The Lenghu area’s Yadan landforms are often compared with the surface of Mars. The comparison begins with the actual terrain: wind-shaped ridges and eroded forms in the Qaidam Basin. In the west of Lenghu Town, Mangya City, the Mars Camp is located among the Lenghu Erboliang Yadan landforms. The setting gives the project its visual identity, while the rocks and ridges remain part of Earth’s geological record.
From the journal
An Actual Desert Before the Mars Analogy
The Yadan landforms of Lenghu are a geological landscape; a nearby camp uses their appearance as a setting for simulated Mars education.
The ground comes first
A simulation built for learning
The China Academy of Art’s case page describes enclosed habitat modules and an “other planet” experience designed for science education. The camp was designated a science-popularization base in 2020. It uses a recognizable landscape to help visitors imagine a Mars mission, then brings that imagination into an educational space. The geological terrain and the simulated habitat work together as different parts of the same project: one supplies the setting, the other stages a journey beyond it.
