Hongfeng Lake

Hongfeng Lake

Located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of Guiyang is the Hongfeng (Red Maple) Lake. It is considered to be the pearl of the Guizhou Plateau, and is the most fascinating among the three lakes in this part of Guizhou. The other two are Baihua (Hundred Flowers) Lake and Dongfeng (East Wind) Lake.

Hongfeng Lake is the largest artificial lake on the Guizhou Plateau. Its surface covers 57.2 square kilometers (22 square miles) and in area is twelve times the size of the Ming Tombs Reservoir in Beijing and six times as large as the famous West Lake in Hangzhou. The lake and the surrounding scenic area occupy a total of 240 square kilometers (93 square miles). There are many red maple trees on the surrounding mountain ranges whose leaves turn red every fall - hence the lake’s name.

The Hongfeng Lake Scenic Area consists of four parts: the North Lake, the South Lake, the Rear Lake and the minority ethnic villages. The North Lake is the smallest and is famous for its various islands such as Bird Island, Snake Island and Tortoise Island. Along the shore there is a historic complex of ancient tombs left by the Western Han Dynasty.