For the last year, I have repeated the phrase “There is no such thing as a hidden gem in China” after pretty much every trip here. From the Terracotta warriors to Yellow Mountain, the one constant is having to fight the crowds for a good view.

The author enjoying another peaceful tourist site in China….. Yellow Mountain

So, when a friend suggested we go camping at Qiandao Lake (Thousand Island Lake/千岛湖) over the May bank holiday weekend, I envisioned being penned in like sardines fighting for tent space. How wrong I was. For the first time since arriving in the middle kingdom, we managed to find a natural spot in China without another soul in sight. The delightful irony that this natural spot of beauty is entirely man-made.

Landscape shots from a DJI Spark drone

To clarify, I use the term “campsite” pretty loosely. No toilets, no running water. Just an island in the middle of a lake with a non-forested area of 40 meters squared. Delightful.

Arriving and setting up camp on our own “private” island

After ordering a bus on Taobao to take us from Shanghai to Zhejiang province, we spent the night at PaiLing International Hostel. In the morning we arranged kayak hire with Hongye Kayak Club (WeChat id:ych200929). For around $30 per person, we were able to rent kayaks for three days. Originally, we planned on taking all our stuff with us for the three days off the grid on our boats, but instead, the kayak company arranged a boat to take our stuff to the camping spot. Tents, sleeping bags etc. we bought from Shanghai, but last-minute supplies (booze, water, and fruit) we picked up from a local supermarket. You definitely could take your own stuff on the kayaks if you packed light, it also has the advantage of you being able to camp wherever you want instead of the designated spots the operators take you too.

Kayaking to the camping area from the pier was about 30 minutes. With it being a man-made lake broken up by mini landmasses, you don’t by any means need to be an expert kayaker as the water is very calm. So that shouldn’t be a barrier for this trip. Being able to swim does help though.

Map of Thousand Island Lake Rental and Camping Island location

Location of the campsite in regards to the kayak hire spot

We set up camp in the designated spot. The only restriction was not to make a fire. But everyone knows you can’t have a camping trip without a fire. So the reality is don’t have a massive fire, and start it a bit later.

The #1 activity is kayaking around the islands and swimming in the freshwater lake. And it was perfect being able to relax away from the relentless energy and chaos of Shanghai.

The squad out on the lake

What made the trip so wonderful and void of other tourists is there is no significant point of interest here. No one place you HAVE to go. Instead, the entire area has the same level of beauty. You can just spend your days hopping from island to island with nothing but nature for company. Setting up slack lines and hammocks. Also, Chinese people don’t like camping, so vast amounts of domestic tourists are nonexistent.

I can’t recommend the operators we used enough. If you are feeling less adventurous I would recommend staying in a hostel on the mainland and do day trips to the island, although you would miss out, on the whole, staying in the wilderness vibes. And if I was feeling more adventurous then I would take all your gear on the kayak so you can camp wherever you want.