Red Maple Lake

The Red Maple Lake lies in Qingzhen and Pingba County, 33 kilometers away from Guiyang downtown area. The Lake covers an area of 57.2 square kilometres with more than one hundred islands and islets in it. For the karst landforms and the fascinating water and hills as its characteristics, it is a state-rank key scenic spot and the largest artificial lake in Guizhou Plateau.
The lake was built in 1958, and there is a Red Maple Ridge besides it. Every year in autumn, the maple leaves turn red and fly over the lake, which make a fantastic scene of the lake. Hence, the lake got the name Red Maple.
The Red Maple Lake has divided into four parts: the North Lake, the Middle Lake, the South Lake and the Rear Lake. The North Lake is renowned for its islands like the bird isle, the snake isle and the turtle isle. It has a boundless expand of blue water. The Middle Lake, which connects the North Lake to the South Lake, is surrounded by precipitous mountains and covered with dense pine and cypress trees. The South Lake is known for its karst caves, including the General's Cave, the Fishing Cave, the Underground Cave and the Big Mouth Cave. Many branches of a river crisscross the Rear Lake. Lots of ethnic villages including the Buyi Village, the Miao Village and the Dong village can be found here. People can also visit Miao's Diaojiaolow (an unique wooden tower house) and Dong's Drum Tower. The intricate combination of the lake, the boats, the isles, the rocky hills and the water birds, forms a picture of unique beauty.
The Red Maple Lake has different views in different season. In spring, people can see the azaleas in full blossom. In summer, the cool water makes people comfortable. And there are all kinds of pleasure-boat dotted in the lake. Then, in autumn, the red maple decorated the lake a charming place. While in winter, hundreds of water birds come to nest here as their winter home. It is really a fantastic scene.
Besides the natural beauty, visitors can also enjoy themselves in the Night-Spree-Campfire. Every night, the local villagers entertain the visitors with a Welcome Ceremony in the Miao's traditional way, local minority dishes with ox-horn wine and lusheng dance. At night a campfire party starts with hundreds of fire torches burning brightly. On this happy occasion, visitors will watch the performance by the locals and even can join in and dance with them. All of the people will have wonderful time here.