Covering an area of 8,000 mu (15 mu =
1 hectare), the Star Lake is located 4 kilometers to the north of Zhaoqing in
Guangdong Province. The whole lake is divided by winding and interlaced dikes
into five small lakes, namely the East Lake, the Green Lotus Lake, the Middle
Lake, the Sea Wave Lake and the Inner Lake.
The Star Lake is famous for its
enchanting and peculiar cliffs and caves. A group of seven limestone peaks
spread along the lakeside, looking like the Big Dipper, hence the name of Seven
Star Crags. The sight of Treasures in Stone Chamber is in the Stone Chamber
Cave, the earliest one opened to tourists. The cave is 2 meters high at the
entrance and over 30 meters high inside, with the Water Cave as its main sight.
Visitors can tour in the cave by boat. There are more than 20 stone scenes
inside the cave, and over 270 pieces of carved pictures.
On the left
side of southern entrance of the Stone Chamber Cave stands a palace-style
construction that leans against the mountain and faces water, which is the Water
Moon Palace. A group of pavilions spread in the lake
beside the palace. The middle one is an octagonal pavilion with a multi-eave
roof and it is surrounded by four quadrilateral pavilions with a single-eave
roof. These pavilions tie in perfectly with the Water Moon Palace. Standing on
the pavilions and looking around, one will find the lake, the moon, rocks, and
clouds, the earth and the heaven blend into an integral whole. This is known as
the famous sight of Water, Moon, Rock, and Cloud.