Taihu Lake----Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS

Lakes

Taihu Lake

Located across Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the Taihu Lake is the third largest freshwater lake in China, with a perimeter of about 400 kilometers. Surrounded by 72 various peaks, the lake has 48 islets, large or small. The soul of the Taihu Lake lies in the Wuxi Taihu Lake Scenic Zone, which is located to the north of the lake while the area′s most attractive spot is the Turtle Head Islet.

Embraced by water on three sides, the Turtle Head Islet has a shape of huge turtle′s head, suddenly diving into the blue water. The main part of the Turtle Head Park is natural scenery, supplemented with man-made gardens. After entering into the park, one can only see flowers, trees and courtyards without the sight of the Taihu Lake. But when the tourists step onto a high stone step after a long walk in the garden, the great Taihu Lake suddenly jumps into sight. Covered by dense plants, the park has numerous rocks in various shapes. There are also many beautiful constructions built among the trees, including Changchun Bridge (Evergreen Bridge), Feiyun Pavilion (Scud Pavilion), Jinsong Pavilion (Sturdy Pine Pavilion), Wanfang Pavilion (All-places Pavilion), and Guangfu Temple (Bright Fortune Temple), etc.

The famous site of the Taihu Lake is the Li Lake, also known as Five-li Lake. Lying on the lakefront is a Li Garden. Both of them are named after a famous historical figure Fan Li, living in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). Legend has it that after assisting the king in conquering the Wu Kingdom, Fan Li, a senior official of the Yue Kingdom, went boating with the beauty of beauties Xizi in the Five-li Lake. Later, people changed the name of the lake into the Li Lake to commemorate this. The overall arrangement of the Li Garden is divided into two parts, with a rockery piled up with Taihu Lake rocks along one side, and a thousand-step corridor and a long bank along the other. With a long wall on one side, the thousand-step corridor is situated closely next to the Li Lake. The wall is enchased with 889 windows of various designs together with some precious carved stones.

Other famous spots in the Wuxi Taihu Lake Scenic Zone include the Sanshan Park (Three-hills Park), the Plum Park, the Xihui Park, No.2 Spring Under Heaven, and the Jichang Garden. The Wu Cultural Park built recently has become a new hot spot, attracting numerous tourists.

Source: http://www.chinaculture.org