West of the city of Xinyang, the Nan Wan Reservoir spreads about 20 miles wide and 50 miles long – a beautiful nature retreat. Surrounded by mountains and woods, and strewn with countless little islands, Nan Wan has much to offer to the visitor – cruises on the lake, cultural insights into the traditions of tea drinking – after all, Xinyang is famous for its tea – and for those who love to get out into nature, the lake is a perfect escape. The most popular pastime for visitors is the cruise to different islands: the bird island, monkey island and the tea island. Each island in itself has its own attractions. The bird island is spanned with a large canopy holding quite a variety of birds, local and foreign. The monkey island hosts dozens of “wild” monkeys, and the tea island with its beautifully landscaped gardens, tea plantations and pagodas has its own charms. Visitors can stroll  all over the island and watch tea drinking ceremonies performed in one of the exhibition centers.