Yangcheng Lake

Located northwest of Suzhou City, Yangcheng Lake, a part of Taihu Lake, is one of the important freshwater lakes in Jiangsu Province. It covers an area of 120 square kilometers (about 46 square miles), is17 kilometers (about 11 miles) long from north to south and 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) wide from east to west. Seen from far away, it appears like a piece of shiny jade in the sun.

Yangcheng Lake teems with aquatic wildlife, especially freshwater fishes like salmons, turtles, whitefish, eels, shrimps and crabs which together are called 'The Six Treasures in the Yangcheng Lake'. Among them, the most well-known is the crab which has won the fame as 'The King of the Crabs'. Thanks to the natural ecological environment, the crabs in Yangcheng Lake have four major characteristics that distinguish them from the others in other places. First, the crabs here always have smooth and lustrous blue-grey shells. Second, the belly, the belly button, and the crust close to the mud of the crabs are pure white and crystal-like without any black spots. Third, the hairs on the crab's feet are rather long, yellow, and straight. Fourth, their claws are golden and strong, with which they can stand still even if placed on a piece of glass.

Besides their special appearance, the crabs in Yangcheng Lake also taste tender and fresh. It's said that even the crabs produced in the Zhicheng Lake, only several kilometers away, are not tasty as them. The crabs, even though they come from a nearby area, can't be compared with them, let alone with those from other regions. Therefore, the crabs produced in Yangcheng Lake have long enjoyed great reputation abroad, and are sometimes known as 'Chinese Mitten Crabs'. Over the years, tasting, appreciating, chanting and reading about crabs have become necessary parts of a visit to Yangcheng Lake. The most famous places to eat crabs in the scenic area are Yangcheng Dock, Yangcheng Farm and Qianshuiwan Commercial Street.

Besides tasting the delicious crabs, visitors may also enjoy the natural scenery in the Yangcheng Lake Water Garden, or participate in some sports at the Golf Club of Great Shanghai, the Paintball Shooting Center and the Fishing Center.

Transportation:
A. From Kunshan:
a. Take bus No.107 at Kunshan Railway Station. Get off at Bacheng Town.
b. Take Minibus No.118 at Kunshan Railway Station or Kunshan Bus Station to the lake directly.
c. Take a taxi from Kunshan City. It takes about 15 minutes and costs about CNY 35.
B. From Shanghai: Every November, there are special tourism buses to Yangcheng Lake at the Shanghai Tourist Distribution Center.
C. From Hangzhou: Take the Bus Hangzhou-Kunshan at Hangzhou East Bus Station. Get off at Kunshan and then take bus No. 107 or 118.
D. From Suzhou: Take the minibus Suzhou-Kunshan at Suzhou North Bus Station. Get off at Kunshan and then take bus No. 107 or 118.