Plan at a glance
The lake area and its two zones
Chagan Lake is in Qian Gorlos Mongolian Autonomous County (commonly called Qianguo County), Songyuan, Jilin Province, about 45 km from central Songyuan. The lake is about 37 km long from north to south and 17 km wide from east to west. Its main stops are split between two zones: the south has the Gorlos Royal Residence Exhibition Hall (郭尔罗斯王府陈列馆), Genghis Khan Shrine, Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum, Miaoyin Temple and lakeside squares; the north has Khitan Island Flower Garden and Wild Duck Bay Wetland. Plan transport between the zones, or confirm whether a shuttle is operating.
Opening times and tickets
Chagan Lake covers a large area, and public viewpoints along the shore, ticketed venues and seasonal activity areas do not all follow the same opening rules. Online attraction listings currently show seasonal hours for some visitor facilities. Before you go, check the hours and last admission time for each venue you plan to enter.
An online platform recently listed a combination ticket for four attractions at about CNY 68: the Gorlos Royal Residence Exhibition Hall, Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum, Genghis Khan Shrine and Khitan Island Flower Garden. The price and eligible dates may change. Check the ticket terms to see whether boat rides, Miaoyin Temple and transport within the garden require separate payment.
Tickets and visit details
View visit options for this attraction and confirm the visit date and current arrangements before you go.
Choose your visit
Southern heritage and fishing culture
The Genghis Khan Shrine, Gorlos Royal Residence Exhibition Hall and Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum are the main cultural stops in the south. They respectively introduce Genghis Khan and local history, a newly built complex in the style of a late-Qing Gorlos princely residence, and Chagan Lake’s traditional fishing and hunting culture. Miaoyin Temple is also within the scenic area; confirm its admission separately from any venue combination ticket.
Northern wetlands and flower garden
Wild Duck Bay is an open wetland for birdwatching and water views. Stop briefly only where parking is permitted. Khitan Island Flower Garden is a ticketed garden in the north. It is at its fullest in summer, with zinnias, verbena and lakeside installations; flowering dates vary with the year and weather.
Lakeside squares and seasonal activities
Chagan Gaowa Square has lake views and a landmark sculpture. Allow 20–30 minutes for a brief stop, or about 1–1.5 hours if you want to stay for sunset over the lake. Winter fishing is another seasonal experience; event times and the areas open to visitors depend on that season’s arrangements.
The 2025–2026 snow-season materials describe Longyu Tribe as a seasonal event setting associated with Chagan Lake’s winter-fishing tourism. That season featured immersive nighttime experiences, drum performances, ethnic dance and music, and molten-iron spark displays known as *datiehua*. Other experiences included snow and ice recreation, ice fishing, a market and fresh-fish hot pot. These are past-season details; check new notices before assuming the same activities, entrance, session times or prices will be available in 2026–2027.
For a separate indoor introduction to Qianguo County’s history and Mongolian customs, see Gorlos Museum.
Build your day
Three-hour southern short route
Start at the Chagan Lake Scenic Area South Transfer Center. First confirm that day’s vehicle access and internal transport arrangements for the core area. If a transfer is required, leave your car in the designated parking area and use scenic-area transport or an open walking route to the Gorlos Royal Residence Exhibition Hall and Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum. Finish with a lake view at Hope Square or Yinsong Square.
Plan about three hours for the main visits; waiting, transfers and walking take additional time. If a venue is close to its last admission time, visit it first. Return to the South Transfer Center or your parking area according to the day’s traffic arrangements.
Half-day to full-day route in the south
For more cultural stops, begin at Miaoyin Temple, then continue to the Genghis Khan Shrine, Hope Square, Fishing and Hunting Culture Museum, the boat pier and Honghu Tower. Finish at the Gorlos Royal Residence Exhibition Hall. Allow half a day to a full day depending on how long you stay at each stop. Visit the tower or lakeside boardwalk after the indoor venues, then return to the south exit or transfer center according to that day’s traffic plan.
Northern short stop and summer-flower route
The north is mainly for wetlands, the garden and lake views. A short visit to the public viewing area around Wild Duck Bay takes about 1–1.5 hours.
When the flower garden is open in summer, you can combine it with Wild Duck Bay for a half-day outing. Confirm the entrance and whether the garden shuttle is running and what it costs. Follow the day’s access arrangements from the garden to Wild Duck Bay, then return to the designated parking areas for both stops. Allow at least half a day for the combination and adjust the order to the day’s opening arrangements.
Get there
Navigation and parking by destination
Chagan Lake is about 45 km from central Songyuan. For the south, search for “查干湖景区南换乘中心” (Chagan Lake Scenic Area South Transfer Center) or the specific venue you plan to visit. For the north, use “查干湖契丹岛百花园” (Khitan Island Flower Garden) or “野鸭湾” (Wild Duck Bay). Follow the signs into designated parking areas and do not park along the road around the lake.
Transport within the scenic area
Chagan Lake has previously restricted private vehicles in the core area and required visitors to transfer to internal transport. A 2021 restricted-operation notice directed private fuel-powered vehicles to park at visitor centers at the entrances before continuing by scenic-area transport. Local transport information in 2024 also described a connection between the south-gate visitor center and scenic-area sightseeing buses. These are past arrangements. Before setting out, call the scenic area at 0438-2990055 to confirm current vehicle access, parking, shuttle routes and fares. When travelling between the north and south zones, use the transport, walking routes or permitted vehicles available that day.
Public transport and return trip
Jilin tourism itineraries have listed coach service from Songyuan Coach Station to Chagan Lake, but no year-round timetable is available. Free direct buses from Five-Coloured Square to the scenic area have run under notices for weekends, public holidays or the winter-fishing festival. Check current departures and the last return service before travelling.
Know before you go
Winter-fishing dates and ice safety
Official arrangements for the 2025–2026 snow season placed winter fishing between late December and the eve of the Spring Festival, with the main net haul scheduled for about 13:30–14:30. Chagan Lake Fishery Co., Ltd. later announced that winter-fishing operations would pause from 11 February 2026 because the ice’s load-bearing capacity had weakened. Dates, times and visitor access for the next season depend on new notices. Stay in areas explicitly open to visitors; do not drive or walk onto closed ice or enter fishing work zones.
Flowering, birdwatching and on-site conditions
The flower fields at Khitan Island Flower Garden are mainly a summer attraction, and peak bloom varies with the year and weather. The bird-rescue facilities at Wild Duck Bay do not have confirmed regular visitor hours. Keep to wetland areas open to the public, and do not approach, feed or touch wild birds.
Food and short-stop planning
There are few dining options in the north. Plan lunch in the southern service area or back in Songyuan, and bring drinking water if you will be in the lake area for a long time. Lakeside roads may be snowy in winter; drive slowly and follow current traffic and ice-activity controls.