Taihu Lake Fringe

Lake Tai (Taihu) is the third-largest freshwater lake in China and the historical southern boundary of the Suzhou prefecture. Its eastern lake-edge — within Suzhou's administrative boundaries — contains some of the most substantive natural and cultural attractions in the wider Suzhou area.

Dongshan Peninsula, jutting into the lake from the south, is famous for its tea plantations and lake-fish restaurants. Biluochun tea — Pi Lo Chun — is one of the ten most famous Chinese teas, grown exclusively in the Dongshan and Xishan tea hills under the protected geographic-indication designation. The Spring Equinox harvest, fired by hand, is the prestige product.

Xishan (West Mountain) Island is the largest freshwater-lake island in China — accessible by car-bridge from Dongshan since the 1990s. The island's interior contains preserved village settlements, Buddhist temple sites, and the substantial Yutong Cave system.

Tianpingshan, immediately east of Lake Tai, is one of the most-painted classical Suzhou landscapes — Tang-dynasty maple trees, rugged limestone outcrops, and Buddhist temple ruins on the slopes. The autumn maple weeks (late October through early December) are the peak photographic and visiting season.

The "three whites of Lake Tai" — Tai Hu San Bai — are the canonical Suzhou seafood preparation: white-fish (bai yu / silverfish), white-shrimp (bai xia), and white-bait (yin yu) served lightly-poached or pan-fried in butter and salt. The lake-edge restaurants on Dongshan are the orthodoxy; reservations recommended in season.