Lake Kanas in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region seems at first glance to be an idyllic paradise. Its name – it means “beautiful, mysterious” – perfectly captures the essence of the place. You see, beneath the lake's calm surface, one of China's most famous lake monsters is supposed to reside.

Unlike Nessie, the resident monster in Loch Ness, Scotland, the monster of Lake Kanas is no loner. A video shot by a tourist in 2007 and broadcast on China's CCTV, showed as many as 15 unidentified creatures moving beneath the lake's surface. Their speed and size were enough to turn the blue waters into white froth.

The myth of the lake monster in Lake Kanas has been around much longer than the amateur video, though. For centuries, there have been stories told among the locals of a monster that rises from the lake's bottom that has dragged sheep, horses and even camels from the shore before devouring them.

Yuan Guoying, a scientist from the Xinjiang Institute of Environmental Protection, has been tracking the monster since the 1980s. His interest was piqued when he first sighted as many as 50 of the creatures – he calls them “fish” – in 1985. “They looked like reddish-brown tadpoles because I could only see their heads on the surface. They opened their mouths to breathe and their length was about 10 to 15 meters,” Yuan told The Times of the sighting.

In 2004, he saw the creatures again. He said that “looking at them was like looking at submarines” because the fish were so big. By his estimation, the creatures that he saw were close to 20 meters long.

Researchers in the 1980s said that the creatures were probably just salmon. It is, after all, one of eight species of fish living in the lake. Hucho Taimen, a freshwater salmon that thrives in deep frigid waters. That makes Lake Kanas, which is China's deepest freshwater lake, the perfect habitat for these "monsters."

The biggest Hucho Taimen that has been caught, though, was a mere 2.1 meters long – way below the length of the creatures sighted on the lake.

Other lake monsters in China

Given the sheer size and area of China, it's not strange to learn that there have been sightings of other lake monsters in different parts of the country.

Can you spot the monsters in Lake Tianchi? (Image: China News Service)In the past twenty years alone, tourists and locals have reported over 30 sightings of a monster in Lake Tianchi, China's deepest crater lake. The first sighting of a monster was reported in 1903. Some say that the creature in the lake could be the mythical kun, a fish-like creature that could turn into a bird.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau also has its own lake monster. Several witnesses, including a lama, have reported seeing a dragon-like monster swimming on Qinghai Lake, the largest landlocked lake in China.

Another lake monster is supposed to live in Wenbu Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Witnesses say the monster has the body of an ox but has a small head, big eyes and a long neck. The monster's skin is said to be black and grey.

Rounding up the list of China's top lake monsters is the creature that inhabits Lake Changtan in Hubei province. More than twenty people have reported sightings of a giant water animal with grey skin, giant eyes and five toes on the forelimb.

To visit Lake Kanas

If you want to try and catch a glimpse of the monster of Lake Kanas, the best time to visit is from late August to late September. The long winter in the area means that Lake Kanas is only accessible by tourists from June to October. Check that you have the appropriate visa.

It can be reached by plane from Altay City or by bus from Urumqi. There is a 100 yuan fee to enter the nature reserve. You can explore the nature reserve in cars or on horseback and local guides are available.

If you're on a budget, you can stay at a hostel where a bed costs from 20 to 50 yuan. For the more adventurous, you could rent a lakeside Mongolian tent for about 350 yuan. The tent sleeps about 8 to 10 people.

Happy monster hunting and happy halloween!