The Sand Lake in Shizuishan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, reveals an avant-garde beauty in early winter. [Photo by Yue Changhong/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Sand Lake in Shizuishan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, reveals its beauty in early winter.

The lake, desert and snow create a stunning contrast. The undulating desert sand blanketed in spots of white snow creates an avant-garde landscape against the lake's green gem surface.

With an area of 80.1 square kilometers and a depth of up to 9 meters, the lake is home to various rare animals and 7,000 mu (466.67 hectares) of thriving reeds.

It functions as a place for ecological tourism, scientific research and education on biodiversity protection and sustainable natural resource development.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.