The Red Maple Lake

The Red Maple Lake is located in the west suburb of Guiyang City with 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) away from the downtown area, and it is 25 kilometers long (15.5 miles) from south to north and 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide from east to west with 100 meters in depth, which is bestowed the title of “a Pearl on the Plateau”. The lake is surrounded by the red maples along the bank, which are just like fire in autumn. As a matter of fact, the Red Maple Lake is the watershed between the Yangzi River System and Zhu River System, and thousands of mountains are submerged by the vast lake, which forms more than 100 isles of different sizes and shapes among the lake, attracting the visitors from all over the world to come here for sightseeing and entertainments. Now Red Maple Lake has become a key national scenic spot area, which combines the lake, the mountains, the lavas and the folk customs perfectly in a unique style.

The main features of Red Maple Lake
Covering a total area of 57.2 square kilometers (22 square miles), the Red Maple Lake is composed of 4 parts: the North Lake, the South Lake, the Central Lake and the Rear Lake. The North Lake is famous for its isles: the Bird isle, the Snake isle and the Turtle isle, which are just like pearls scattering throughout the vast ocean, forming the unique spectacles in the lake. In the north bank of the lake lie a cluster of tombs, among which the most famous one is the Barracks of King Miao’s. The South Lake is famous for its caves: the General’s Cave, the Glen Cave and Fish-Catching Cave, among which the most splendid one is the General’s Cave with stalactites of different shape inside. At the end of the General’s Cave lies a huge shining stone screen with over 10 meters high (32 feet) and 20 meters (21.9 yards) wide, just like a powerful waterfall surging from the cliff. The North Lake and the South Lake are connected by the Central Lake, which is narrow with cliffs on both sides. On the top of the cliff are old vigorous pine trees and cypresses as well as two big stones, among which one is in the shape of a fairy and the other is in the shape of a smiling arhat. There are many tributaries in the Rear Lake, interleaving with one another. The sceneries change with the seasons throughout the year: the flowers are blooming in spring, everything is verdant in summer, the sky is very blue in fall and the lake is covered with heavy snow in winter. There are the Miao village, the Dong Village and the Buyi village in the scenic spot area. The hanging house of the Miao Minority, the Bell Towers of the Dong Minority and the flagstone houses of the Buyi Minority are very special with different style in architecture. You can appreciate the traditional dancing as well as singing by the local people in these villages

Getting there
The Red Maple Lake is located in the west suburb of Guiyang City with 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) away from the downtown area, so you can take a sightseeing bus from Hebin Park in downtown area to get there directly within 20 minutes. You can also take a bus for Qingzhen City from Haikou Bus Station first, and then transfer to a bus there directly. It is open to the public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm every day.