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Like a shining pearl
inlaid in this golden tour line "Hangzhou-Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake)-Huang
Shan (Yellow Mountain)," Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake), situated in Chun'an county 160 km (100 miles) west of
Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is one of forty-four state-level scenic
spots and presently China's biggest national park. Every year,
millions of visitors both home and abroad will come here to appreciate
the unique scenery. With further development in transportation, Qian
Dao Hu is about to become one of the best tourist attractions in the
world.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is a young lake. She is an artificial lake formed as the
result of being a reservoir for constructing Xin'an River Waterpower
Plant in 1959.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is a crystal pure lake. Covering an area of (143, 321
acres), it has a storage capacity of 17.8 billion cubic meters. The
average depth of water is 34 meters (112 feet) and the visibility in
the water can be reached to 7-9 meters (23-30 feet). According to the
national water evaluation standard, the water, which can be drunk
directly from the lake, is top ranking.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is a beautiful lake. It has a total of 1,078 islets, each
with its own formation. That is why the lake is named Qian Dao Hu
(Thousand Islets Lake). Qian Dao Hu is not only grand like Taihu Lake
in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, but also exquisite like West Lake in
Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Qian Dao Hu is beautifully featured with
verdant hills, elegant water, queer caves, and odd stones. In spring,
flowers spring up everywhere, dressing the lake in many vibrant
colors. In summer, visitors like boating on the pure green lake and
are reluctant to leave. In autumn, visitors will be attracted by the
hills in heavy red, for leaves here turn red in autumn. Even in
winter, although blanketed with snow, Qian Dao Hu warmly welcomes
visitors from all over the world. The snow scenery of Qian Dao Hu is
so exquisite that poetry can hardly capture it. Truly, Qian Dao Hu is
beautiful and inviting in all seasons.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is a pleasant lake. In recent years, Qian Dao Hu has
developed over twenty travel sites, which may be divided into four
types: nature, wild life, historic sites, and entertainment. In the
middle of the lake, an islet in the shape of a plant blossom is famed
for its beautiful natural scenery and perfect environment and also
regarded as the best place to view the surrounding landscape. Here,
one can also see many wild animals such as swans, mandarin ducks,
mandarins, and bitterns. Those who have rich interest in wild animals
can continue to appreciate the animal show or go to feed ostriches in
Ostrich Islet and take photos with them, even ride on an ostrich's
back if they're brave enough. In addition, various traditional
activities are offered there. Different seasons have different
activities: Muju (local drama) in the spring, Dragon Lantern show in
the fall, Tiao Zhu Ma (local dancing party) in the summer may be
visitors' favorites.
Qian Dao Hu is a lake of
historical interest. It was the home several great people. The most
famous ones were Chen Shuozhen - the first Empress in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907), Fang La - a famous peasant revolutionary in the Northern
Song Dynasty (960-1127), and Sun Quan - the King of Wu during the
Three Kingdoms Period (220-265 BC). Some of their offspring still live
there. One may drop a visit in their houses and listen to the moving
stories of their ancestors.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is a lake possessing great wealth. Qian Dao Hu teems with
tea, mulberry, timber, and bamboo. There are 1,786 species of plants
and 87 species of freshwater fish in all. Qian Dao Hu is embraced all
around by mountain ranges. Here, visitors can hear birds singing,
smell the fragrance of flowers, and taste fresh fruit when it is in
season. Besides, there are various kinds of local products, such as
non-core persimmon, sweet date, hickory nut, and sun-dried fish.
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand
Islets Lake) is like a dream, an enchanting dream. Matching with the
ocean-blue sky, snow-white cloud, and golden bright sunlight, Qian Dao
Hu with its pure water is so charming that we cannot exactly describe
the special beauty by our language. We see many colors here; the most
attractive is green. Each islet here is vibrant, each hill here is
emerald, and each mountain here is verdant. Green here is uniquely
pure, small wonder that Qian Dao Hu is famed as a green wonderland.
Green is a symbol of life; seeing the unique green here, everyone will
cherish his life.
Leave out of the crowded and noisy city
and throw away all the mundane affairs; you'd better wander around
Qian Dao Hu (Thousand Islets Lake). From time to time you will think
that you were walking in Xanadu. |
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