In antiquity, Changbai Mountain was a volcano and history records three eruptions since the 16th century. Violent eruptions left behind a huge crater in which, as time went by, a lake was formed. The lava flows became 16 mountain peaks around the lake, seven of them within the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and nine in China.

Heaven Lake Natural Landscape Reserve (Tianchi) is located at the foot of 544-meter-high Bogda Peak, the highest mountain in the eastern part of Tianshan Range. It covers an area of 158 square kilometers, including the 71-square-kilometer Heaven Lake Scenic Area, within which are 20 major scenic spots.

The heavenly Lake was called "Divine Pool" in ancient times, legend has it that the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven resided in the lake. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynastey, the lake was named in succession "Heavenly Mirror" and "Magical Lake", lied in the north-central part of the scenic area, and is 1,910 meters above sea level, 3.3 kilometers long and one kilometer wide on average. The lake stores 160 million cubic meters of water all the year round. Heaven Lake freezes up in late October and thaws in early May. In the meantime, the lake's surface is covered with ice one meter thick. In summer, the temperature stays at around 20 degrees C. It is a pleasant and comfortable place, whose shore is carpeted by verdant grass at the backdrop of dense forest. It is not only a summer resort, but also a good alpine skating rink in winter. Coming from a glacier, the water of Heaven Lake is pure and the ice surface is smooth. With a gentle breeze blowing most of the time, it is an ideal place for skating competitions.

The famous Heavenly lake comprises eight scenic spots including Narrow pass under Stone Gate, Moon Reflected in the lake, Magical Needle, Three Towering Rocks, Snow Viewed at the southern Hill, Pine Observed at the Western Hill, Precipitous Cascade, Twilight at the Peak. Nearby is another scenic spot called "Queen Mother's Foot Washbasin" and "East Lesser Lake".