Sometimes it's good to get out of town and go to a place where there are no taxis, few busses and no flashing lights. Lake Tai is just the spot. It is the country's third largest freshwater lake and has long provided the people of the lower Yangtze River Delta with both their wealth and their conception of natural beauty. It nurtures a bounty known as the "three whites": white shrimp, whitebait and whitefish, holding lesser fame for hairy crabs.
Along the lake's northern reaches near the city of Wuxi, placid waters and misty hills have captured the imagination of Chinese artists and poets over the centuries. Unfortunately, many of the areas around Wuxi now are dotted with factories that discharge various unknown substances into the lake. The good news for us is that the part of the lake directly west of Suzhou hasn't suffered this fate. When we visited, we even jumped in for a short swim (not recommended this time of year though). The wealthy built gardens here that featured the lake's wrinkled, water-scarred limestone rocks set in groves of bamboo and chrysanthemum. You'll also find numerous small farms and fishing huts. There are hotels scattered around the shore, but try staying with some of the locals who live in well-appointed, clean, brick homes on the shore. It'll be cheaper and definitely more memorable.
Part of the charm of Lake Tai is that it is one of the most isolated and least commercial tourist destinations in China. This is due to its massive size and the particular geography of the lake, but it's also because traveling there is a little complicated. You can take public busses, but you'll have to change several times no matter where you start out. We recommend you pick a spot on the map, jump in a taxi with a few friends, and pay about a hundred kuai. Enjoy the fact that you won't have every thing planned before hand.
 "Suzhou Taihu National Tourism Vacation Zone")
 "Suzhou Taihu National Tourism Vacation Zone")
 "Suzhou Taihu National Tourism Vacation Zone")
 "Suzhou Taihu National Tourism Vacation Zone")
H: o
