Xishan Island | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 西山 島 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 西山 岛 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | West Mountain/Hill/Island Island | ||||||||
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Xishan Island is an island in Lake Tai administered as part of Taihu County, Suzhou, [1]
Xishan is the largest island in Lake Tai, [2] with an area of 79.8 square kilometers (30.8 sq mi). It is highly mountainous, with 41 of the 72 mountains in Taihu Co. located on the island. Its highest peak, Piaomiao Mountain ( 缥缈 峰), [3] reaches 336.6 meters (1,104 ft) above sea level.
The name of the island derived from its principal settlement, Xishan Town ( 西山 镇), [4] but the town's name was changed to Jinting ( 金庭 镇) on 28 June 2007.
The Xishan Scenic Area ( 西山 风景区) was established to encourage tourism in the area. [5] Natural attractions include Mt Shigong ( 石公 山), [6] Linwu Cave ( 林屋 洞), [7] Mingyue Bay ( 明月 湾), [8] Baoshan Temple ( 包山 寺), [9] and "Xiangxuehai" ( 香雪海). [10] Xishan Island also produces plums, waxberries, oranges, loquats, and peaches.