This gallery of photos is not really about the lake itself but about surprising and inspiring things I saw on the nine-day trip. They are loosely grouped together with a little commentary where appropriate.

SYMBOLS

Somehow this photo became a symbol of the entire experience for me. I took it shortly after leaving Taihu Paradise, Zhejiang side. Empty highway, nothing around, but here is this wonderful park bench waiting for the right two people to sit on it.

On the ferry from Dongshan to Sanshan Dao

Abandoned crab shack, Zhejiang

Algae bloom near Wuxi

CRAB FARMING QIDU, ZHEJIANG

BUILDINGS

Pingjiang Lu, Suzhou

Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

Back garden of a restaurant on shore of Lihu, Wuxi

Pingjiang Lu, Suzhou–this used to house The Bookworm

Pingjiang Lu, Suzhou

Pingjiang Lu, Suzhou

Inner courtyard of Qianweng Hotel in Nanxun

Nanxun at night

Garden on Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

Buddhist temple hidden in the trees on Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

ICONS

Sheraton Huzhou

Lingshan Big Buddha

World of Warcraft theme park, Wuxi

Old style Chinese junk in harbor on Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

SHEER BEAUTY

On the dyke, Yixing, Jiangsu

On the dyke, Yixing, Jiangsu

Girl playing flute on Turtlehead Peninsula, Wuxi

I saw many white cranes like this on the trip