Many adventurers in China have chosen to trek in Lop Nur in order to attract traffic and earn some gifts/money on social media. This has become a way for divorced, unemployed, indebted or even regular individuals bored with life to get out of the gutter. Most tackle the many routes going into Tibet, enduring extreme extreme cold and thin air. Some cross uninhabited desert areas like Lop Nur.

Lop Nur is a largely dried-up salt lake in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China, famous for its historical “ear” shape and, more recently, for being China’s primary site for nuclear weapons testing. Once a thriving center on the Silk Road, the lake’s drying is due to river diversions and dam construction, turning it into a vast salt flat and playa now known for its potash mines and nuclear testing facilities. 

The attraction of Lop Nur lies in its dealiness. Many have lost their way crossing Lop Nur. Some folks have even died, including the legendary Yu Chun Shun. The gentleman below is a typical reckless individual who doesn’t know what he was doing, entering a sandy, arid basin blasted by sandstorms without any support team or navigation equipment. He is lucky to have been stopped by the policeman. Lop Nur has no mercy on folks like him.