Lake Hóngzé

Hóngzé Lake receives the Huái River in the lowlands of northern Jiāngsū. Its eastern shore is held by a long dyke, known historically as Gāojiāyàn, which protects the country below from floodwaters. From 1580 onward, successive Míng and Qīng governments faced the embankment with stone; the work continued for two centuries as officials struggled to control the waters of the Huái.