Hongze Lake


Hongze Lake or Lake Hungtse is in Jiangsu Province, China and is encompassed by the prefecture-level cities Suqian and Huai'an.
Lake Hongze is the fourth largest freshwater lake in China. Lake Hongze has quadrupled in size since the 12th century.
A particularly large change happened in 1680, when the Yellow River changed its course and merged with the Huai River. Heavy sediment from the Yellow River blocked the Huai River; the diverted water created Hongze Lake as we know it today. The city of Sizhou was completely submerged, as was the nearby Ming Ancestors Mausoleum. The latter was rediscovered only in the 1960s.