Dongping Lake
东平湖
The second-largest freshwater lake in Shandong, a remnant of the 800-li Liangshan Marsh of Water Margin, with film sets, mountain stockades and an ancient dam around its shores.
Dongping Lake lies in the west of Dongping County, Tai'an City, where the Dawen River flows in. Known in ancient times as Daye Marsh and Liangshan Marsh, it is considered the only surviving water body of the 800-li marsh in Water Margin. It is also an important flood-retention area on the lower Yellow River and a regulating reservoir for the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The old lake area holds water year-round and covers about 200 square kilometres, with islands such as Juyi Island in the lake. The main sights around the shore include Water Margin Film and TV Base, where the main scenes of the new TV series Water Margin were shot; Liugong Mountain Water Margin Stockade; Daicun Dam, a Ming-dynasty dam known as the 'Dujiangyan of the North'; Lashan National Forest Park; and the cliff inscriptions on Hongding Mountain. The sights are scattered and sold separately, so driving around the lake is recommended. Visiting two or three sights takes half a day to a full day. Lake fish and Dongping congee are local specialities. The lake is about 1–1.5 hours' drive from Liaocheng, Tai'an and Jining.
Opening hours
Lake area open all day; individual sites approx. 08:30–17:30