Qiandao Lake

Qiandao Lake is a man-made lake located in Chun'an County, Zhejiang, China. Qiandao Lake is a man-made lake formed since the completion of the Xinanjiang hydroelectric station. There are 1,078 large islands in the lake and a few thousand smaller ones. It covers an area of 573 km?, it has a storage capacity of 17.8 . The total area of the islands in the lake is about 86 km?.

Qiandao Lake is known for its clear, and sometimes, drinkable water, such as that used to produce the renowned Nongfu Spring brand of mineral water. It is also home to lush forestation , and exotic islands, its more popular attractions include the Bird Island, the Snake Island, the Lock Island , the Island to Remind You of Your Childhood.

The lake is an important tourist attraction of Zhejiang. Newer housing developments have sprung up since the late 1990s at a reasonable cost to buyers looking for lakeside residences.

History

In 1994, three bandits raided a boat full of Taiwanese tourists and set it on fire, killing all 32 passengers onboard in a notorious event named the Qiandao Lake Incident. The PRC's rough handling of the incident upset many people in Taiwan, hence escalating the event into a political incident that resulted in an increase of support for in Taiwan.

In 2007, a Chinese-Italian consortium started to plan the construction of a prototype of an archimedes bridge in the lake, spanning 100 m, as a proof-of-concept for larger bridges.

Transport

There are hourly buses that connect Qiandao Lake with the provincial capital, Hangzhou, under which it is technically under jurisdiction. A railway development project to the area was ceased as it was considered damaging to the natural sights of Qiandao Lake. An expressway will be linking Hangzhou, Qiandao Lake, and Huangshan, Anhui by 2008.