Erhai Lake

The Erhai Lake coexists well with the Cangshan Mountain. The Lake is the second largest lake of Yunnan Province, with the Dianchi Lake ranking the first. The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometers east of Dali. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali city as seen from Cangshan Mount. In a sunny day, the crystal waters of Erhai Lake and the snow mantled Cangshan Mount radiate with each other. Thus the scene was commonly described as 'Silver Cangshan and Jade Erhai'.

Between Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain lies a fan- shaped flat alluvial basin. In the basin are fertile farmlands and many villages, and stand the Three Towers of the Chongsheng Temple. The basin has beautiful natural views, key points of interests and colourful folk-customs, and thus gains the good name "scenery gallery".

The surrounding islands, temples and villages are also worth visit, especially the Golden Shuttle Island (Jinsuo Dao), and the nearby fishing community of the Bai Minority with its entire cultural legacy. The most unforgettable Xiaoputuo Dao, originally devoted to Bodhisattva Kwan-yin, can be traced back to the 15th century.

To give the people and tourists alike the convenience of watching the lake, Erhai Lake Park was built. In spring, the place is transformed into a wonderland of flowers like camellias, azaleas and primrose, and there are abundant exotic trees also.