Lying in the north of Jiangchuan County in Yunnan Province, the Xingyun Lake (Nebula Lake) and the Fuxian Lake are separated by a mountain and linked by a river. Commonly known as the Jiangchuan Sea, the Xingyun Lake is 1 meter higher than the Fuxian Lake. It covers an area of 35 square kilometers and is 10 meters at the deepest. The water in the Xingyun Lake is green and clear. When night comes, the invert reflections of numerous stars shining in the water look like nebulas, hence the name Nebula Lake.     

The Xingyun Lake has many hot springs, such as the Luozhipu Hot-spring located in Zhaojiawan on the east, and the Haixicun Hot-spring and Shuangjing Hot-spring on the west. From north to south, 5 springs lie in a line. A peculiar thing is that the temperature of these springs is increasing from the north one to the south one, with a total difference of 8 to 9 C. These hot springs are ideal bathing places as well as rest and recuperate resorts along the Xingyun Lake.

Many ancient buildings are built on the lakeside, such as the Jinjiake Pavilion and the Wenxing Pavilion. Located at the Zaojie Village, the Jinjiake Pavilion is 20 meters high. It was built in the 18^th year (1838) of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and has a unique style, just like a pen cutting into the blue sky. The Wenxing Pavilion was built in the 19^th year (1839) of the Daoguang reign. The wooden-structure pavilion has a fine design with 36 columns. Standing on the pavilion, one can enjoy the panoramic view of the beautiful Xingyun Lake.     

The Xingyun Lake is a nourishing lake, perfect for the development of aquiculture. It is also one of the earliest lakes to breed fish by a special department in Yunnan Province. The Xingyun Lake is abundant in Jiangchuan cod, a famous species in China, and whitebait. The cod fish has a big head and delicious flesh while the whitebait is also very tasty. Both kinds of fish sell well both at home and abroad.