Jianhu Lake is located in Keyan Scenic Area. It is the ‘mother lake’ of Shaoxing. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but Shaoxing old wine is brewed with the water of Jianhu Lake. Due to the special water quality, the wine brewed with Jianhu Lake water is soft on the palate. Tasting a mouthful of authentic Shaoxing wine is also the reason why many people come to Jianhu Lake. To visit Jianhu Lake, you need to buy a joint ticket for Keyan Scenic Area. There are several scenic spots on the small islands in the lake, such as Donghan Flute Pavilion, Nanyang Autumn Panorama, Five Bridges Stepping on the Moon, and Gourd Drunken Island. You can walk onto the island from the west entrance of Keyan Scenic Area and play on foot throughout the whole journey. However, this is relatively tiring. Taking a free painted pleasure boat to cruise on Jianhu Lake is also a great experience. The more conventional way of playing is to first visit Keyan Scenic Area, take a painted pleasure boat to Jianhu Lake, and after playing, continue to take a painted pleasure boat to Lu Town. Entering Jianhu Lake from Keyan, the first place you arrive is the Donghan Flute Pavilion, a Han-style building where you can see some bamboo carvings and bamboo engravings handicrafts. The nearby Baichuan Wharf can take a free painted pleasure boat to enter Jianhu Lake. You can also charter a black-awning boat and feel the charm of Jianhu Lake on the swaying small boat (additional payment is required). If you take a painted pleasure boat, you will first come to Five Bridges Stepping on the Moon. In fact, this is a small park with five bridges and a nice environment. The big highlight here is a straight long embankment on the lake surface. At the other end is the main scenic spot of Jianhu Lake, Gourd Drunken Island. This long embankment is an ancient towpath. It is very delicate and well-preserved. People elegantly call it ‘White Jade Long Embankment’. Walking on the long embankment gives a feeling of integrating with Jianhu Lake. Gourd Drunken Island is the largest island in Jianhu Lake Scenic Area. In addition to its shape resembling a large wine gourd, even the scenic spots on the island are all related to Shaoxing’s fine wine. You can recall the heroic spirit of King Goujian of Yue who rewarded the three armies after enduring hardships by lying on firewood and tasting gall when standing in front of the sculpture of ‘Presenting Wine to Reward the Army’. The main building on the island, Hushang Tower, is a wine culture museum. You can learn about the production process and history of yellow rice wine through pictures, texts and exhibits. Of course, the tasting hall is not to be missed. Don’t forget to come here to taste the authentic Shaoxing yellow rice wine brewed with Jianhu Lake water for free. Shaoxing Huadiao wine will not disappoint you. If your relatives and friends like drinking, you might as well buy some to take back. There are painted pleasure boats shuttling between Gourd Drunken Island and Lu Town. After playing in Jianhu Lake, take a boat to Lu Town to experience the Shaoxing water town described by Lu Xun. It is another flavor.
Opening hours: Open from 08:00 to 17:00 from May 1st to October 7th; open from 08:30 to 16:30 from October 8th to April 30th. Must-see tips: Keyan Scenic Area is divided into three parts. The area is relatively large. It is recommended to visit in sequence according to the indication signs in the scenic area to avoid taking a detour.Jianhu Lake
Jianhu Lake is located in Keyan Scenic Area. It is the ‘mother lake’ of Shaoxing. Not on[...]
