The Erhai Lake is located in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Since it has a shape of an ear, it gets the name Erhai (Ear Lake). It stretches 42 kilometers from north to south and 3.9 kilometers from east to west. The lake covers an area of more than 250 square kilometers and is 21.5 meters at the deepest. It is ranked the second place in Yunnan Province and the seventh freshwater lake in the nation by area and water storage.

On the southern end of Erhai Lake lies Tuanshan Mountain, which is home to Erhai Park, an ideal place to soak in the scenery and natural beauty of the lake and mountains. Enter into the park from the small dock and climb the mountain along the stone steps. At the top of the mountain you will see the Sea Watching Pavilion with flying eaves. Stroll in this pavilion and feast your eyes on the scenery of Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain.

Between Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain lies a flat alluvial basin which contains fertile farmlands and many villages, as well as the Chongsheng Temple and Three Pagodas. This area has earned the appropriate nickname "Scenic Gallery", since beautiful scenic views, key points of interests and colorful folk-customs abound.

Erhai Lake lies on a fault line and was formed by the shifting in tectonic plates, in turn altering the earth's crust. All in all, the lake is home to 3 islands, 4 islets, 5 lakes and 8 bendings. The water is so clear you can see the bottom. Because of its astonishing transparency, Erhai Lake has been called the "flawless and beautiful jade lying among mountains", even in ancient times. It is said that on the sea bed there grows a very big jade cabbage, and in fact the clear water is the jade liquid flowing from the heart of the cabbage.