Lake Qionghai, the second largest lake of Sichuan Province, is located in Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Nationality Autonomous Region. The tectonic lake measures 11.5 km from northwest to southeast. It is a semi-enclosed fresh water lake and has only one outlet, Haihe River, on the north. It flows into Anning River, one of the subtributaries of Changjiang River.

Since a chemical fertilizer factory in the north was moved away in 1979, there are almost no industry sites around Lake Qionghai. Domestic sewage and industrial wastewater from Xichang City discharge into Haihe River, without impact on the lake water. So the main pollution source is farmland runoff, and sewage from schools, hotels and a hospital nearby.

In the lake, with good water quality, there are plenty of flora and fauna. More than 30 fish species have been described. The maximum annual fish catch was up to 680 tons, including fish 450 tons, shrimp 20 tons and crab 110 tons (Q).