Chaohu Lake

Chaohu city in central Anhui province can lay claim to being one of the most famous resorts in East China, boasting over 150 tourist attractions.

As a land of water, Chaohu city features green mountains and emerald waters. Chaohu Lake, one of the five major freshwater lakes in China, is a national key scenic and historic interest zone. The three famous springs—Bantang, Tangchi and Xiangquan—are ideal places for visitors to relax and refresh themselves. The four national forest parks (including Taihu and Yefu mountains) and five karst caves (such as Ziwei, Immortal and Huayang caves) are truly the creations of nature.

The modern and ancient cultural and historical sites in Chaohu include the Ape Site in Hexian county and Lingjiatan Site, both of which are renowned as near-perfect representatives of early human civilization. Many widespread legends on the Chinese ancestors display the profound historical connotations of Chaohu, such as Youchaoshi, one of the legendary ancestors of the Chinese nation who taught people how to build a nest-house in a tree; Xu You, a tribe head, who washed his ears and became a hermit in a mountain; in the late Spring and Autumn period (770—476 BC), Wu Zixu went through Shaoguan Pass and escaped successfully; and Xiang Yu (232—202 BC), a leader of the uprising against the Qin Dynasty (221—206 BC), committed suicide by the Wujiang River.

Lakeside beach of Chaohu Guishan Mountain (or Turtle Mountain)