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In China, hunt on for Loch Ness monster
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-06 11:26 Lake Kanasi is 200,000 years old, roughly 15 miles by a mile, and more than
4,000 feet up in the Kanasi nature reserve in Xinjiang's northernmost tip, where
China, Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan converge in snowcapped mountains. It is
603 feet deep at its lowest.
Throughout summer, up to 4,000 tourists a day flock here. All day long, boats
chug along the lake, packed with "huguai" spotters.
"Everyone in the country has heard of it," a visitor surnamed Zhou says. "It
may be a rich fairy tale but the scenery is so beautiful — plus there's this
mysterious creature. How can we not come?"
Surprisingly, there is scant monster publicity at the site. A souvenir shop
had but one book about the lake which mentioned the huguai. On the back of a bus
ticket a challenge is delicately posed: "The elusive lake monsters await your
pursuit."
"We believe there are unidentified creatures in the lake, but we can't say
for sure what they are," says Zhao Yuxia, a spokeswoman for the reserve. "We've
never seen them with our own eyes."
Even so, there are measures in place to protect the area's wildlife —
whatever they may be. Fishing and swimming are banned. Boats are under a strict
speed limit.
As Yuan and his group stroll along the shores, he relives his second
sighting, just last year.
"It seemed like they were trying to get some sun. Their
whole bodies came up to the surface. Their shadows were like one huge roll of
plastic — long and black. They shimmered. I couldn't tell at all that they were
fish."
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