Erhai Lake Landscape

This is China’s seventh largest freshwater lake, and it was formed by tectonic subsidence. In the past, it was called Yeyuze, Kunmichuan, Xi’er River and Xi Er River. It is the ‘mother lake’ of the Bai people, whose ancestors called it ‘Golden Moon’. Erhai Lake is located northwest of Dali City, Yunnan Province. It starts in Eryuan in the north, is 42 km long and has an east-west width of 9 km. Its surface area is 256 km², the average depth is 10 m, and the maximum depth is 20 m. Its only outlet is near Xiaguan Town, and it flows to the ocean via the Xi’er (West Er) River. Erhai Lake is one of the scenic locations in Dali that has incorporated the scenery of the ‘wind, flower, snow and moon’. It was given the name ‘Erhai’ because it looks like an ear (in Chinese, ‘Er’ is ear, and ‘Hai’ is sea). The water quality is excellent, and because of its rich aquatic resources, it is a scenic location with a splendid landscape (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7

Erhai Lake landscape