Tai Ping Lake

Tai Ping Lake

Tai Ping Lake is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national water conservancy scenic area.

Located east of Taohuatan Town in Jing County, Tai Ping Lake lies to the south of Huangshan Mountain and north of Jiuhua Mountain. It sits along the only road leading from Jiuhua Mountain to Huangshan Mountain. This large artificial reservoir is situated on the upper reaches of the Qingyi River. It has also been praised as the “lover of Huangshan,” the “Geneva of the East,” and an “uncarved jade.” Originally called Chen Village Reservoir, it was renamed to its current name in 1979.

Originally built mainly for flood control, irrigation, and power generation, Tai Ping Lake also supports shipping and aquaculture. In recent years, it has gained fame for its serene and picturesque scenery, becoming a popular tourist destination.

Stretching 48 kilometers from east to west and reaching a maximum width of 4 kilometers (with the narrowest point being only about 100 meters), Tai Ping Lake covers a total area of 88 square kilometers. The lake’s sapphire-blue waters are as clear as crystal, resembling a luminous green gem embedded among verdant mountains and forests. With an average depth of 40 meters, the lake is dammed by a grand reservoir dam approximately 70 meters high and 400 meters long, located in Chen Village, Jing County. Boating on the lake allows visitors to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery of the water and surrounding hills. Scattered across the lake are islands of varying sizes and elevations, scattered yet interconnected, drifting amidst the vast waves like fairy islands, sparking the imagination. Lush green hills surround the lake, with wisps of cooking smoke rising gently — a tranquil and idyllic rural landscape.

The upper and lower sections of Tai Ping Lake are winding, while the middle section is broad and open. It combines the charm of Taihu Lake’s landscapes with the allure of the Li River, creating a vibrant and diverse world. Visiting Huangshan without seeing Tai Ping Lake is like visiting Suzhou without seeing Tiger Hill — an undeniable regret. Today, there are direct buses from Huangshan to the reservoir dam. Additionally, the lake offers both sightseeing cruises and ferries, providing excellent travel conditions for visitors. If tourists include a trip to Tai Ping Lake as a postscript to their Huangshan adventure, they will surely experience the finest of mountain and water scenery, thus bringing their Huangshan trip to a perfect close.

Surrounded by green hills and rolling ridges, Tai Ping Lake features scattered islets that dot the water like stars in the sky. Within the lake’s catchment area of 2,800 square kilometers, hundreds of tree species — including pine, cypress, and sandalwood — thrive in lush abundance. With birdsong amid the fragrant blossoms and no industrial pollution or sediment accumulation, the area boasts verdant mountains, green trees, and crystal-clear lake water as pristine as a mirror. The water meets the sky, with layers of emerald hues reflecting one another. The lake embodies the charm of West Lake, the openness of Taihu Lake, the beauty of the Li River, and the wonder of the Three Gorges — an unspoiled green jewel. Visitors have praised it: “Not as intimate as Heaven Lake, not as serene as Taihu Lake, not as verdant as the Three Gorges, not as misty as the Li River, not as lofty as Fuchun, not as expansive as West Lake, not as breathtaking as Emperor Qianlong’s view, and not as watery as the Jiangnan region.”

Taohuatan Town: A cultural ancient town with a history of a thousand years (provincial-level protected), Taohuatan Town covers a total area of 86.03 km². It neighbors the famous tourist destination Huangshan Mountain to the south and the renowned Buddhist site Jiuhua Mountain to the west. The town administers six administrative villages and one neighborhood committee, with a population of 13,122. The area has a subtropical climate with distinct seasons. The cultivated land spans 10,800 mu, producing mainly rice, rapeseed, beans, peanuts, sesame, and tea. Local specialties include yam and orchid tea, while aquatic products feature premium fish such as carp, salmon, whitefish, and snowflake carp. Mineral resources include coal, limestone, and quartz. The abundant natural resources… More details on Taohuatan Town ++