LAKE DIANSHAN IN SHANGHAI MUNICIPALITY


Lake Dianshan is on the boundary among Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Municipality. The largest lake in the suburbs of Shanghai. Lake Dianshan is 65km from the downtown of Shanghai and falls in the joint jurisdiction of Kunshan County of Jiangsu Province and Qingpu County of Shanghai Municipality.

Lake Dianshan belongs to the catchment of Lake Taihu. Situated in the coastal plain to the
south of the Changjiang River Delta, Lake Dianshan is part of the dish-shaped flatland center-
ing around Lake Taihu.
The Dianshan Lake, also known as the Xuedian Lake, stretches between Qingpu County of Shanghai Municipality and Kunshan County of Jiangsu Province. It is the largest freshwater lake in Shanghai.
  Shaped like a calabash, the Dianshan Lake covers an area of 63 square kilometers and has an average depth of 2 meters. Connecting with the Huangpu River and the Wusong River, the lake is abundant in aquatic products. The Dianshan Lake gets its name from the Dianshan Hill lying in the middle of the lake. Built on the hill are the Sangu Ancestral Temple and Aofeng Tower. The Dianshan Lake is crystal clear and has the scenery of lush southern-type watery regions.

Some entertainment facilities are built on the east side of the lake, such as water-sports area, yacht club, golf course, fishing club, swimming pool, bowling alley, and shooting range, while on the west side is a juvenile camping base. An international-level resort area named Rainbow Island will be constructed on the south side.?

The Dianshan Lake Scenic Area is fringed with numerous historical sights, such as the sites of Songze Culture of 6,000 years ago and Fuquan Hill culture, whichare the earliest human inhabitations found in Shanghai. The lake also has a number of ancient constructions, including the Qinglong Temple, the Qinglong Tower, and the Mao Tower of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Puji Bridge and the Wan'an Bridge of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Baoguo Temple and the Fangsheng Bridge of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and the Qushui Garden and the Wanshou Tower of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Moreover, Zhujiajiao and Jinze, two famous towns south of the Yangtze River, are not far away from the lake.