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Chinese Name: 太湖
English Name: Taihu Lake, Lake Tai, Taihu
Location: Southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang
Type: Natural landscape
Rating Level: AAAAA (5A)
Brief Introduction
Taihu Lake太湖, also known as Lake Tai or Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third-largest freshwater lake in China. The lake lies in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With a surface area of about 21.5 square kilometers, it developed a famous scenic spot in China and is famed for its splendid scenery.
Taihu Lake, the birthplace of Wu Culture, is a natural historical and cultural museum. Ancient towns, villages, islands, and other historical and cultural landscapes are just like pearls dotted among the mountains and rivers of Taihu Lake.
Taihu Lake is one of the first batches of 12 State-level tourism & resort districts approved by the State Department, as well as one of the first batches of the demonstration district of the tourism industry of WTO level. In 2012, Suzhou Wuzhong Taihu Scenic Area was listed as AAAAA Scenic Areas in China.
Suzhou Wuzhong Taihu Scenic Area is located in the southwest corner of the paradise of Suzhou on the shore of Taihu Lake. The scenic area is composed of four parts: Dongshan Scenic Area, the hometown of the Biluochun tea in China, Qionglong Mountain Scenic area, Wangshan Scenic area, the most beautiful mountain village in Suzhou, and Taihu Lakeside National Wetland Park.
The lake is renowned for its unique limestone formations at the foot of the adjacent Dongting Mountain. These are much favored as accessories used in decorating traditional Chinese gardens in China, in particular, the classical gardens of Suzhou, for example, Lions Grove Garden.
Taihu Lake is an abundant source of fish. The most delicious food is known as ‘Taihu Lake Three Whites‘, including white shrimp, whitebait, and whitefish.
What is worth to visit and see？
Main attractions
The scenic areas available for tourists are mainly concentrated in the Western Hills Scenic Area and the Eastern Hills Scenic Area in Suzhou, and Tortoise Head Garden in Wuxi. Dongshan, full name Dongting Dongshan or East Dongting Mountain, formerly known as Xumu Mountain, is located more than 30 kilometers southwest of Suzhou City. It is a peninsula extending from Taihu Lake, surrounded by water on three sides. It is one of the national first-class scenic spots and a famous tourist town in Suzhou.
Qianjiawu钱家坞 is an original ecological natural village with a strong pastoral atmosphere, neat and orderly cottages, and a beautiful and peaceful environment. Combined with the leisure concept of modern urbanites, Qianjiawu is planned as a rural tourism area, mainly operating rural catering and accommodation services, providing authentic and simple rural services.
Sanshan Island National Wetland Park三山岛国家湿地公园 is blessed with a mild climate and distinct four seasons. Sanshandao National Wetland Park is rich in fruits throughout the year. There are “Dongting Red” red-orange红橘, “Ma Yan jujube马眼枣”, and 692 ancient jujube trees which are more than 100 years old.
The Misty Peaks Scenic spot缥缈峰景区 is the essence of Taihu Lake. It is famous for its magnificent scenery and numerous places of interest. The scenic area is dominated by the Misty Peak, supplemented by the surrounding main docks. The total area of scenic area is about 10 square kilometers, and the forest coverage rate is nearly 80%.
Culture activity and traditional product
The Biluochun Tea Festival is held from March to April every year. Biluochun tea is one of the top ten famous teas in China. The Main tea production area is around Taihu Lake in Wuzhong Region. The production process of Biluochun tea has been listed in the second batch of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Jiangsu Province.
During the festival, the resources and culture of Suzhou Wuzhong Taihu Scenic spot will be displayed on the spot, and various landscape Tours, picking Tours, spring outing Tours and Cultural Tours with Biluochun tea as the mainline will be introduced. The scenic spot also launched various preferential activities to attract citizens to the lake to carry out cycling, hiking, picking, and other tourism activities, taste new tea and farm dishes.
Dongting Biluochun tea洞庭碧螺春茶 is a famous specialty in Suzhou and one of the ten famous teas in China. According to records, Biluochun tea was famous as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties and has a history of more than one thousand years. Legend has it that Qing Emperor Kangxi gave the name “Biluochun” to Suzhou during his southern tour. Due to the unique geographical environment of Dongting Mountain, the four seasons of flowers, tea, and fruit trees are interplanted, so Biluochun tea has a special flower fragrance.
Suzhou embroidery苏绣 is one of the four famous embroideries in China. It is famous for its fine needlework and elegant colors. Suzhou embroidery has beautiful patterns, wide themes, and lively techniques. Whether it is the figures or the landscape, all reflect the delicate and long cultural connotation of Jiangnan water town.
Other traditional product includes jade ware, Clay Sculpture, Dongshan sheep, and so on.
