Red Maple Lake

Scattered throughout the lake are 178 islands, some of which resemble huge reefs, some look like screens and still others are just small rock-hills with water inside. By the lake there stands a Dong's Drum Tower with a Roofed Bridge in front of it and the Miao Village Museum just opposite to it. Besides, The new-built Buyi Village, Fengye (Red Maple Leaves) Villa and Golden-Dream Garden as a whole have formed a lovely garden of ethnic villages, not far from the Dong's Drum Tower.

The Red Maple Lake is divided into four parts, the North, the Middle, the South and the Rear Lakes. The North Lake is known for its islands such as the birds Isle, the Snake Isle and the Turtle Isle. By the lake there is also an old military site of a king of the Miao people in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1664). And there are also Han tombs dating back to 250 BC. The South Lake is famous for its karst caves, among them the General's cave, the fishing Cave, the Underground Cave and the Big Mouth Cave. The General's Cave has so much water in it that you have to take a boat to explore this 1400-m- long cave and enjoy exquisite natural formations while listening to fascinating legends told by the tour guide. 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.

On the peak, one rock resembles an elegant fairy while another is like a smiling abbot. The Rear Lake is a crisscrossed by many branches of a river to such an extent that you simply cannot tell where the river starts and where the lake ends. When the pleasure boats make a turn, picturesque views come into sight: villages far and near, returning fishing boats, young couples hand in hand, and dancing girls of the Miao nationality forming a peaceful world. The intricate combination of the lake, the boats, the isles, the rocky hills and the water birds forms a picture of unique beauty. Tourists need to make a choice of time and scene according to their different tastes. In spring, one can enjoy the best of flowers when azaleas bloom in profusion; in summer, a vast expanse of clear water when all kinds of boats dot the lake; in autumn, the leaves of the maple trees turning red; in winter, hundreds of water birds coming to nest here as their winter home.

The local villagers and Guiyang Tourism Agency organize jointly a Night-Spree-Campfire. On this happy occasion, 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 around the Tower of the Miao's King, then various festival activities are under way, such as lusheng dance around fire, "oriental disco" (wooden drum dance of the Fanpai Village), or climbing the knife ladder. Visitors can't help joining in the dancing spree to enjoy themselves to their heart's content.

With wide and deep water and surrounded by rolling green hills, the Red Maple Lake is an ideal place for aquatic sports and summer vocations. The Red Maple Lake is located at the crossing point of the Guiyang-Kunming and Qingzhen-Bijie Highways, leading to the Dragon Palace and the Huangguoshu Waterfalls to the west and azalea hills and Zhijin Cave to the North.