Hongze Lake is one of the five freshwater lakes in China and is so blessed with natural resources that it is known as a Lake of Treasures in China. The lake is conveniently located at a point adjoining the coastal areas of Jiangsu and areas of Central and Western China, between warm temperate and subtropical zones, which is conducive to favorable conditions for agriculture. Even though it is a relatively shallow lake, there are 16 families and 84 kinds of fishes living in it. The production of fishes reaches 7,500 to 9,000 tons annually, with whitebait consisting of 300 to 350 tons. However, the lake's specialty is the meaty Chinese mitten crab, which adds up to over 2,500 tons. In fact, visitors gather in Huai'an every autumn for the city's special crab festival. These special local products, whitebait and crab, are famous both at home and abroad.
In addition, the lake is home to 30 kinds of valuable water plants such as reed, cattails, barge poles, water chestnut and lotus root. On the bank of the lake one can see red willows, elms, acacias and Japan allspice. Here the weather is good, and the clean environment and abundant aquatic plants attract a lot of birds, wild ducks and geese.
Today, Hongze Lake is also a tourist attraction. A favorite activity is to go boating on the lake, enjoying the wind, waves and sunshine, and even having the opportunity to taste some dishes featuring fresh caught fish from the lake. Around the lake there are also points of interest such as Lao Tse Mountain, Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, Third Sluice Gate, Second Sluice Gate, Huai River Great Bridge, as well as some other hydraulic projects.
