T’aiTai, LakeChinese (Pinyin) Tai Hu or (Wade-Giles romanization) T’ai Hu, Pinyin Tai Hu, large lake between Chekiang Zhejiang and Kiangsu Jiangsu provinces, eastern China. Roughly crescent-shaped, it is about 45 miles (70 km) from north to south and about 37 miles (59 km) from east to west; its total surface area is about 850 935 square miles (2,200 425 square km). The lake lies in an extremely a flat plain and is connected with a maze of waterways that feed it from the west and discharge its waters eastward into the East China Sea, via the Su-chouWusong, Liu, Huangpu, and Huang-p’u other rivers. In addition to these natural waterways, there is an intricate pattern of canals and irrigation channels associated with the lake. Only on the northeast side is the lake bounded by a uplands—a ridge of hills , which that also outcrop in the lake as islands, many of which, because of continuing silting, have been joined to the shoreline.

Although the The surrounding area has been settled since the 1st century BC, but the irrigation system mostly dates from the 7th century AD and later. Reclamation and drainage works improvements were carried on conducted intensively between the 10th and the 13th centuries; large-scale flood control works measures were undertaken in the 11th and again in the 15th centuries. In century. Similar improvements have been carried out in more recent times, similar works have been undertaken; : drainage canals and dikes have been built, and an ever - more complex irrigation pattern has grown upemerged. In the 1930s the Chinese Nationalist government established a water - conservancy authority for the lake that , soon after 1949, was replaced by the Chinese Communist communist government replaced after 1949 with a water - conservancy assembly , which is generally that also became responsible for the whole surrounding area.

Several Some of the islands in the eastern part of the lake were are traditionally famous Taoist Daoist and Buddhist religious sites. Several , and several thousand people live on the islandsthem, raising fruit and fishing in the lake. Lake T’ai Tai is a place of great natural beauty; , and the area, particularly in the east near Su-chou in Kiangsu Suzhou and in the north around Wu-hsiWuxi (both in Jiangsu), attracts many tourists.