Zhaling and Eling: Two Lakes in the Yellow River’s Upper Course

Zhaling and Eling are often called the Yellow River’s “sister lakes,” but they are not a single body of water. A 2026 report by Xinhua, hosted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, places them in Madoi County and describes the Yellow River collecting in the two lakes before continuing east. They lie more than 100 kilometers from the river’s recognized source, the headwater stream of Yueguzongliequ.

The lakes give the river a broad pause in its upper course. Their joined sequence is visible in the way water enters, gathers and leaves again, carrying the flow from highland source region toward the main river downstream.

The report’s April visit found Zhaling still largely ice-covered near its shore, while Eling showed a wider mixture of ice and open water. Wind and snow repeatedly erased the horizon, making lake, sky and distant mountain hard to separate. These are seasonal observations from one dated visit, not permanent descriptions of either lake.

The report notes that entry into the source protection area is controlled through checkpoints. That detail belongs to the geography of the lakes: they sit within a protected headwater landscape shaped by ecological limits as well as river flow.