Juyan Lake
lake in Inner Mongolia, China
The Juyan Lake (Chinese: 居延海; Wade–Giles: Chüyen Hai, Mongolian: Sogo Nuur) is an endorheic lake in the Badain Jaran Desert. It is located in the western part of Inner Mongolia, in Ejin Banner of the Alxa League, near the border with Mongolia. It originally referred to two lakes, the western of which was called Gashuun Nuur in Mongolian (Chinese: 嘎顺淖尔 Gāshùn nào'ěr or 嘎顺诺尔 Gāshùn nuò'ěr). Through the process of desertification, Gashuun Nuur had an area of 267 km2 (103 sq mi) in 1958, 213 km2 (82 sq mi) in 1960, and dried up completely in 1961. The eastern lake followed in 1992, but reappeared in 2005. As of August 2012, the area of the lake is 38 km2 (15 sq mi).
The Juyan Lake Wetland is the inland delta of the Ejin River, also known as the Black River. It covers an area of about 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi). The Juyan Lake constitutes the only remaining of three former terminal lakes.
The wider region, having been called Juyan since ancient times, was a vital area of Chinese dynasties from the Han all the way to at least the Yuan.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Juyan Lake” is lake in Inner Mongolia, China. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Juyan, Lake and lake, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “lake in Inner Mongolia, China” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2406225. Authority coordinates are 42.290, 101.260. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1992.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Juyan Lake”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Juyan Lake primary sources, Juyan Lake archive and Juyan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Juyan Lake”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Juyan Lake” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.