Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

Categories: Asia | Design and Architecture | Travel

The Lotos hotel in the desert doesn't seem like the best place to stay. Spread among the rolling dunes, the hotel is located 800 km from Beijing, far from the coast and major cities, in the heart of the desert in Inner Mongolia. But nearby is the town of Baotou, which produces more than half of the world's reserves of rare minerals. Deserts and resorts are not the best couple, but the Chinese company that built the Lotus Hotel managed to solve many of the problems associated with this.

The Desert Lotus Hotel has no traditional foundations and no cement or water was used in the construction. The hotel stands on a flat metal base filled with sand, which makes it as stable as ballast in a boat. Walls and ceilings are also created from a mixture using sand. The sail-like awnings reduce energy consumption and give the whole complex a foreign feel.

(Total 30 photos)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

1. The Desert Lotus Hotel is still under construction in the Xiangshawan Desert, Inner Mongolia. It is a popular tourist resort in the desert. It is located in the central part of the Kubuki desert, near the city of Ordos. Here, descending from a 110-meter sand hill at a 45-degree angle that stretches for 200 meters, the sands emit a sound similar to the roar of a car engine, and no one can explain this natural phenomenon. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

2. Hotel "Lotus" among the dunes of the Xiangshavan desert, located in Inner Mongolia. On the left are rails for a small tourist train. (Photo by DigitalGlobe/Google, Inc.)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

3. Yoga on the dunes of the Xiangshawan Desert, which is also called the Musical Desert. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

4. Tourists in the pool of the hotel «Desert Lotus». (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

5. General view of the desert. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

6. A model in a stylized Mongolian costume is preparing for a Mongolian ritual ceremony. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

7. Tourists pass by the hotel. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

8. Dancer in traditional costume during the Mongolian ritual ceremony. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

9. And in the background - a toilet! (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

10. Toilet against the backdrop of desert landscapes. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

11. Tourists ride camels during a tour of the desert. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

12. Model in Mongolian costume. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

13. Tourists during the Mongolian ritual ceremony. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

14. A girl is relaxing by the pool at the Lotus Desert Hotel. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

15. Yoga by the pool. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

16. Sand frog and tourist. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

17. The boys have fun in the hotel pool. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

18. A tourist went out into the Xiangshawan desert. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

19. A model in a Mongolian costume poses for a photo. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

20. Models in Mongolian costumes backstage during a presentation for tourists. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

21. Model in front of the toilet… (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

22. A couple has fun in the hotel pool. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

23. In the background - the plant of the city of Ordos. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

24. Girls are preparing for yoga in the desert. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

25. Yoga in the sand. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

26. A model in a Mongolian costume passes by the dancers. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

27. Dancers in traditional costumes against the backdrop of the Lotus Hotel. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

28. The dance team is preparing for the performance. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

29. Performance of dancers with torches and camels standing on a dune. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Lotus in the Xiangshawan Desert

30. A model in a Mongolian costume by the pool. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Keywords: China | Hotel | Sand | Desert

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