According to tour guides, the stones are not only strange in shape but also contain treasures inside. Hundreds of millions of years ago, there was a big freshwater lake, with mild and wet weather. Fish and dinosaurs lived in this paradise. However, the Ice Age and the diastrophism (the breaking up of land into continents and bodies of water) since then turned the lake into the boundless Gobi desert, which buried the dinosaurs deep under its yellow sand. In 1964, a complete set of dinosaur bones with a total length of more than 6 meters were uncovered and named "Zhungeer pterosaur." Later, other dinosaur fossils like the Kelamayi dinosaur and the Wuerhe dinosaur were uncovered. These fossils of the "ancient castle dwellers" are indeed rare treasures.

Apart from fossils, there is another rare treasure in the Wind Devil Castle. Archaeological studies revealed that in the yellow mountains there were a few layers of black lode, which contains high quality natural asphalt. This asphalt has a melting point of 170 degrees centigrade, and is one of the key materials for transformers and high quality paint. This is the only mineral resource of its kind in the country, and one that is not readily found anywhere else in the world. Also buried deeper under the Zhungeer basin are rich oil resources, known as the "black treasure."

Like a dragon winding through the valleys and the basin, the Wunamu River (or the Alamo River) originates from deep in Shisai Mountain, and rushes down all the way to Ailike Lake. Along both sides of the river stand woods, interspersed with all kinds of colorful flowers.

Ailike Lake covers hundreds of square kilometers, sitting like an egg-shaped mirror at the western edge of Zhungeer basin. The lake water appears to be dark blue when reflected in the surrounding sand dunes. Bunches of reeds ripple in the center of the lake, shining like a handful of emeralds on a mirror. Only visitors who see it with their own eyes can believe such a breathtaking place exists.

Author: Lin Yunfan and Xie Liang

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