With an area of 2,250 square kilometers (869 sq mi) and an average depth of 2 meters (6.6 ft),[1] it is the third-largest freshwater lake entirely in China, after Poyang and Dongting.

Lake Tai is linked to the Grand Canal and is the origin of a number of rivers, including Suzhou Creek.

In recent years, Lake Tai has been plagued by pollution as the surrounding region experienced rapid industrial development.

These "scholar's rocks" or "Taihu stones" are often prized as a decorating material for traditional Chinese gardens, as exemplified by those preserved in nearby Suzhou.

[6] Since the late 1970s, harvesting food products such as fish and crabs has been invaluable to people living along the lake and has contributed significantly to the economy of the surrounding area.

The central government intervened and initiated a campaign to clean up the lake, setting a deadline to comply with pollution standards.

[11] Jiangsu province planned to clean the lake;[12] chaired by then prime minister Wen Jiabao, the State Council set a target to complete the task by 2012.

[13] However, in 2010 The Economist reported that pollution had broken out again and that Wu Lihong, released from prison that April, was claiming that the government was trying to suppress news of the outbreak while switching to other supplies in place of lake water.