Heaven Lake
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Heaven Lake (Template:Zh; Korean: 천지) is a volcanic crater lake atop Paektu Mountain. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, and is roughly evenly divided between the two countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Chinese part is in Jilin Province while the North Korean part is in Ryanggang Province.
Geology and limnology
The caldera which contains Heaven Lake was created by the 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain.
The lake has a surface elevation of Template:Convert.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> The lake covers an area of Template:Convert, with a south–north length of Template:Convert and an east–west length of Template:Convert. The average depth of the lake is Template:Convert and a maximum depth of Template:Convert. From mid-October to mid-June, it is typically covered with ice.Template:Citation needed
History
Names and legends
In ancient Chinese literature, Template:Lang also refers to Template:Lang (Template:Lang sometimes translated as "southern sea").Template:Citation needed
North Korean propaganda claims that Kim Jong-il was born near the lake on the mountain. In accordance with this, North Korean state news agencies reported that on his death, the ice on the lake cracked "so loud, it seemed to shake the heavens and the Earth".<ref>Kim Jong-il death: 'Nature mourns' N Korea leader</ref>
Lake Tianchi Monster
Heaven Lake is also alleged to be home to the Lake Tianchi Monster.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On September 6, 2007, Zhuo Yongsheng (director of a TV station's news center run by the administration office of the nature reserve at Mount Changbaishan, Jilin) shot a 20-minute video of six seal-like, finned Lake Tianchi Monsters, near the North Korean border. He sent pictures of the Loch Ness Monster-type creatures to Xinhua's Jilin provincial bureau. One of them showed the creatures swimming in three pairs, in parallel. Another showed them together, leaving ripples on the volcanic lake.<ref>Template:"'Tianchi monster' caught on film". people.com.cn</ref>
Notable visits
On September 20, 2018, as part of an Inter-Korean summit, heads of state Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in visited Mount Paektu and Heaven Lake. Moon filled a bottle with water from the lake to take back to South Korea. The visit to the lake was a symbolic gesture, as both the lake and the mountain hold considerable cultural significance to the Korean people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mount Paektu is mentioned in the anthems of both North and South Korea, and is considered to be the spiritual home of the Koreans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In popular culture
The lake is the subject of the song "Tianchi Lake" on The Mountain Goats' 2008 album Heretic Pride.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gallery
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Heaven Lake in June
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Slope of the mountain
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Cliff near the lake
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Aerial photograph
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Overhead panorama of Heaven Lake
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See also
- Baekdu-daegan
- Korean Peninsula
- List of lakes of China
- List of lakes of Korea
- Tourism in China
- Tourism in North Korea