Dazong Lake Scenic Area

Dazong Lake Scenic Area is located in Yancheng, Jiangsu province in China.This lake is said to be the deepest lake in the Northern part of the province.

The board in Chinese at the entrance.It shows the entertainments that are available here and the most popular one is boating.

The mini waterfalls near the entrance

A great relief to see English on the sign boards

We were eager to see the statue of Budha standing shining and tall far, far away....

The board explaining about the reed boat - which is one of the star attractions in this place. 

It says - 

The Dazong lake has a spacious surface and net gatherings.The ancestors go fishing and tripping on this lake.The local people use reeds, a specialty of the Dazong lake. to make reed boats.People used it until the 50's of the last century.This reed boat is not only a handicraft, but also a symbol of tourist resort in the Dazong Lake.

Boards like these are seen in front/ near all the attractions in this area and hence makes the trip very interesting.

The reed ship....

Budha's statue and the Pagoda visible at a distance

Taken from the speed boat ride that we took. The ride was awesome not to mention very thrilling.

Another attraction here is the rice wine making area.People are here to explain how the famous Chinese Rice wine is prepared/ brewed. It's in Chinese but if you have a guide or translator, you will find the process very interesting.

Rice wine stored in Earthen pots. If you are brave enough, you can also sample the wine in the shop nearby. You can also buy some wine if you like.

Model of another ship

Throughout the area there are small shaded rest areas to relax. The roads leading to them are neat . I found this very helpful as Lil Angel was in the stroller and the poor girl would have had a body ache if the roads had been bumpy.

The archways leading to some areas were brightly decorated

It is a large area and though we kept on walking we could never get close to the pagoda which was on the other side of the lake.

And the Budha too was elusive...

Too tired to walk in the hot sun, we satisfied ourselves with this view of Budha. None of us were in a mood to walk around to the other side of the lake to see Budha and the Pagoda.

In case you like to visit this place here are a few pointers....

• The best time to go here is in spring and summer.
• Arm yourself with an umbrella / hat / sunscreen and most important of all a baby stroller if you have a little one coming with you.
• There are restaurants , tea houses and snack bars all along the way. But if you are a vegetarian be sure to pack some food.
• Be prepared to spend a whole day here as the area is very large and there are a lot of things to see. 
• You can relax a little and let the children play around. There is a place for children with the games they love  - swings, see saws etc.