According to media reports, the Kanas "lake monster" was spotted by multiple travelers, leading to a rising fever for tourists to flock there. To date, the number of Kanas travelers has risen 30 percent over the comparable period last year.

The latest appearance of the Kanas "lake monster" was June 7th and 8th this year, showing up twice within a span of seventeen hours. Eyewitnesses used ordinary digital cameras to snap shots of dark shapes in the water. Sources revealed that the "lake monsters" showed two-meter long body parts above water.

Kanas in Mongolian means "lake in a valley". Kanas Lake is situated in Xinjiang's Atlay region. The lake measures 20 kilometers from north to south and about 2 kilometers from east to west. Its maximum depth is 188 meters and is China's deepest mountain lake.

Kanas is ranked as China's 4A scenic area. It is surrounded on all sides by snow-capped peaks as well as green forests, gorgeous flora and vibrant fauna. Its mountain and lake scenes are beautiful beyond description. The plant and animal species found in this region are often unique and rare. It therefore has high-level sightseeing, naturally self-preserving, scientifically investigative and historical-cultural values.

This July, the region will conduct a ten-day long "lake monster" under-water exploratory activity. The focus will be Kanas Lake's underwater forest, the terrain at the bottom of the lake, its topography, its undercurrents, fish species and the naturally self-forming long dam made up of rotten wood at the Lake.

The Kanas region is home to 798 species of plants and 117 varieties of birds.

A man tried to catch fish in Kanas Lake by a huge net in 1980, but the net vanished on the next day. It could not be explained and became a mystery.

(Chinanews.cn June 16, 2005)