Lake Tianchi is sometimes referred to as the “Chinese Loch Ness” because it purportedly houses a large creature or group of creatures that have been reported since at least the early twentieth century.
Similar to the Scottish Nessie, eyewitnesses often describe the Tianchi monster as a long-necked creature with an elongated snout, bearing a suspicious resemblance to an extinct ancient sea lizard, like a plesiosaur.
There is very little photographic or video evidence supporting the existence of a large, living entity in Tianchi. Scientists remain skeptical, suggesting that eyewitnesses may have mistaken large fish or logs for the alleged creature.
However, recently, a new video (see below) surfaced depicting something distinctly different from a log, showing a serpentine and lengthy entity.
According to a tourist named Li, who captured this video, the snake-like creature measured approximately 15 meters (50 ft) in length.
On August 31, 2023, Li visited Tianchi Lake in Xinjiang and was walking along the shore at around 4:00 pm when she suddenly heard a loud splash. As she approached, she observed a long, dark object moving through the water, approximately 180 meters away from her.
Ripples and gentle waves trailed behind the object as it moved. Li swiftly retrieved her smartphone and began recording. Approximately 10 seconds later, the ripples dissipated, and the lake’s surface returned to its calm and tranquil state.
“At first I thought it might be a school of fish, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be just one long, silver-colored creature. It moved quickly with rhythmic movements.”
Li showed her footage to local workers, but they were unable to identify the creature or even tell if it was a fish, a snake, or something else. At the same time, they said that in previous years, other tourists also informed them about the observation of a similar creature in the lake.
“One can imagine many things with a vivid imagination. We hope that there is a creature in the water that can satisfy the curiosity of everyone, but whether it really exists or not is difficult to say,” a local official commented on the entry.
It is known that the largest living creature that lives in the high-altitude lake Tianchi is a local species of trout, reaching a maximum length of 90 cm.
Due to the location of Lake Tianchi in the mountains at an altitude of almost 2 km, dolphins, seals, otters and other large aquatic animals do not swim here, which from afar could be mistaken for a “sea monster”.
