Chaohu Lake in east China's Anhui Province, one of the country's five-biggest freshwater lakes, will be built into a vacation zone and tourist spot.

The lake, covering 776 sq km, has beautiful natural scenery, including hills, forests and ancient towers and temples. It is the main drinking water source for the residents of the provincial capital of Hefei.

Chaohu City has already poured more than 20 million yuan into development of scenic spots and construction of basic tourist facilities at the lake over the past two years, and the figure will continue to increase, officials said.

Sightseeing, mountain climbing and aquatic sports will be tourist highlights at the lake, the officials said.

A peony festival at the lake has attracted thousands of visitors annually in recent years.