Qiandao Lake (Chinese: 千岛湖, lit. Thousand Island Lake), a human-made lake located in Chun'an County, Zhejiang Province, China, was formed after the completion of the Xin'an River hydroelectric station in 1959. 1,078 large islands dot the lake and a few thousand smaller ones are scattered across it. The lake covers an area of 573 km2 (221 sq mi) and has a storage capacity of 17.8 km3 (4.3 cu mi). The islands in the lake cover about 86 km2 (33 sq mi).
Qiandao Lake is used to produce the Nongfu Spring brand of mineral water. Over 90% of the area is forested. The islands in the lake include Bird Island, Snake Island, Monkey Island, Lock Island (featuring supposedly the world's biggest lock), and the Island to Remind You of Your Childhood.
The lake has made Zhejiang a popular area for tourists. As a result, housing development has increased in the area since the late 1990s.
The dam creating the lake is located at 29°29′01″N 119°12′48″E / 29.48361°N 119.21333°E / 29.48361; 119.21333 (Xin'an Dam) and is 105 m (344 ft) tall with a crest length of 466.5 m (1,531 ft). Xin'an Dam was the first dam constructed in China with a height greater than 100 m (328 ft) and its power plant has an installed capacity of 845 MW.[1]
History
In the submerged city of Shi Cheng
The valley was flooded in 1959 to create the lake for the Xin'an River Dam project.[2]
At the foot of Wu Shi Mountain (or "Five Lion" Mountain) lies an ancient city known as Shi Cheng ("Lion City"). It was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25–200) and was first set up as a county in AD 208. This city acquired the name Shi Cheng from nearby Wu Shi Mountain, which is located just behind the city. At present Shi Cheng remains submerged and undisturbed at a depth of 26–40 m (85–131 ft), it has been explored by Big Blue,[3] a dive operator based in Shanghai.[4]
In 1994, in an event since named the Qiandao Lake Incident, three hijackers boarded a boat full of tourists and set it on fire, killing all 32 passengers on board. The passengers were mainly tourists from Taiwan.[5][6]
In 2007, a Chinese-Italian consortium began planning the construction of a prototype of a submerged floating tunnel across the lake. The bridge is expected to span 100 m (330 ft), as a proof of concept for larger bridges.
Transport
There are hourly buses that connect Qiandao Lake with the provincial capital, Hangzhou, which has technical jurisdiction for the lake. A railway development project to the area ceased as it was considered damaging to the "natural" sights of Qiandao Lake. An expressway links Hangzhou, Qiandao Lake, and Huangshan, Anhui.
Gallery
| Entrance to the Scenic Area of Qiandao Lake |
| A lotus pond at Qiandao Lake |
| A Taiji symbol at Qiandao Lake |
| Painted wooden relief at the Hai Rui Shrine |
| Shou (寿, longevity) character written by Hai Rui. The character can be viewed either right-side up or upside down to read "Shou". |
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See also
References
