Park of China
Overview
| Province | Jiangsu |
| Location | Islands in Lake Tai, Wuzhong District, Suzhou, Jiangsu |
| Rivers and lakes | Taihu Lake |
| Latitude, longitude | 31.0, 120.3 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Lake, islands, Taihu rocks |
| Top sights | Banbi Peak |
| Area | 2 km² |
| Highest point | 81 m |
| Nearby cities | Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Hangzhou |
| Nearby sites | Classical Gardens of Suzhou 44km, Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City 73km, West Lake, Hangzhou 85km, Shugang and Slender West Lake, Yangzhou 178km, Qiandao Lake 198km Search nearby |
| Themes | Island, Lake, Hill, Stone, Prehistory, Archaeological sites, Chinese gardens |
About
The Three Hills (Sanshan) scenic area lies in Lake Tai south-west of East Dongting Hill in Wuzhong District, Suzhou, Jiangsu: one large island and two small ones. The main island, Sanshan, is 1.6 km² and 81 m high; the islets Zeshan and Jueshan lie 3 km away.
Sanshan is a source of Taihu rocks and has remains of the Song “flower and rock tribute”; its famous rocks are Banbi Peak, “the first strange peak of Wu”, and Four Generations Under One Roof, which shows four kinds of rock of different ages recording the island’s sinking into a shallow sea and later volcanic eruption. The Sphinx Rock, popularly the Stacked Stones One-Line Sky, looks just like the Sphinx.
In 1984 Palaeolithic chipped stone tools and vertebrate fossils 12,000 years old were found on the island, the “Sanshan culture”. Birds are plentiful: hill mynas with red bills and feet, hawks, mandarin ducks and black-headed gulls.
Food
Soy-braised duck; the “three whites” of Lake Tai: whitefish, white shrimp and icefish; Lake Tai mandarin fish.
Getting there
Bus 20 from Suzhou railway station to Dongshan town, then a minibus to the Luxiang pier, from which a ferry leaves daily at 14:30 for Sanshan, about an hour; speedboats can be hired.
Photo credits: Sanshan Island, Lake Tai: Huanokinhejo (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Classical Gardens of Suzhou 44km, Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City 73km, West Lake, Hangzhou 85km, Zhongguo Huanghai Houniao Qixidi 171km |
| National parks | Lake Tai 24km, Mount Mogan 67km, Taiji Cave 87km, Huan River and Wuxie 146km |
| AAAAA attractions | Nanxun Ancient Town Scenic Area 18km, Wuzhen Ancient Town Tourist Area, Tongxiang 34km, Tongli Ancient Town Scenic Area, Wujiang 43km, South Lake Tourist Area 51km |
| AAAA attractions | Taihu Lougang 8km, Suzhou Xishan 13km, Zhenze Ancient Town 21km, Guangfu Scenic Area 33km |
| Historic cities | Huzhou 24km, Jiaxing 50km, Yixing 61km, Wuxi 64km |
| Cities | Suzhou 44km, Hangzhou 82km, Shanghai 116km |
| Historical sites | Dongshan Residences 8km, Xuanyuan Palace Main Hall 8km, Zijin Convent Luohan Statues 10km, Chunzai Tower 13km |
| National geoparks | Suzhou Taihu Xishan National Geopark 17km, Chongming Island National Geopark 134km |
| Nature reserves | Tianmushan National Nature Reserve 110km, Chinese Alligator National Nature Reserve 146km |
| Historic towns | Dongshan Town 14km, Nanxun Town 18km, Zhenze Town 22km, Shuanglin Town 24km |
| Historic villages | Yangwan Village 2km, Sanshan Village 5km, Mingyuewan Village 8km, Luxiang Village 9km |