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Lake Tai

Coordinates: 31°14′N 120°8′E / 31.233°N 120.133°E / 31.233; 120.133
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"Taihu" redirects here. For other uses, see Taihu (disambiguation).

Lake Tai
Taihu, T'ai-hu
太湖 (Chinese)
Lake scenery at Wuxi
Lake Tai is located in Jiangsu
Lake Tai
Lake Tai
Location in Jiangsu
Lake Tai is located in Zhejiang
Lake Tai
Lake Tai
Location in Zhejiang
Lake Tai is located in Eastern China
Lake Tai
Lake Tai
Lake Tai (Eastern China)
Locationsouthern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang
Coordinates31°14′N 120°8′E / 31.233°N 120.133°E / 31.233; 120.133
Basin countriesChina
Surface area2,250 km2 (869 sq mi)
Average depth2 m (6.6 ft)
Islands90
SettlementsHuzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi
Lake Tai
Chinese太湖
Literal meaningGreat Lake
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTài Hú
Wu
RomanizationTa Wu
View from the water's edge

Taihu (Chinese: 太湖), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake[1] in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With an area of 2,250 square kilometers (869 sq mi) and an average depth of 2 meters (6.6 ft),[2] it is the third-largest freshwater lake entirely in China, after Poyang and Dongting.[a] The lake contains about 90 islands, ranging in size from a few square meters to several square kilometers.

Lake Tai is linked to the Grand Canal and is the origin of a number of rivers, including the Suzhou Creek. The major cities around Taihu Lake include Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Huzhou. These urban areas form the core of the lake's cultural and economic region.[3] University-led hydrological and ecological studies note that these four cities are the primary urban centers surrounding the lake[3].

Taihu Lake is officially designated as a national key scenic area under China's Major National Historical and Cultural Sites programme.[4]

Geography

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View of Taihu Lake from the top of Baojie Mountain, overlooking Sanshan Island in Wuxi

Taihu Lake features 48 islands and 72 surrounding peaks, forming a distinctive landscape of "mountains beyond mountains, lakes within lakes."[5]

The area includes famous scenic locales such as Yuantouzhu, Sanshan (Three Hills), Dongshan, Xishan, and Majishan.[5]

Bordering cities—Wuxi, the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, ancient sites of Wu culture, and the grottoes of Yixing—collectively form the internationally recognized Taihu Scenic Area.[6]

Covering approximately 2,338 km² in the Yangtze Delta, Taihu Lake lies between Jiangsu and Zhejiang.[7]Its waters flow into the Yangtze River, and it is connected to the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal.[8]

At a normal Wusong elevation of 3.00 m, the lake averages 1.9 m and reaches a maximum of about 2.6 m in depth, holding roughly 4.66 × 109 m3 of water. With an approximate inflow of 7.66 × 109 m3 annually, its waters renew several times a year.[9]

Formation

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Scientific studies suggest that Lake Tai's circular structure is the result of a meteor impact, which resulted in shatter cones, shock-metamorphosed quartz, microtektites, and shock-metamorphic unloading fractures.[10] The prospective impact crater has been dated to be greater than 70 million years old and possibly from the late Devonian Period.[11] Research in 2012 suggested that present evidence shows no impact crater structure or shock-mineral at Lake Tai.[12] A more comprehensive study of soils in the lake in 2021 supported the hypothesis that the crater was instead formed by a meteor air burst high up, explaining the lake's shallowness.[13] Fossils indicate that Lake Tai was dry land until the ingression of the East China Sea during the Holocene epoch. The growing deltas of the Yangtze and Qiantang rivers eventually sealed off Lake Tai from the sea, and the influx of fresh water from rivers and rains turned it into a freshwater lake.

Scenic locations

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Shore of Lake Tai in Wuxi's Three Kingdoms Park

There are limestone formations at the foot of the adjacent Dongting Mountain (洞庭山). These "scholar's rocks" or "Taihu stones" are often prized as a decorating material for traditional Chinese gardens, as exemplified by those preserved in nearby Suzhou.

Three of the lake's islands are preserved as a national geological park under the name Sanshan. They are famed as a former haunt of local bandits.[citation needed] Mei Yuan is also located in Lake Tai, along with Yuantouzhu. Yuantouzhu received its name ("Turtle Head Isle") from the shape of its outline.

Ferris wheel

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The "Star of Lake Tai" is a giant, 115-meter (377 ft) ferris wheel on the shore of the lake.[14] Completed in 2008, it takes 18 minutes to complete one revolution. Passengers can enjoy the scenery of Lake Tai and the city center. At night, lighting effects are switched on around the wheel.

Landmarks

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Wuxi Scenic Area of Taihu

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Yuantouzhu, near Wuxi

Yuantouzhu (Turtle Head Isle) is a prominent tourism site in Binhu District, Wuxi, situated between Taihu and Lake Li. Named for its turtle-head shape, it is referred to as “Taihu’s finest spot, indeed at Yuantouzhu.” The park was established in 1917, and wealthy locals built private gardens and villas nearby—including Hengyun Villa, Guangfu Temple, Taohu Villa, and Chen Garden. After 1949, these gardens were integrated into Yuantouzhu Park. In the 1980s, the park underwent master planning and expansion, adding over ten scenic spots—such as Chongshan’s Hidden Beauty, Deer Peak Sunrise, Spring Waves, and the Cherry Blossom Friendship Grove—spanning more than 500 ha, making it one of Jiangnan’s largest landscape gardens.[15]

Liyuan Garden is located on the shores of Lake Li (part of Taihu). The garden features Taihu-style rockeries, a thousand-step lakeside corridor with 89 carved windows, and lakeside embankments. Named after the historical figure Fan Li, the site commemorates the story of Fan Li and Xi Shi boating on Li Lake.[16]

Other famous scenic sites in Wuxi’s Taihu area include Sanshan Park, Plum Garden (Meiyuan), Xihui Park, the “Second Spring under Heaven,” and Jichang Garden.

Dongshan Scenic Zone (East Hill)

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Dongshan (East Hill of Dongting Lake) is a peninsula on Taihu surrounded on three sides by water. Its main summit, Mali Peak (293.5 m), is the second highest among Taihu’s peaks. The zone includes 11 islands such as Sanshan, Zeshan, and Jueshan. The town features preserved pavilions, Xi family gardens, and Ming-style nanmu halls, with other attractions like Zijin Temple and historic villages dotted throughout.[17]

Taihu National Wetland Park

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Located in Zhenhu Subdistrict, Huqiu District, Suzhou, Taihu National Wetland Park spans 4.6 km² (2.3 km² open in phase I). It conserves lakeside wetlands with zones for fishing, ecological display, habitat protection, education, and recreation. The park contains over 50 bridges and opened to the public in 2010.[18]

Business and industry

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The lake is known for its productive fishing industry and is often covered by fleets of small private fishing boats.[19] Since the late 1970s, harvesting food products such as fish and crabs has been invaluable to people living along the lake and has contributed significantly to the economy of the surrounding area.

The lake is home to an extensive ceramic industry, including the Yixing pottery factory, which produces Yixing clay teapots.

Taihu Lake Floods

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The Wujiang Water Regulation Stele records 29 major flood events in Taihu Lake from 1194 to 1954. The 1991 flood ranked second in farmland impact after the 1954 flood[20].


Taihu's flood-control warning water level is 3.8 m, and the alert level at Wuxi's Grand Canal is 3.90 m. The regulated reservoir level is set at 4.65 m. The highest recorded average water level was 4.79 m on July 14, 1991, corresponding to a storage volume of 8.72 × 109 m3[21]


The Taihu Basin Authority oversees flood regulation through 59 sluice gates on surrounding outlets—including the Taipu sluice on the Taipu River (which discharges approximately 60 % of floodwater), Yangwan Gate, Guajing Gate, Xin Kai River Gate, among others—extending into Yangtze and Huangpu systems.

The lowest inflow year on modern record was 1978, with an annual lake inflow of just 0.24 × 108 m3, approximately 0.46 % of the average annual inflow.

Modern hydrological studies confirm that 1954 and 1991 rank as the two highest average annual lake levels over a 45-year continuous gauge record, correlating with regional precipitation and anthropogenic changes[21].

Flood control in the basin is guided by long-term water level records and contemporary hydrological analysis performed by the Hydrology Bureau of the Taihu Basin Authority[22].


Pollution

[edit]
Lake scene at Wuxi
Further information: Water resources of the People's Republic of China and Pollution in China

Pollution of the lake has been ongoing for decades despite efforts to reduce pollution that were not sustained and thus proved ineffective. In the 1980s and 1990s, the number of industries in the lake region tripled, and the population also increased significantly. One billion tons of wastewater, 450,000 tons of garbage, and 880,000 tons of animal waste were dumped into the shallow lake in 1993 alone. The central government intervened and initiated a campaign to clean up the lake, setting a deadline to comply with pollution standards. When the deadline was not met, 128 factories were closed on New Year's Eve in 1999. Compliance improved somewhat afterward, but the pollution problem remained severe.[23]

In May 2007, the lake was overtaken by a major algae bloom and by major pollution with cyanobacteria.[24] The Chinese government called the lake a major natural disaster despite the anthropogenic origin of this environmental catastrophe. With the average price of bottled water rising to six times the normal rate, the government banned all regional water providers from implementing price hikes.[25] (The lake provides water to 30 million residents, including about one million in Wuxi.[26]) By October 2007, it was reported that the Chinese government had shut down or given notice to over 1,300 factories around the lake. Nonetheless, Wu Lihong, one of the leading environmentalists who had been publicizing pollution of the lake, was sentenced to three years in prison for alleged extortion of one of the polluters,[24] but, undeterred, alleged in 2010 that not a single factory was closed.[27]

Jiangsu province planned to clean the lake;[28] chaired by then prime minister Wen Jiabao, the State Council set a target to complete the task by 2012.[29] However, in 2010 The Economist reported that pollution had broken out again and that Wu Lihong, released from prison that April, was claiming that the government was trying to suppress news of the outbreak while switching to other supplies in place of lake water.[30]

See also

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References

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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lake Tai.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Tai.

Notes

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  1. ^ Though encompassing a larger surface area than Poyang Lake, the majority of Lake Khanka (Xingkai) is in Russia's Primorsky Krai.

Citations

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  1. ^ "Lake Tai, China". The European Space Agency. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  2. ^ 太湖 [Lake Tai]. The Suzhou Science Window 苏州科普之窗 (in Chinese). Science and Technology Association of Suzhou City [苏州市科学技术协会]. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Zhao, Qingjian; Wang, Qiuyan (2021). "Water Ecosystem Service Quality Evaluation and Value Assessment in Taihu Lake Region". Water. 13 (5): 618. doi:10.3390/w13050618.
  4. ^ Qin, Boqiang; Zhang, Wei (2014). "The changing environment of Lake Taihu and its ecosystem responses". Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management. 30: 1–3. doi:10.1080/02705060.2014.992053. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Natural Scenery of Lake Taihu". Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Zhao, Qingjian; Wang, Qiuyan (2021). "Water Ecosystem Service Quality Evaluation and Value Assessment in Taihu Lake Region". Water. doi:10.3390/w13050618. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  7. ^ Liu, H.; Su, Y. (2017). "Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Lake Breezes over Lake Taihu". J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim. doi:10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0220.1. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "Taihu Lake Cruise". Travel China Guide. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  9. ^ Zhang, Wenbao; Zhou, Jing; Zheng, Guangming (2009). "Strategy of water pollution prevention in Taihu Lake and its effects". Environmental Research. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2009.01.003. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Wang Erkang; Wan Yuqiu; Xu Shijin (May 2002). "Discovery and implication of shock metamorphic unloading microfractures in Devonian bedrock of Taihu Lake". Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences. 45 (5): 459. doi:10.1360/02yd9048. S2CID 195300513.
  11. ^ Wang, K.; Geldsetzer, H. H. J. (1992). "A late Devonian impact event and its association with a possible extinction event on Eastern Gondwana". Lunar and Planetary Inst., International Conference on Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution: 77. Bibcode:1992lmip.conf...77W.
  12. ^ Dong; et al. (2012). "The Deformation Features of Quartz grains In the Sandstone of Taihu Area: Taihu Impact Origin Controversy". Geological Journal of China Universities.
  13. ^ Zuo, Shuhao; Xie, Zhidong (June 15, 2021). "Iron-Rich Spherules of Taihu Lake: Origin Hypothesis of Taihu Lake Basin in China". Minerals. 11 (6): 632. Bibcode:2021Mine...11..632Z. doi:10.3390/min11060632. ISSN 2075-163X.
  14. ^ 文涛 (September 1, 2008). "太湖之星"摩天轮即将开放. Xinhuanet (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  15. ^ "Yuantouzhu – Turtle Head Island". China Discovery. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference travelchinaguide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Half‑Day Wuxi Yuantouzhu Guided Tour". Tripadvisor. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  18. ^ "Taihu Wetland Park, Suzhou". China Daily. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  19. ^ Barrett, Rick (February 3, 2007). "China offers open waters". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  20. ^ Xu, Yu; Xu, Youpeng; Wang, Qiang (2020). "Evolution trends in water levels and their causes in the Taihu Basin, China". Hydrological Sciences Journal. 65 (13): 2161–2173. Bibcode:2020HydSJ..65.2296X. doi:10.1080/02626667.2020.1802026. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Xu, Yu; Xu, Youpeng; Wang, Qiang (2020). "Evolution trends in water levels and their causes in the Taihu Basin, China". Hydrological Sciences Journal. 65 (13): 2161–2173. Bibcode:2020HydSJ..65.2296X. doi:10.1080/02626667.2020.1802026. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  22. ^ Xu, Yu; Xu, Youpeng; Wang, Qiang (2020). "Evolution trends in water levels and their causes in the Taihu Basin, China". Hydrological Sciences Journal. 65 (13): 2161–2173. Bibcode:2020HydSJ..65.2296X. doi:10.1080/02626667.2020.1802026. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  23. ^ Ma, Jun (2004). China's Water Crisis. Norwalk, CT: International Rivers Network. pp. 163–164. ISBN 1-891936-28-X.
  24. ^ a b Kahn, Joseph (October 13, 2007). "In China, a Lake's Champion Imperils Himself". International Herald Tribune.
  25. ^ "Algae smother Chinese lake, millions panic". NBC News. AP. May 31, 2007.
  26. ^ "China's third-largest freshwater lake faces algae threat". China Daily. Xinhua. April 14, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  27. ^ "Umweltschützer in China - Der unbeugsame Herr Wu". Tagesschau (in German). May 18, 2010. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010.
  28. ^ "China to clean up polluted lake". BBC News. October 27, 2007.
  29. ^ "Taihu cleanup plan". China Daily - Across China: Beijing. April 4, 2008. p. 4. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  30. ^ The Economist, 7 August 2010 p 49.

15.[1] 16.[2]

  1. ^ Qin, Boqiang (July 22, 2008). Lake Taihu China. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-8555-0.
  2. ^ "Tai hu Lake".
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