Changdang Lake

Changdang Lake

Changdang Lake is a national wetland park.

Changdang Lake, also known as Tao Lake, is located about 9 kilometers southeast of Jintan City, spanning both Jintan and Liyang. It is one of the ancient lakes derived from the ancient Taihu Lake. In ancient times, the lake covered a much larger area, extending north to Jincheng in Jintan and south to Nanhé in Liyang, spanning over 50 kilometers from north to south, hence its name "Changtang" (Long Pond) during the Jin Dynasty. After years of land reclamation, today it retains only 8,500 hectares, mostly within Jintan. The ancient text *Commentary on the Water Classic* by Li Daoyuan refers to this lake as one of the “Five Ancient Lakes,” part of the Taihu Lake water system. Tao Lake has long been a scenic destination in Jintan, with “Moonlit Tao Lake” once listed among the Eight Scenic Spots of Jinsha (Jintan). The lake features a clear blue base, dotted with fishing boats, rustling reeds, lush grasses, and picturesque scenery. Cultural and historical sites around the lake include an underwater stone path, ancient wells at the lake’s head, Zhoushe (where the Three Kingdoms general Zhou Yu once camped), Baimitang, and Pumen Zen Temple. Among these, Pumen Zen Temple is built atop Dagufu Mountain, known as the “Little Putuo.” With its layered pavilions, verdant trees, and rich grass, set against the shimmering lake and mountain backdrop, the scenery is truly unique. Dagufu Mountain is a rocky peak, standing 35.6 meters above sea level with an area of 0.15 square kilometers. It once stood isolated in the lake, appearing to float from afar—hence its name. Now connected to the mainland, the mountain can be reached directly by car.

The bottom of Changdang Lake is flat, with an average depth of 1.1–1.2 meters, and the pH value consistently ranges between 7 and 8, making it ideal for crustacean aquaculture. The lake is replenished with ample clean, unpolluted water and teems with aquatic life such as water plants, snails, and clams. It is abundant in produce such as Yuzhua crabs (Changdang Lake crabs), rice shrimp, whitebait, and fish maw, so plentiful that the *Jintan County Annals* from the Guangxu era noted, “In Changdang Lake, half the water is fish.” Waterfowl such as yellow buntings, moorhens, and wild ducks flock here, especially after Cold Dew. As the local folk rhyme goes: “When they take flight, the sky disappears; when they land, they cover the lake. When three days of cold strike, hundreds of them cluster in every pond (a ‘cluster’ being six birds).”

Changdang Lake is a “mirror” embedded in the plains of southern Jiangsu. In recent years, within this “golden lake and silver bay,” where “the sun brings gold and the night yields silver,” the people of Jintan—hometown to the renowned Chinese mathematician Hua Luogeng—pioneered with their unique ingenuity a new concept in freshwater aquaculture: the “lake pasturing” method of cage-crab farming. This has earned Jintan the title “Home of the Chinese Mitten Crab.” With 60,000 acres of cage farming, the lake generates over two hundred million yuan annually for Jintan, truly becoming the city’s “mother lake.”

However, in recent years, the “mother lake” has borne a heavy burden: inside the lake, excessive cage density has led to noticeable eutrophication trends; around the lake, various pollutants have flowed in, deteriorating water quality. To address this, in early 2004, the “Protect the Mother Lake” campaign was launched in Jintan. The Jintan Municipal Party Committee and government, committed to sustainable development, introduced the *Changdang Lake Ecological Environment Protection Plan*, implementing comprehensive measures to restore the lake’s ecology: reducing cage farming areas by 20,000 mu over two years; establishing a lakeside wetland ecological reserve to enhance the lake’s self-purification capacity; and strictly curbing pollution from industries, catering businesses, and domestic waste... all to ensure Changdang Lake remains clearer, bluer, and truly a “mirror” in the vast plains of southern Jiangsu.

Shanghuang Town: Located in the northeast of Liyang City, 18 kilometers from downtown Liyang, Shanghuang Town sits at the tri-junction of Liyang, Yixing, and Jintan. Covering a total area of 47 square kilometers, the town governs 8 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, with a population of 26,500. Shanghuang is embraced by mountains and water, boasting a beautiful environment.

Shanghuang is blessed with the simple charm of rural purity. Historically part of Yixing County and governed under Changzhou Prefecture, it was reassigned to Liyang in March 1950 due to administrative boundary adjustments after the liberation. According to the Huang family genealogy: During the Southern Song Dynasty, General Huang Dui, a subordinate of Yue Fei, retired to this area after Yue Fei was wrongfully executed by the treacherous Qin Hui... More details about Shanghuang Town ++