In pics: Qinghai Lake in winter offers a stunning view

Aerial photo shows stretches of ice forming on the surface of Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo/Yang Tao)

Amid the recent temperature drop, Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province started to freeze. The stretches of ice forming on the surface of the lake, together with the wintering waterfowl, the golden meadows, and the snow-covered mountains around the lake, present a breathtaking view.

Flocks of ruddy shelducks have gathered here, sometimes resting on the water's surface, other times in flight above the water, or frolicking and foraging. Their presence has brought boundless vitality to Qinghai Lake.

The lake is an important water body that maintains the ecological security of the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and where two international bird migration routes converge. Every year, hundreds of whooper swans come to winter here.