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Sell photos on photrade | By Elly

The East Lake in Shaoxing is supposed to be on a par with the famous West Lake of Hangzhou, both in Zhejiang province in southern China. But I prefer the West Lake - it is bigger, more open, more beautiful.

The East Lake goes back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) and was a quarry for a kind of bluestone which was used to build bridges, roads and houses. Stone is used so much here in all buildings. Solid. Re-usable!

Over many years great chunks of rock were taken from this area, and eventually the hole that was left filled with water and became the famed East Lake. The hill was hollowed out, there are beautiful steep cliffs and grottos. Along the way are ancient stone bridges and walkways, with pavilions dotted around the park. The willows drooping their long branches down to the water add a romantic touch.

There are little boats - we westerners would probably liken them to sampans - where the boatmen propel the boat using one foot to manage a long oar, and they take tourists along a winding route in and out of some of the huge grottos formed in the rocks.

An enjoyable day - quite a bit of walking to do on rocky paths. Not a good place to take frail or elderly, and limited acces for disabled. Pretty all the same.

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