Location
Erhai Lake is located in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. It stretches 42 km from north to south and 3.9 km from east to west. The lake covers an area of more than 250 sq km and is 21.5 m 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.

It means, "sea shaped like an ear" in Chinese, implying that the lake is ear-shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was named so. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali city as seen from Mount Cangshan. On a sunny day, the crystal waters of Erhai Lake and the snow mantled Mount Cangshan radiate between each other. Thus, the scene was commonly described as "Silver Cangshan and Jade Erhai".

Introduction
Erhai Lake was formed by the subsidence of a geological fault. It is reputed as the pearl on plateau because its beautiful scenery. The famous sights of Erhai Lake include Three Islets, namely Jinsuo, Chiwen, and Yuji, Four Lands, namely Malian, Mandarin Duck, Qingsha, and Daguanpeng, and Nine Curves, namely Lotus, Huge Crane, Panji, Phoenix Wing, Dill, Ox Horn, Bozuo, Gaopin and Soaring Crane.

Besides these sights, the lake also has some other attractions, such as Shadows of Three Towers, Nine-Arched Stone Bridge and Jade Dragon Playing in the Water. Many scenic spots surround the lake, including Erhai Park, the Xizhou Mid-sea Pavilion, the Haishe and the Double-Corridor.

Moreover, one can also find a number of historic sites in the Erhai Lake Scenic Area, including the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion, the Water Moon Pavilion, the Zhuhai Pavilion, the Kwan-yin Pavilion and the Small Putuo Hill. With a mild climate, Erhai Lake is abundant in sea creatures and is one of the largest production bases of seafood in Yunnan Province. To give the people and tourists alike the convenience of watching the lake, Erhai Lake Park was built. In spring, the place is transformed into a wonderland of flowers like camellias, azaleas and primrose, and abundant exotic trees.