Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Abiba) news: Every winter, Sayram Lake starts to "bubble" with beauty. On December 12, 2025, Lina Nurbahat, who works for the lake's tourism board, painted the scene in words. The lake sits higher than any other big alpine lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and people here call it "the Atlantic's last tear." When cold sets in, the water turns into an open-air gallery of ice sculptures that look fresh, playful and almost alive.

Photo shows blue ice glows like frozen sky on Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

Lina explained that the lake had begun to freeze from the edges in early December. By late December, one wonder after another takes the stage. The ice-push show, now opening, runs until the lake locks solid in early January and returns when the ice breaks up in March and April.

Photo shows an ice "eye" stares up from the frozen lake at Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

According to staff, the nightly freeze and the day-night temperature gap turn the surface into a sheet of clear, brittle glass. Wind snaps the sheet into chips, then herds them ashore in rattling piles. At sunrise the shards catch the light and throw off flecks of gold, giving the famous half-jade, half-blue view. For the best show, the scenic area urges visitors to come between ten and noon or four and six, when low sun and fresh ice meet at their most dazzling.

Photo shows stunning spectacle of ice pushing up against the shore is presented at Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

The "ice bubbles" that travelers dream of show up later. From January to March, after the lake freezes solid and the sheet grows more than half a meter thick, methane from bottom microbes rises and freezes in place, leaving strings of silver pearls locked inside the ice. "Bubbles need weeds, steady cold, microbes and just the right breeze," Lina said. In past winters, tens of thousands come each day for the sight; this year the scenic area has already welcomed nearly two hundred thousand visitors in November alone.

Photo shows frozen bubbles trail like pearls trapped just beneath the glassy surface of the Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

Yu Jiangle, a local reporter who spends every winter by the lake, captures the season's many faces, such as ice naan, ice flowers, ice eyes, drifting mist, blue ice, and ice mushrooms, each frame a freehand sketch by nature itself. "I looked it up," he said. "An 'ice eye' forms after the surface freezes: strong wind shoves the sheets together, they jam and refreeze, leaving a perfect circle. An 'ice flower' sprouts when vapor lands on dust and flash-crystallizes in a sudden cold snap." He posts the clips online so viewers across the country can watch the show.

Photo shows ice flowers bloom across the surface of the Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

Beyond sightseeing, Sayram Lake has packed this winter with hands-on fun. On December 20, 2025, it will launch ice and snow tourism season carnival. The opening day will feature icefall tours, folk song-and-dance, a snow nadam fair, a crafts market, ethnic costume shows and light-hearted games. Visitors can skate, ski, taste local snacks, carve their own snow statues and cook regional dishes, diving head-first into ice culture and local life.

Photo shows winter horse race on Sayram Lake's snowy shore in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided by the Sayram Lake scenic area)

"We've pooled every local resource to build ten ice themes, ten snow themes and ten business formats around 'snow sports plus sightseeing,' giving travelers thirty made-to-order events," Lina said. The program runs through March, so every visitor finds a fit.

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