# Dian Lake
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{{Short description|Lake in Yunnan, China}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Dian Lake
| image = 正大河与金家河交汇入滇池口远眺西山 - panoramio (2).jpg
| caption =
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| pushpin_map = China#Yunnan
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Yunnan
| location = [Kunming](/source/Kunming), [Yunnan](/source/Yunnan)
| coords = {{coord|24|48|02|N|102|40|17|E|region:CN-53_type:waterbody|display=it}}
| type = [Freshwater](/source/Fresh_water)
| inflow =
| outflow = [Pudu River](/source/Pudu_River)
| catchment =
| basin_countries = China
| length = {{convert|39|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| width =
| area = {{convert|298|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| depth = {{convert|4.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| max-depth =
| volume =
| residence_time =
| shore =
| elevation = {{convert|1886.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| islands =
| cities =
}}
{{maplink
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|plain=yes
|frame-align=right
|frame-width=292
|frame-height=181
|frame-latitude=24.80055
|frame-longitude=102.671389
|text=차귀도
|zoom=9
|id=Q83640
|type=shape
|stroke-colour=#FF0000
|stroke-width=4
|title=
}}
thumb|Dianchi Lake (2005)
thumb|Chinese sailing junks on Lake Dian, circa 1940s
'''Dian Lake''' ({{zh|c={{linktext|滇池}} |p=Diānchí}}), also known as '''Dianchi, Dianchi Lake, Lake Dian''' and '''Kunming Lake''', is a fault lake located on the [Puduhe](/source/Pudu_River)-[Xishan](/source/Western_Mountains) fault in [Kunming](/source/Kunming), [Yunnan](/source/Yunnan), China at 24°23′–26°22′ N, 102°10′–103°40′ E. Its nickname is the "Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland" ({{zh|高原明珠}}; [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Gāoyuánmíngzhū'').[{{cite news |author1=唐卫彬 |author2=伍晓阳 |date=2017-02-08 |title="高原明珠"复苏记——昆明滇池迎来31年来最好水质 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/local/2017-02/08/c_1120432919.htm |newspaper=[Xinhua Net](/source/Xinhua_News_Agency) |access-date=2020-10-17 |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020233912/http://www.xinhuanet.com/local/2017-02/08/c_1120432919.htm }}] It is the model for the [Kunming Lake](/source/Kunming_Lake_(Beijing)) in [Beijing](/source/Beijing)'s [Summer Palace](/source/Summer_Palace). Its name is the source of [Yunnan](/source/Yunnan)'s [Chinese abbreviation](/source/Chinese_provincial_abbreviations) {{lang|zh|{{linktext|滇}}}}.
Dian Lake is a shallow freshwater [fault](/source/Fault_(geology)) [lake](/source/lake). The Lake is 40 km long, running from north to south, and has an average width of 7 km with the widest point being 12.5 km. The lake is 1886 meters above sea level and has 150 km of coastline. The lake's drainage area has a monsoon-affected subtropical highland climate ([Köppen](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) ''Cwb''), with an average annual temperature of 14.4 °C, a frost-free period of 227 days, and an annual precipitation of 1036 mm.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} The lake covers {{convert|298|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. The lake has an average depth of {{convert|4.4|m|ft|abbr=on}},[{{Cite journal |last1=徐晓梅 |last2=吴雪 |last3=何佳 |last4=王丽 |last5=张英 |last6=杨艳 |last7=陈云波 |last8=叶海云 |date=2016-04-14 |title=滇池流域水污染特征 (1988-2014年) 及防治对策 |url=http://www.jlakes.org/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?doi=10.18307/2016.0302 |journal=湖泊科学 |language=zh |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=476–484 |doi=10.18307/2016.0302|url-access=subscription }}] and is divided into two parts by an artificial [dike](/source/Dyke_(embankment)). The northern end of the lake is called Caohai ({{zh|草海}}; [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Cáohǎi'') and has a surface area of 7.5 km2 and an average depth of 2.5 meters. The southern end of the lake, comprising the majority of the lake, is called Waihai ({{zh|外海}}; [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Wàihǎi'') and has a surface area of 292 km2 and an average depth of 4.4 m. The water flows out of the lake to the west via the [Pudu River](/source/Pudu_River) ([Chinese](/source/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 普渡河; [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Pǔdù Hé'') which eventually joins the [Yangtze River](/source/Yangtze) before finally reaching the [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean).[{{Cite journal |last=Jin |first=Xiangcan |date=27 February 2006 |title=Dianchi Lake: Experience and Lessons Learned Brief |url=https://www.ilec.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/pub/11_Lake_Dianchi_27February2006.pdf |journal=Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences}}] Dian Lake is the sixth largest lake in China and the largest lake in [Yunnan Province](/source/Yunnan).
==Etymology==
The [Chinese character](/source/Chinese_character) for the lake ({{zh|滇}}; [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Diān'') is a [phonosemantic compound](/source/Phono-semantic_compound) of the [radical](/source/Chinese_radical) {{lang|zh|{{linktext|氵}}}}("water") and the character {{lang|zh|{{linktext|真}}}} ("real"). The character was first found in the ''[Records of the Grand Historian](/source/Records_of_the_Grand_Historian)'' as the name of the [Dian Kingdom](/source/Dian_Kingdom). Modern studies suggest that the character 滇 is derived from the language of the extinct ancient [Bo people](/source/Bo_people_(China)) and means [basin](/source/Depression_(geology)).[{{cite book |last=You |first=Zhong |title=云南地方沿革史 |trans-title=Local History of Yunnan |language=zh |location=[Kunming](/source/Kunming) |publisher=[Yunnan People's Publishing House](/source/Yunnan_People's_Publishing_House) |date=1990 |isbn=7-222-00606-0 }}] The character 滇 has been used as the name of the lake since at least 109 BC, when the [Han dynasty](/source/Han_dynasty) established "Dianchi County" (滇池县) in the area.
==History==
Dian Lake was the site of the capital of the independent kingdom of the Cuan ({{lang|zh|爨}}) during the first millennium AD. At that time, it was known as '''Kunchuan''' ({{lang|zh|昆川}}).{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}.
During the [Three Kingdoms](/source/Three_Kingdoms) period (220-280 CE), Dian Lake was where the forces of [Shu Han](/source/Shu_Han), led by their chancellor [Zhuge Liang](/source/Zhuge_Liang), visited in triumph after [quelling a rebellion](/source/Zhuge_Liang's_Southern_Campaign) by the [Nanman](/source/Nanman) tribes of the south.
Between 1958 and 1970, under the CCP's agriculture strategy of "Taking grain as the key link",[{{Cite journal |last=Ho |first=Peter |date=July 2003 |title=Mao's War against Nature? The Environmental Impact of the Grain-First Campaign in China |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/3182245 |journal=The China Journal |language=en |volume=50 |issue=50 |pages=37–59 |doi=10.2307/3182245 |jstor=3182245 |issn=1324-9347|url-access=subscription }}] approximately 54 square kilometers of Dian Lake marshland were reclaimed to expand industry and agriculture in the Kunming basin. On December 28, 1969, a rally for "reclaiming land from the sea" was held in Kunming's Dongfeng Square. 100,000 soldiers along with students and factory workers were mobilized to "fight a war of annihilation to take farmland from Dian Lake". The participants shouted the heroic slogan "March to Dian Lake! Take grain from Dian Lake!".[{{Cite web |date=27 August 2022 |title=Old Photos, Dianchi Lake in the 1960s and 1970s, land reclamation project. |website=[Sohu](/source/Sohu) |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/580380721_241009?scm=}}] Reclamation efforts were led by [People's Liberation Army](/source/People's_Liberation_Army) [Lieutenant General](/source/Lieutenant_general) [Tan Furen](/source/Tan_Furen). Immediately after taking office, Tan Furen announced that Dian Lake would be a model for the national "reclaiming land from the sea" campaign. The goal was to reclaim {{convert mu|30,000|mu|ha|lk=in}} of land from Dian Lake to develop agriculture. Tan Furen personally spearheaded the reclamation project until his death by [assassination](/source/assassination) in 1970.[{{Cite web |title=谭甫仁017凶案(组图)_文化_新浪网 |url=https://cul.sina.com.cn/o/2006-02-14/1711153769.html |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=cul.sina.com.cn}}]
==Pollution==
[Pollution](/source/Pollution_in_China) is a major problem for the lake. Yunnan Province has long been primarily [agricultural](/source/Agriculture), but the Dianchi basin has witnessed high industrial growth and boasts the highest population density within Kunming City.[{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Wenbin |last2=Wang |first2=Shengrui |last3=Zhang |first3=Li |last4=Ni |first4=Zhaokui |date=September 2015 |title=Water pollution characteristics of Dianchi Lake and the course of protection and pollution management |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12665-015-4152-x |journal=Environmental Earth Sciences |language=en |volume=74 |issue=5 |pages=3767–3780 |doi=10.1007/s12665-015-4152-x |bibcode=2015EES....74.3767L |issn=1866-6280|url-access=subscription }}]
In the late 1990's to early 2000's, Dian Lake was identified as one of the 3 top [water pollution](/source/water_pollution) concerns in China.[{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=T. |last2=Zeng |first2=W. H. |last3=Wang |first3=S. R. |last4=Ni |first4=Z. K. |date=2014-04-23 |title=Temporal and spatial changes of water quality and management strategies of Dianchi Lake in southwest China |url=https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/18/1493/2014/ |journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |language=en |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=1493–1502 |doi=10.5194/hess-18-1493-2014 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2014HESS...18.1493Z |issn=1607-7938}}] The pollution peaked in 2009, at which time the water in Dian Lake was classified "worse than Grade 5" (too dangerous for human contact).[{{Cite web |date=2016-01-27 |title=Kunming's Stinky Lake, Beijing's Saving Winds |url=https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/green-space/kunming-stinky-lake-beijing-saving-winds |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=ChinaFile |language=en}}] As of 2022, the water in the lake is still rated Grade 5, but is deemed to meet the functional requirements of a water environment.[{{Cite web |title=云南通报碧水保卫战重点工作进展 2019年全省河流总体水质为良好_重庆市生态环境局 |url=http://sthjj.cq.gov.cn/zwgk_249/gndt/202004/t20200428_7279148_wap.html |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=sthjj.cq.gov.cn}}]
Historically, Dian Lake played an important role in regulating the [microclimate](/source/microclimate) of the surrounding area. It contributed to the productivity of Yunnan Province's industry, agriculture, husbandry, and fisheries.[{{Cite journal |last=Jing |first=Huang Ke |date=August 2006 |title=Evaluating comprehensive quality of sediment in Dianchi Lake using adjusted AHP method and 137Cs dating |journal=Department of Urban and Resources Science, Nanjing University (Chinese)|volume=27 |issue=8 |pages=1531–1536 |pmid=17111606 }}] Because Dian Lake is a relatively closed lake with a slow water-exchange rate and low self-purification capacity, it is particularly susceptible to [harmful algal bloom](/source/harmful_algal_bloom)s and [heavy metal contamination](/source/Toxic_heavy_metal). From 1966 to 1970, the lake reclamation project caused severe damage to [marsh](/source/marsh) wetlands in the Caohai area, which along with the large amounts of urban sewage and industrial wastewater traditionally discharged into the lake, exceeded its self-purification capacity and caused serious pollution. It has also been badly affected by [cyanobacteria](/source/cyanobacteria) outbreaks in recent decades.[{{Cite journal |last1=Luo |first1=Yi |last2=Zhang |first2=Yueyue |last3=Yang |first3=Kun |last4=Yu |first4=Zhenyu |last5=Zhu |first5=Yu |date=2019 |title=Spatiotemporal Variations in Dianchi Lake's Surface Water Temperature From 2001 to 2017 Under the Influence of Climate Warming |journal=IEEE Access |volume=7 |pages=115378–115387 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2935767 |bibcode=2019IEEEA...7k5378L |issn=2169-3536|doi-access=free }}] To control the pollution of Dian Lake, the Chinese government listed it as a national sewage treatment project in the ''Three Rivers and Three Lakes'' ([Liaohe](/source/Liao_River), [Huaihe](/source/Huai_River), [Haihe](/source/Hai_River), [Taihu](/source/Lake_Tai), [Chaohu](/source/Chaohu), and Dianchi) scheme launched in 1995.[{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Qiuju |last2=Yang |first2=Renyi |last3=Yang |first3=Zisheng |date=2022-09-13 |title=A Study on the Rationality of Land Use Change in the Dianchi Basin during the Last 40 Years under the Background of Lake Revolution |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=14 |issue=18 |article-number=11479 |doi=10.3390/su141811479 |doi-access=free |issn=2071-1050}}] As a result, some wetland parks have been constructed in the lakeside zone to purify the water and create leisure areas for citizens. Wetland parks are mainly in the form of [oxidation ponds](/source/oxidation_ponds). They are small water bodies with aquatic plants such as [Phragmites australis](/source/Phragmites_australis), [Typha orientalis](/source/Typha_orientalis), [Acorus calamus](/source/Acorus_calamus), [Eichhornia crassipes](/source/Eichhornia_crassipes), [Lemna minor](/source/Lemna_minor), and [Pistia stratiotes](/source/Pistia);[Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: ''[http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/yunnan_lakes Yunnan Lakes.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116170011/http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/Yunnan_Lakes |date=2017-01-16 }}'' Retrieved 15 February 2017.] Among the three major Yunnan lakes with a high number of [endemics](/source/Endemism), the other two being [Fuxian](/source/Fuxian_Lake) and [Erhai](/source/Erhai_Lake), the most drastic [loss of biodiversity](/source/Biodiversity_loss) has been seen in the Dian Lake.[Wang, Wang, Li, Du, Yang, Lassoie, and Hassan (2013). ''Six decades of changes in vascular hydrophyte and fish species in three plateau lakes in Yunnan, China.'' Biodivers. Conserv. 22: 3197–3221. [doi: 10.1007/s10531-013-0579-0](/source/doi%3A_10.1007%2Fs10531-013-0579-0)] Of the 25 native fish species and [subspecies](/source/subspecies) in Dian Lake, 10 are endemic to the [basin](/source/Drainage_basin): ''[Acheilognathus elongatus](/source/Acheilognathus_elongatus)'', ''[Anabarilius alburnops](/source/Anabarilius_alburnops)'', ''[Anabarilius polylepis](/source/Anabarilius_polylepis)'', ''[Cyprinus micristius](/source/Cyprinus_micristius)'', ''[Liobagrus kingi](/source/Liobagrus_kingi)'', ''[Pseudobagrus medianalis](/source/Pseudobagrus_medianalis)'', ''[Silurus mento](/source/Silurus_mento)'', ''[Sinocyclocheilus grahami](/source/Sinocyclocheilus_grahami)'', ''[Sphaerophysa dianchiensis](/source/Sphaerophysa_dianchiensis)'' and ''[Xenocypris yunnanensis](/source/Xenocypris_yunnanensis)''.[ Today, the only endemic fish known to survive in the lake itself is ''Anabarilius alburnops'',][ but it is [endangered](/source/Endangered_species).][{{Cite iucn | author = Chen, X.-Y. | author2 = Du, L.-N. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Anabarilius alburnops'' | volume = 2008 | article-number = e.T135163A4069106 | date = 2008 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135163A4069106.en | access-date = 14 January 2018}}] The remaining have not been recorded there since the 1990s or earlier, and most are presumed [extinct](/source/extinct).[Nguyen, T.T.T., and S. S. De Silva (2006). ''Freshwater finfish biodiversity and conservation: an Asian perspective.'' Biodiversity & Conservation 15(11): 3543-3568] Two other species, ''[Schizothorax grahami](/source/Schizothorax_grahami)'' and ''[Yunnanilus nigromaculatus](/source/Yunnanilus_nigromaculatus)'', are endemic to the general region, but have also disappeared from Dian Lake itself.[{{Cite iucn | author = Chen, X.-Y. | author2 = Yang, J. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Schizothorax grahami'' | volume = 2008 | article-number = e.T135149A4067169 | date = 2008 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135149A4067169.en | access-date = 14 January 2018}}][{{Cite iucn | author = Chen, X.-Y. | title = ''Yunnanilus nigromaculatus'' | volume = 2011 | article-number = e.T23175A9425121 | date = 2011 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T23175A9425121.en | access-date = 14 January 2018}}] Among the non-endemic natives, only [gold fish](/source/gold_fish) and [Asian swamp eel](/source/Asian_swamp_eel) still live in Dian Lake. In contrast to the status of the natives, the lake is now home to more than 25 [introduced](/source/Introduced_species) fish species.[
The [Yunnan lake newt](/source/Yunnan_lake_newt) (''Cynops wolterstorffi'') was also endemic to the lake, but it has not been seen since 1979 and is considered extinct.][{{Cite iucn | author = Yang Datong | author2 = Michael Wai Neng Lau | title = ''Hypselotriton wolterstorffi'' | volume = 2004 | article-number = e.T59445A11942589 | date = 2004 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59445A11942589.en | access-date = 14 January 2018}}]
Many native [hydrophyte](/source/hydrophyte)s have also disappeared from the lake.[
==Gallery==
File:Dianchi Silhouette.jpg|Silhouette of trees along the coast of Dianchi
File:昆明-滇池.JPG|Cable cars above Dianchi
File:滇池.jpg|View of the lake from [Xishan](/source/Western_Hills_Park)
File:Dianchi Shelter.jpg|Shelter along Dianchi
File:DianchiLotus.jpg|Lotuses in Dianchi
File:Dianchi.jpg|Lotuses in Dianchi
==See also==
*[Zheng He](/source/Zheng_He)
*[Dian Kingdom](/source/Dian_Kingdom)
*[List of lakes in China](/source/List_of_lakes_in_China)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
*[http://etd.uwaterloo.ca/etd/ymu2006.pdf Developing a Suitability Index for Residential Land Use: A case study in Dianchi Drainage Area] (2006)
==External links==
{{Commons category|Dian Lake}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050322000942/http://www.dianchi.gov.cn/firste.htm Kunming Dianchi Administration Bureau]
{{Lakes in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau}}
{{National parks of China}}
{{Lakes of China}}
{{Yunnan topics}}
{{Yunnan}}
{{authority control}}
Category:National parks of China
Category:Lakes of Yunnan
Category:Geography of Kunming
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dian Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dian_Lake) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dian_Lake?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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