan bridge
In addition to the beautiful scenery, Chaerhan Salt Lake also has a 32-kilometer-long Qinghai-Tibet railway subgrade and a Yandunge highway, which is called "Zhang Wan Salt Bridge" by local people.
It doesn't sound like a big deal, but you should know that according to the general requirements, if the soil salt content reaches 10%, it can't meet the standard of road construction, and Chaerhan Salt Lake obviously far exceeds this standard.
The biggest problem encountered in the process of road construction is the brine cave under the salt lake, which will cause the bridge deck to collapse and fracture.
Later, after much consideration, people decided to fill the hole with salt. It really worked later. The compressive strength of the pavement can reach 7 to 20 kilograms per square centimeter, and cars can pass safely on it.
Remember the water railway in Spirited Away?
This "salt bridge" has no guardrail, no pier and no running water below. From the air, it looks like it goes straight across the lake. It divides the salt lake into two parts. It seems that if you go along this road, you can reach the fairy's residence.