Lake Khanka – A Summit of History, Culture and Eco Tourism!

The fresh water Lake Khanka is situated between Russia and China. The Chinese portion is located on the southeast of Jixi city in the Heilongjiang province. The Russian portion is situated in Primorsky Krai. The city Jixi is about 79 kilometer away from Lake Khanka. Total area of the lake is 1,620 square kilometers, out of which 28 percentages is part of China and 72 percentages is part of Russia. Obviously, the majority portion is part of Russia.

 

Geography of the lake:

The lake is filled by 23 rivers and only one river is flowing out from the lake, which is called as Songacha River. Out of the 23 rivers which are flowing in to the Lake, 8 rivers are from China and 15 rivers are from Russia. The total drainage area of the lake is 16,890 square kilometers. 97 percentage of drainage territory is in Russia and only 3 percentages is in China. The water surface area of the lake is considered between 4,000 and 4,400 square kilometers. The lake is a haven for rare and endangered species of birds.

The lake has varied depth and the deepest portion is having 10.6 meters. The average mean depth is calculated as 4.5 meters. Heavy is recorded in the lake area and the recorded mean rain fall is 750 millimeters. The maximum average temperature is recorded as 21.2 degree Celsius and lowest mean temperature is minus 19 degree Celsius. This is part of Ussuri River System.

Origin of the name Khanka:

The name "Khanka" is considered to be originated from Manchu language. In Manchu, the meaning of "Khanka" can be read as "water flows downward". It is quiet funny to learn that the lake was known in different names during different dynasties. From Tang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty the lake carried different names such as Meituo Lake, Beiqin Lake and Mingka Lake. In the good old days of the mighty Chinese Dynasties, the lake was fully under Chinese territory but due to a new treaty with Beijing, majority portion of the Khanka Lake fell in to the hands of Russians.

Pristine sand shore:

Dabai Fish or Inconnu is one of the four famous fish in China. This lake is the house of Dabai fish. Though the lake seems to be mighty in shape, its nature is like a small mild lake. There are no much waves and the shores are rich in clean and pristine sands of yellow and white color. It is has a total of 100 kilometer shore of clean sand. As the lake is quite and beach is clean it is a good location of bathing. It is declared as an important wetland location. The lake is declared as a protected area due to its geological importance.

Tourist can have four different season experience at Lake Khanka. Ice and snowy conditions of the lake is a splendid treat for the tourists. The natural surrounding beauty is insurmountable and hence is acclaimed the title of "Eastern Hawaii". There are many tourism activities you can engage at Khanka Lake. The Khankan Lake tourist area, the Longwang Temple, Xinkailiu Scenic Spot and famous bird observation area are worth visiting. This is a summit of history, culture and tourism.

 

Frequent bus and tourist bus services are available from Jinxi city. Lake Khanka is one of the best tourist attractions in the world for ecological tour.