People swim in the pool at the foot of Flaming Mountains in Turpan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on July 22, 2019.
Turpan, in Xinjiang, northwest China, is known as the land of fire. The region regularly sees summer temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius.
URUMQI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A giant open-air swimming pool at the foot of the Flaming mountains has become a cool attraction in Turpan, known as China's land of fire in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Surrounded by a 13-hectare apricot forest, the swimming pool occupies an area of 2,600 square meters and is just 1 km away from the Flaming mountains scenic area, a famous tourist attraction known for its red flame-like sandstone.
The pool uses water from 180 meters underground, according to Esak Ykup, owner of the pool. "The water is pumped into the pool after being filtered and disinfected, and is changed every week. The waste water is used to irrigate the trees."
People swim in the pool at the foot of Flaming Mountains in Turpan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on July 22, 2019.
Turpan is one of the hottest places in China. Temperatures there can easily climb to over 45 degrees Celsius even in the shade in July and August.
The pool has become a star destination among tourists and locals since it began operation on Aug. 8 last year, when it received nearly 2,000 visitors.
Since the beginning of this summer, the daily maximum temperature in Turpan has mostly been above 35 degrees Celsius, helping the swimming pool attract more than 200 visitors every day.
"We built this outdoor pool to provide a place where tourists can not only play in the water, but enjoy the amazing view of Turpan at the same time," Ykup said.
After coming out of the pool, visitors can also taste local delicacies and take part in other entertainment programs nearby, said Ykup.
Turpan has been pushing forward the development of its tourism infrastructure over the years to better serve tourists from around the world. It has developed a wide range of activities, including fruit picking and sand therapy.
In the first half of this year, 8.59 million tourist trips were made to Turpan, up about 92 percent from the same period last year.