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| Dongting Lake |
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Dongting Lake and the Yueyang Tower at the mouth of the lake to the
Yangtze River, is an important port for many cruise ships that sail
between Chongqing and Wuhan. Usually the first one from Wuhan. But
recently some ships change to stop in Shashi.
As China's biggest and most famous fresh water lake, Dongting Lake
covers an area of 3, 900 square
kilometers. It connects the Yangtze River in the north and Xiang
River of Hunan Province in the south. It is also the boarder between
Hubei and Hunan Provinces. "Hu" means lake while "nan"
means south. Together, Hunan is "south of the lake", and
Hubei is "north of the lake".
Junshan, an island in the lake with 72 hill peaks, is the most
well know scenic place in the area. Ferryboats to Junshan are available
every day in Yueyang. The trip takes about 1 hour. Junshan is also
particularly famous for its Junshan Silver Needle tea. In Qing Dynasty,
the tea was among the articles of the tribute to the royal family. |
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