洞庭湖 衔远山,吞长江,浩浩汤汤,横无际涯;朝晖夕阴,气象万千
Yueyang Tower is one of the three famous Tower in China.
Lake Dongting is the second largest fresh water lake in China. The grandness made people say that the lake gathers water from all over the world.
Dongting Temple is where people pray for peace and quietness.
Junshan is a beautiful island in Lake Dongting . It's small but it produces a most famous kind of tea: Junshan Yinzhen Tea.
Quzi Temple was built in memorial of Qu Yuan. There are 17 stone carvings of Qu Yuan inside the temple.
Qu Yuan Tomb is located on Miluo Mountain.
Dumu Tomb is a brick romb, sitting at the north while facing the south.The tomb is round-shaped with a stele in front of it.
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Lake Dongtinghu Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information
The enormous Lake Dongtinghu is on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, spanning over both Hunan and Hubei provinces. In ancient China, this Lake was known as Yun meng zhe, which translated literally means huge flowing waters. It is the second largest freshwater lake in China, the other four being Lake Poyanghu in Jiangxi province, Lake Taihu in Jiangsu province, Lake Hongzehu in Jiangsu province, and Lake Chaohu in Anhui province. Among the few islands within the lake, Junshan Island is the most renowned, which is famous not only for its scenic beauty but its tea.
A land flowing with milk & honey
The enormous Lake Dongtinghu is the second largest fresh water lake in China, covering 3,900 square km. The area around the Lake has tremendous agricultural production capacity with a long history of development. Since its plains boast fertile soil, proper temperature, and plentiful rain, Lake Dongtinghu has long been reputed as the hometown of fish and rice.
Reputed as a land flowing with milk and honey, the Lake Dongtinghu abounds in top-grade products, including the Silver Needle Tea, the Pearl Rice, and rare food from river such as clam, mud eel, Dongting crab, and salangid. The Lotus Lake, embraced in the Lake Dongtinghu, is famous for the well-known Xiang Lotus, one kind of rare lotus with plump seeds and crisp flesh.
A flood basin for the Yangtze River
It is also known as "eight- hundred Li Lake Dongtinghu" (The Li is a Chinese length unit equal to 500 meters or about 1,640 feet). An impressive characteristic of the lake lies in the fact that it is inter-nested. Depending on the season, concentric ridges of land appear in the lake in many areas. This is because the lake acts as a flood basin for the Yangtze River.
Lake water comes from four rivers including the Xiangjiang River, the Zishui River, the Yuanjiang River, and the Lishui River. Lake Dongtinghu acts as a tremendous natural reservoir or flood-basin, so The Lake is known as "the taker and sender of the Yangtze River."
Why do visit
The appearance of Lake Dongtinghu changes throughout the different seasons, sometimes even during the same day. Another special feature of the Lake is its eclectic mixture of small lakes and hills. Here tourists can find smaller lakes and hills located within larger lakes. Many ancient Chinese poems and stories were written about the beauty of Lake Dongtinghu.
At present, tourists can still enjoy five famous sights out of Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, namely the Autumn Moon on Lake Dongtinghu, Returned Sail from Faraway Riverside, Wile Gooses Settle on the Smooth Sand, Sunset Glow over Fishing Village and Snow Curtain Hanging over the River Sky. Moreover, the Ten Shadows of Lake Dongtinghu are also attractive sights, including Shadow of Sun, Shadow of Moon, Shadow of Cloud, Shadow of Snow, Shadow of Hill, Shadow of Tower, Shadow of Sail, Shadow of Fishing, Shadow of Gull, and Shadow of Wild Goose.
It is also famous for historical scenic spots on the lakefront, including the Yueyang Tower, Junshan Island, Tomb of Du Fu, Wen Temple, and Longzhou Academy.
Junshan Island
The most renowned scene in the lake is a lone mountainous island called Junshan Island containing 72 peaks. Lying in Lake Dongtinghu, Junshan Island is known for its various floras, especially its species of bamboo. The island's tea Yinzhen (Silver Needle) tea is also famous.
An ancient legend
The original name of the Junshan Island was Dongting Island. It is said that 4,000 years ago, after the emperor Shun went south to go on a tour of inspection, two of his concubines tried to find him but failed, and they began to cry while grasping bamboo. Their tears dropped onto the bamboo which became mottled from then on. After their death, people built a tomb for them, called "two concubines' tomb". Later, people changed the name of the island to Junshan Island in order to commemorate them.
Bamboo & Tea
The bamboo on the island is well known for its many varieties such as mottled bamboo, arhat bamboo, square bamboo, sincere bamboo, and purple bamboo. In addition, the island holds a large-scale dragon-boat festival, a lotus festival, and various sporting events on the water every year.
Junshan Island is famous not only for its scenic beauty but its tea. Yinzhen (Silver Needle) tea used to be imperial tribute. Added into hot eat, the tea sticks up like needles instead of sinking to the bottom, emitting a fragrant odor. The island has dozens peaks and a large coverage of bamboos.
Yuyang Tower
It has long enjoyed the reputation of being the "first tower under heaven," as the Lake Dongtinghu is known as the "first water under heaven." As the major landmark of Yueyang City, Yueyang Tower is listed as one of the three famous towers south of the Yangtze River, together with Yellow Crane Tower at Wuhan, Hubei, and Prince Teng Tower in Nanchang, Jiangxi.
Towering above the west gate of Yueyang City, Yueyang Tower (Yueyang Lou) looks down at the Lake Dongtinghu, facing the Junshan Island in the distance, and linking the Yangtze River to the north and the Xiangjiang River to the south. Standing on the tower, one can gaze at the distant view of the mists and ripples of the Lake Dongtinghu, with boats sailing on the vast lake.
East Lake Dongtinghu
The whole area of Lake Dongtinghu is actually divided into five different sections by a number of hills: East Lake Dongtinghu, South Lake Dongtinghu, West Lake Dongtinghu, North Lake Dongtinghu and Lake Dongtinghu.
East Lake Dongtinghu is the biggest section with abundant animal and plant life, especially birds and waterfowl. It has become one of China's major natural habitats for birds and been recognized as "a zoology pearl on the middle part of the Yangtze River" and "a hopeful place to save the animals in danger."
Tourists can visit Yueyang Tower, appreciate dragon boat races, taste Yinzhen (Silver Needle) tea and enjoy the region's natural abundance by watching the birds on East Lake Dongtinghu. The best time is from October to March.
South Lake Dongtinghu
South Lake Dongtinghu, near Yuanjiang City, is known for the picturesque beauty of its fishing villages. Additionally, it is an important international marsh and has become a provincial natural protective district for marsh waterfowl.
San Jiang Kou Entrance
Where West Lake Dongtinghu and the Yangtze River meet, there is a place called San Jiang Kou Entrance, where one can see the Xiangjiang River surging to the north and the Yangtze River rolling to the east. Above, water birds soar freely, and on the water, hundreds of barges ply their trade. It's a grand and sublime scene. Many folk legends are rooted here, including "the two concubines of the emperor Shun looking for their husband for hundreds of miles."
Lake Dongtinghu Highlights
Lake & Spring
West Lake
Lake Kanas
Lake Namtso
Lake Qinghaihu
Lake Yamdrok
Huaqing Pool
Crescent Spring
Lake Qiandaohu- Lake Xuanwuhu
Lake Taihu
Slender West Lake
Lake Hongfenghu- Lake Dianchi
Lake Luguhu
Heavenly Lake
Butterfly Spring
Lake Erhai
Longsheng Hot Spring National Park
Lake Bitahai
Lake Shuduhu
Lake Napahai
Red Carp Pond- Hupao Spring
Black Dragon Pool
Lake Karakuli- Tianhe Pool
- Lake Dongtinghu
Baotu Spring
Lake Daminghu
Yuquan Park- Lake Bosten
- East Lake Scenic Area
Lake Dongtinghu FAQ & Travelers's Tips
The "eight-hundred Li Lake Dongtinghu," China's second-largest freshwater lake impresses tourists with smaller lakes and hills located within larger lakes. Also, its swiftly changing appearance really worth a visit!
