Like a huge painter’s palette, Yuncheng Salt Lake in Shanxi Province has displayed vivid colors in recent days as a combined result of chemical reactions, high temperatures and burning sunlight. (Photos: CFP, compiled by Wang Xiaodong)

In the summertime, intense light and heat cause algae to produce carotenoids, which turns the salt lake brilliant shades of violet, scarlet, crimson, and emerald.

The gorgeous colors have made the lake so popular with photographers.

Yuncheng Salt Lake, dubbed China's Dead Sea, is the largest natural lake in Shanxi. The lake is 132 square kilometers.