Work on the largest man-made freshwater lake in Shanghai will begin by the end of the year, a local newspaper reported today.

The 720,000 square-meter Senlan Lake in Waigaoqiao of Pudong New Area is expected to open before World Expo 2010, according to a Youth Daily report.

The lake will be part of an international community with a total area of 5.74 square kilometers. About 3.35 square kilometers of the project will be Senlan Lake and surrounding park, making it the biggest greenbelt in Pudong upon completion.

The entire project will take eight to 10 years to complete, and about 200,000 people are expected to live there in the future. The community will include shopping centers, hotels, international schools and medical facilities.

Some historical buildings including Peony Garden and Baolian Nunnery will be preserved in the area.

The 300,000-square-meter Moon Lake in Sheshan area of Songjiang District is presently the largest artificial freshwater lake in the city.

(Shanghai Daily December 15, 2008)