Lake Baiyangdian
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Lake Baiyangdian | |
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Location | Hebei Province |
Basin countries | China |
Surface area | 366 km² |
Lake Baiyangdian (Chinese: 白洋淀) is located in the Hebei Province, China. It is the largest natural lake in northern China.
It is referred to as the Kidney of North China. The lake is home to about 50 varieties of fish. While appearing pristine in parts, Lake Baiyangdian is under assault from a variety of sources, most notably industrial waste emptied upstream, the holding back of replenishing waters into reservoirs by upstream communities, and local fish farming. The cleanup of Lake Baiyangdian has become a test for the Chinese government's vocal commitment to environmental causes, but Chinese environmentalists have painted this agenda as little more than empty promises, often pointing to the lake as evidence.