Highway through Xitai Jinaier Lake, Qinghai Province, China 2 Jun 2026

Highway through Xitai Jinaier Lake, Qinghai Province, China

Cutting a surreal path through the high-altitude deserts of western China, Xitai Jinaier Lake (also known as West Taijinar Lake) is a striking salt lake in the remote Qaidam Basin. A stretch of National Highway 315 runs directly across its shallow waters, creating the illusion of a road floating between two worlds. On one side, the water often appears deep blue; on the other, a softer green hue, a contrast shaped by differing mineral concentrations in the brine.

© Kaicheng Xu/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Surrounded by a sea of sand
A record-breaking reign
2 Jun 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
2 Jun 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower

More Desktop Wallpapers:

19 May 2026Chelsea Flower Show
5 Oct 2026World Teachers Day
24 Jul 2026National Cousins Day
Boardwalk over Balkan lakes
This lake is no mirage
15 Aug 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam
Widespread and long-eared
22 Apr 2025Earth Day
2 Dec 2023Angkor, Cambodia
28 Jan 2024Channel Country, Australia
8 Dec 2023La Rocque Harbour, Jersey
9 May 2024Tulips at Emirgan Park in Istanbul, Türkiye
14 Mar 2026Celebrating Pi Day
Into the breach
24 Apr 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Where is this scenic view?
22 Mar 2026World Water Day
28 May 2025World Otter Day
Shell-ebrating sea turtles
18 Jan 2024Winnie the Pooh Day
Single file, please!
23 Mar 2025World Meteorological Day
Blackpool’s light fantastic
Why is this cliffside ablaze?
31 Oct 2023Halloween
25 Mar 2025Tolkien Reading Day
13 Jul 2026International Rock Day
15 Sep 2024Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
24 Jan 2025Thorrablot: The Icelandic midwinter festival
20 Jun 2025Maasai giraffe mother with calf in the Serengeti, Tanzania