Yangcheng Lake () is a freshwater lake about northeast of the city of

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trad ...

Jiangsu Province Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

, and ranges in depth from . The lake is -long from north to south, with an average width of from east to west. It is the most famous area of origin for the

Chinese mitten crab The Chinese mitten crab ('; , "big sluice crab"), also known as the Shanghai hairy crab (, p ''Shànghǎi máoxiè''), is a medium-sized burrowing crab that is named for its furry claws, which resemble mittens. It is native to rive ...

, which is considered a delicacy. Yangcheng lake is located between

Lake Tai Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and one of the largest freshwater lakes in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. Wit ...

and the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flow ...

River. It crosses the boundary of the cities

, Changshu and Kunshan and has a surface area of about . The -long Yangcheng West Lake Tunnel (阳澄西湖隧道) runs underneath the lake, and the lake itself is served by both a mainline hight-speed railway station Yangchenghu railway station & a station of the

Suzhou Rail Transit Suzhou Rail Transit, also known as Suzhou Metro, is a rapid transit system serving the city of Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, China. Line 1 began operation on April 28, 2012. Line 2 opened on December 28, 2013. A further three lines, and an extensi ...

system;

Yangchenghu South station Yangchenghu Station () is the North-Eastern terminus Line 5, Suzhou Rail Transit. The station is located in Suzhou Industrial Park The China–Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (), or Suzhou Industrial Park for short, abbreviated as SIP, is a ...

. The Chinese mitten crabs migrate from Yangcheng Lake towards the

delta for mating in September and October. The local fishermen harvest the animals during this migration. In 2002, the total production of

s in Yangcheng Lake was estimated to be about .

References

External links

China Daily article on faked origins of Hairy Crabs

Article on the lake and the crab by the Suzhou government
Lakes of Suzhou {{Suzhou-stub