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The Lenghu Astronomical Observation Base is located in the Saishiteng Mountain area of Lenghu Town, Mangya City, Haixi Prefecture. It is approximately 70 km (about a 50-minute drive) from the town centre of Lenghu, at an average altitude of around 4,000 meters. Since 2017, the Haixi Prefecture Party Committee and Government have repeatedly dispatched teams to visit research institutions including the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) and the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), while inviting numerous researchers in astronomy to conduct on-site surveys. By analyzing meteorological satellite cloud imagery and historical weather data spanning nearly two decades, researchers preliminarily identified the Saishiteng Mountain area in Lenghu as a potential site with excellent astronomical observation conditions. On December 12, 2017, the Haixi Prefecture Government signed the “Four-party Agreement on the Site Selection Project for Large Optical Telescopes in the Lenghu Area” with NAOC, PMO, and China West Normal University, thereby jointly launching the site selection process. Subsequent measurements and analyses confirmed that the Saishiteng Mountain area met professional requirements in terms of a range of criteria — including average observable time, night sky quality, number of clear nights (or total length of cloud-free time), seeing, atmospheric transparency, meteorological conditions, electromagnetic environment, and precipitable water vapor. The site also satisfied requirements regarding accessibility for major scientific facilities and the safety of the working and living environment. The area possesses the conditions to become a world-class astronomical observatory site, and the location for the astronomical telescope was thus determined.

Leveraging the region's exceptional astronomical resources, the project has since attracted multiple large-scale telescope initiatives from institutions such as Tsinghua University (THU), NAOC, PMO, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China West Normal University (CWNU), and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the aim of establishing a world-class astronomical observation base. On July 23, 2020, the signing ceremony for the Lenghu Astronomical Observation Base construction project was held in Xining, Qinghai Province, marking the official launch of the project.

To date, the Lenghu Astronomical Observation Base has attracted 15 projects involving 12 institutions and a total of 46 telescopes, with an investment in scientific equipment approaching 5 billion RMB. It has become the largest optical astronomical observation base in Asia (in terms of the number of optical telescopes). Among all the telescopes already deployed, the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST) of the University of Science and Technology of China boasts the most powerful optical time-domain survey capabilities in the Northern Hemisphere (currently conducting scientific observations); the AIMS (Advanced Infrared Solar-magnetic-field Measurement System) from the NAOC is the world's first dedicated mid-infrared solar magnetic-field observation facility (currently conducting scientific observations); the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope (JUST) is China's first large-scale general-purpose spectroscopic telescope (under construction); the 4.2-meter ground-based dedicated astrometric telescope from the PMO is China's first 4-meter-class single-mirror general-purpose precision astrometric telescope — set to become China's largest astrometric telescope upon completion — while the 2.5-meter multi-terminal general-purpose telescope will become China's largest coaxial transceiver laser ranging telescope (under construction). The 14.5-meter optical-infrared telescope is a key project of the “Deep Space Spacetime Reference System” initiative — a special program launched by the Science and Technology Commission of China in 2024 as part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' drive to seize the heights of science and technology; upon completion, it will rank first in China and among the top three globally for general-purpose large optical telescopes (under construction).

Lenghu Town is under the jurisdiction of Mangya City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Haixi Prefecture for short), Qinghai Province. Situated on the northwestern edge of the Qaidam Basin — at the junction of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang — it is known in Mongolian as “Kuitun Nor”, meaning “cold lake water”. With an average elevation of approximately 2,800 meters, the area of Lenghu features an arid climate with little wind, abundant sunshine, and exceptional atmospheric clarity. It is a premier destination for astronomical observation and astrophotography in China. Additionally, its Yardang desert landscape, which bears a striking resemblance to the surface of Mars, has earned it the reputation of being “the place on Earth that least resembles Earth”.

Once a vital petroleum production base in China, Lenghu has evolved through industrial booms and resource-based economic transitions. Today, it promotes itself through the themes of a “Mars Town”, an astronomical science hub, and a science-fiction cultural tourism destination. Notable landmarks include the Lenghu Oil Base Ruins, the Mars Camp, the Eboliang Yardang, and Heidu Mountain (Black Solo Mountain). It serves as a pivotal hub on the “Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop” route and for expeditions into the wilderness of Northwest China.

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