Bosten is Mongolian, and means 'stand-up' in Chinese. There are three hills standing in the central part of the lake, hence its name. This lake was once named 'West Sea' and 'Qin Sea' in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220), 'Bosten Lake' and 'Fish Sea' in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), 'Yanqi Sea' in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was finally named 'Bosten Lake' in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Lying in the southeast of the Yanqi Basin and situated in Bohu County, Bosten Lake is the largest lake in Xinjiang and the biggest inland freshwater lake in China. It is made up of a big and a small lake district; the area of the big one is 988 square kilometers (381 square miles), and the small one being 240 square kilometers (93 square miles), including many small lakes. With an average depth of 10 meters (11 yards), it is flat and dish shaped.

Bosten Lake is rich in aquatic life with beautiful scenery, being famous as 'a bright pearl of the Oasis'. It is rich in fish and reeds, and is the largest fishing area of Xinjiang Province and one of the four biggest reed producing areas in China. It became a tourist site in the late 1980s, built with wharf at A Hong Kou where you can look over the beauty of Bosten Lake, the sand sculptures of Bailu Zhou (Egret State), and the volleyball facility at Jin Sha Tan (Golden Sand Beach), and many other attractive scenic spots.

Tips:
Dining: Try the fish banquet of Bosten
Entertainment: Surfing, diving, swimming, pedalo riding, sun bathing on the sand beach and many other activities.