Relief from the madding crowds

Qinhu Lake, Taizhou - 480 km from Shanghai

The Qingming Festival traditionally involves people paying their respects to their ancestors by visiting their graves. However, at Qinhu Lake in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, people celebrate a tradition that dates back to at least the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Every year the Qintong Boat Festival is staged on the lake. Beginning on the second day of the Qingming Festival, it is a weeklong carnival in which hundreds of skillful boatmen converge on the lake to compete in dragon boat races, there are also a variety of theatrical performances and folk dances.

Qinhu Lake is part of China's second-largest wetland park. Every year the lake is the stage for a boat festival which starts on the second day of the Qingming Festival. [Photo by Nan Ge / for China Daily]

Every year Qinhu Lake is the stage for a boat festival which starts on the second day of the Qingming Festival. [Photo by Chen Lidong / for China Daily]

The festival is becoming the biggest temple fair on water with the support of the local government, so you can expect to bump into other people.

If you really don't want to see anyone, the lake is part of the country's second-largest wetland park, which is home to more than 113 species of plants and 73 species of animals, including some rare species such as red-crowned cranes and rein deer.

Tourists can alternate between a boat cruise and walk to explore the huge park, although it is more usually suggested to explore the park in a vehicle. However, it is more intimate to see the flora and fauna by boat and on foot.

The reeds have just turned from winter yellow to tender green, signaling spring is in the air, which means this is a good time to visit the park as many of the animals are putting on their courtship displays.

Contact the writer at xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn