(pinyin: qing shan hu; simplified Chinese: 青山湖) is a large man-made lake built in 1964 and surrounded by mountains on all four sides, it is blessed with great ecological environment. The lake area is home to more than 240 kinds of wild animals, such as white-necked long-tailed pheasant, white stork, black stork and wild duck. The northern part of the lake has a one-million-square-meter forest grown in water which is rarely seen in China and is like a piece of emerald embedded in the water. Someone summed up the scenery of Qingshan Lake with four sentences: "Trees grow in the water; boats travel in the forest; birds sing in the branches and people are walking in the painting-like scenery". 

（Photo Credit:VCG）

It's around this incredible lake that was built the Qingshan Lake Greenway (pinyin: qing shan hu lv dao; simplified Chinese: 青山湖绿道), which made it to the list of Zhejiang's Most Beautiful Greenways. Qingshan Lake Greenway is 42.195 kilometers in length, the same as the running distance of the international marathon. Centered on Qingshan Lake, the greenway magnifies every beauty of the lake by integrating ecological environment with cultural elements.

Along the way, service stations with different forms and functions, tea cafes, kiosks, sightseeing platforms and bike rental spots are considerately built for people to stop for a drink, or have a panoramic view of the mountains and lakes, or rent a bicycle for a change of pace...

Let's follow the camera to have a look at the incredible lake and gorgeous greenway.

▲ Descend the dam and cycle slowly along the southern line.

▲ At Gongshan Wetland Park, you will find the first hairpin turn followed by nine more, which is extremely exciting and frequently recommended by cycling enthusiasts.

▲ Also in the park, there is a roundabout suspended in mid-air.

▲ Here comes a giant 270-degree turn whose official name is called Enjoying Autumn View in Yueshan Hill (pinyin: yue shan lan qiu; simplified Chinese: 岳山揽秋).

▲ This part of the greenway spans Qingshan Lake and winds its way back to pass under Qiangshanhu Bridge.

▲ Along the greenway, there is a rainbow-like bridge built across Qingshan Lake.

▲ The greenway snakes forward and we are about to reach the northern line.

▲ Say hi to Qianwang Bridge, a landmark sight of Lin'an County and cycle forward.

▲ Here is the Forest Grown in Water, the most beautiful sight in the northern line and the pond cypresses introduced from the Amazon in the 1960s are now towering big trees.

▲ Here, we meet Qingshuiwan Park (pinyin: qing shui wan gong yuan; simplified Chinese: 清水湾公园) covered in greenery.

▲ After Chuidiao Park (pinyin: chui diao gong yuan; simplified Chinese: 垂钓公园) and Gangwan Park (pinyin: gang wan gong yuan; simplified Chinese: 港湾公园), we are back to the starting point, the dam.

Tips

It takes about two hours by bicycle and four hours if running to complete the route.

Public Transportation：

1. take Hangzhou-Lin'an bus No. 599 to the bus stop of West Mingzhu Village (pinyin: ming zhu cun xi; simplified Chinese: 民主村西) and walk for 2.1 kilometers to get to the destination.

2. take Lin'an bus No. 834 to the bus stop of West Mingzhu Village (pinyin: ming zhu cun xi; simplified Chinese: 民主村西) and walk for 2.1 kilometers to get to the destination.

3. take Lin'an bus No. k5 to the terminus.

(Executive Editor:Shuangli MA)