One day, the Black Dragon and Carp Princess created a huge storm, whose huge waves and strong gusts of wind drove away all the local fishing boats, drowning many fishermen in the process.

Later, Tieguaili, one of the Eight Immortals from Chinese folklore, heard about their devilry and killed the Black Dragon and other monsters with the help of a young fisherman named Bi Jia. All of the monsters sank down into the water and became part of the lake after death. Since they had 36 feet in total, the lake was named Thirty-Six Feet Lake.

In 1982, Thirty-Six Feet Lake was designated as a nature reserve and on account of its picturesque views, clean air, and beautiful water has long stood as a key tourist destination in Pingtan.

With the addition Thirty-Six Feet Lake, Fujian's officially protected wetland area now numbers 100,000 hectares, or 11.4 percent of the province.

As a precious natural resource, wetlands play a number of crucial roles in the maintaining a balanced ecosystem. The positive effects include water purification, flood control, acting as a carbon sink, and helping to provide shoreline stability. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems and support a range plant and animal life.

A boat moored on Thirty-Six Feet Lake in Pingtan, Fujian province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]