Yuantouzhu

Yuantouzhu, turtle head isle, is a peninsula reaching into Lake Tai from the Wuxi shore, shaped like a turtle's head and developed as a garden park from the early twentieth century. Its cherry grove, planted from the 1980s with Japanese assistance and now numbering some thirty thousand trees of dozens of varieties, is among the largest in China and the reason for the park's fame: for roughly two weeks from late March the peninsula turns pink and Wuxi fills with visitors, with night viewing under lights extending the day. Outside the blossom weeks the park offers lake views, pavilions, a boat to Sanshan island and long shoreline walks.

What you actually see

• The cherry blossom - thirty thousand trees flowering for about two weeks.
• The night viewing - illuminated blossom in the evening during the season.
• The lake views - Taihu from the peninsula's tip and pavilions.
• Sanshan island - the island reached by boat from the park.

When to go

Late March to early April for the blossom, whose exact peak shifts each year by a week or more; the park announces the flowering stage daily. Outside the season it is a pleasant but ordinary lakeside park.

Honest expectations

Blossom season brings extreme crowds and higher ticket prices, with queues at the entrance and on the paths. The window is short and weather-dependent. The park is large and walking it fully takes hours.

Nearby

Wuxi lies east; the Lingshan Grand Buddha is across the lake shore.