Hongze Lake Ancient Dyke Scenic Area

Hongze Lake Ancient Dyke Scenic Area

The Hongze Lake Ancient Dyke Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Hongze Lake Ancient Dyke Scenic Area is located in Hongze District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province. As a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, it lies on the shores of Hongze Lake, China's fourth-largest freshwater lake. The scenic area mainly consists of four major tourism zones: the Hongze Lake Dyke, Shuifu City, Fishermen’s Bay, and Happy Valley. It is a comprehensive eco-cultural tourism destination that combines cultural experiences, wellness and leisure, lake sightseeing, forest exploration, and modern amusement.

The Hongze Lake Dyke has a history of over 1,800 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. Along its length are numerous historical relics such as the Qianlong Imperial Stele, Zhouqiao Datang, and Xindam Ruins. Shuifu City covers an area of 755 mu, featuring architecture primarily in the style of Song Dynasty gardens, with pavilions, arches, and small bridges over clear flowing water. The exquisite and unique buildings, together with the crystal-clear river, create a modern version of the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” Fishermen’s Bay is built along the lake, with shimmering waters, fresh air, and pleasant scenery, making it an ideal place to enjoy the beauty of the lake and savor its fresh seafood. Happy Valley offers a full range of amusement rides, advanced and complete facilities, and effective safety measures, making it an exciting and challenging theme park.

Hongze Lake Dyke: The Hongze Lake Dyke stretches 70.4 kilometers from Matou Town in Huaiyin District in the north to Jiangba Town in Hongze District in the south. Initially built during the Eastern Han Dynasty, completed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and reinforced in modern times, it boasts a history of over 1,800 years and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. The upright stone retaining wall on the water-facing side is constructed from over 60,000 massive stone slabs, each weighing a thousand jin, bonded with glutinous rice lime mortar. With uniform specifications and exquisitely crafted construction, its water control techniques were among the most advanced in the world at the time. Along the dyke are numerous cultural relics such as Zhouqiao Datang, Xindam Ruins, and the Qianlong Imperial Stele, showcasing the magical charm of this ancient dyke that has stood for a millennium. After reinforcement and maintenance through the dynasties, it has now become a national river basin-level embankment, serving as an important flood barrier for the Lixiahe region. It is truly a “Great Wall on water” and a “natural oxygen bar.”

Shuifu City: Covering an area of 755 mu with a construction area of 28,000 square meters, Shuifu City is grand and spectacular, blending Song-style architecture with garden design, organically combining natural beauty with man-made artistry. Pavilions and towers are scattered in an orderly fashion, small bridges and flowing water add charm, and ancient buildings complement the pristine ecology, creating a modern version of the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” The city is bustling with merchants, filled with the sounds of the market, and offers a wide variety of local snacks, leisure vacations, and boutique shopping. It also has a rich cultural atmosphere, featuring works by renowned artists, and distinctive attractions such as the China Seal Museum, Earthquake Experience Hall, and Guandan Paradise.

Fishermen’s Bay: Located in the eastern wetland reserve of Hongze Lake and the western part of Hongze County, Hongze Lake Fishermen’s Bay stretches 2.5 kilometers and consists of one bay and six scenic spots. Hongze Lake Bay winds gracefully with shimmering waters and charming curves, sometimes calm and serene with water and sky merging into one, and other times battered by surging waves and towering billows. The lakeside bathing beach, with its excellent water quality, is the largest natural bathing beach in East China, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of swimmers at once. Hongyun Dance Pavilion, with its unique shape and distinctive style, is the perfect venue for large-scale song and dance performances. The yacht dock, surrounded by swaying reeds and blooming lotuses, welcomes visitors from all directions as yachts glide by. The fishing culture protection area, rich in lake-themed hues, tells the magical stories of Hongze Lake. Here, the vast lake scenery is fully on display.

Happy Valley: Covering an area of 80 mu and neighboring the lake dock lined with masts, Happy Valley is the first ecological leisure theme park in northern Jiangsu. It features over 20 amusement rides, including the most modern free-fall rotating rides, shuttle roller coasters, spinning chairs, and a 24-person giant swing. The scenic area has a distinct theme, clever design, and elegant environment. Its thrilling rides are organically integrated with the lush natural surroundings, allowing visitors to enjoy novel fun while taking in the shimmering lake and the verdant forests along the shore.

Ancient Dyke Plum Dyke: The Ancient Dyke Plum Dyke is 1,000 meters long and covers an area of 75 mu. It features eight varieties of plum blossoms, including Green Calyx Plum, River Plum, and Yellow Fragrance Plum, as well as nearly 100 species of shrubs, trees, and ground cover plants, together painting a beautiful picture of “blooming flowers every month and different scenery in all seasons.” Additionally, there are two waterfront platforms and nine leisure nodes. Sightseeing roads, bicycle paths, and walking trails form a circulation transportation system. The Ancient Dyke Plum Dyke breaks through the single functions of flood control and transportation of the Hongze Lake Dyke, achieving a perfect integration of leisure, wellness, and sightseeing, and becoming the largest lake-viewing and flower-appreciating ecological park by the lake.

Hongze Lake Stele: The Hongze Lake Stele stands at the 44.3K mark of the Hongze Lake Dyke. The three characters “Hongze Lake” on the stele are taken from Mao Zedong’s calligraphy. The blue on the square represents the surface of Hongze Lake, while the red symbolizes the waterway. Looking into the distance, the vast and boundless lake surface offers the most expansive view of Hongze Lake. Beneath your feet lies the winding and majestic Hongze Lake Dyke, with lush trees forming a green barrier—a true “natural oxygen bar.”

Zhouqiao Datang: Located at the 45K mark of the Hongze Lake Dyke, Zhouqiao Datang was formed by the breach of the Hongze Lake Dyke in the fourth year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1824 AD), prompting the imperial court to dispatch Lin Zexu to oversee the site. In the tenth year of Daoguang, an inner embankment 8 meters high, 33 meters wide at the top, and 737 meters long was constructed, with stone slabs used for the protective wall. It is currently the most intact stone retaining wall on the Hongze Lake Dyke. Due to its moon-like shape, it is also called “Moon Pond.” In 2006, this pond, along with the Xindam Ruins and the Hongze Lake Dyke, was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Huai River Governance Stele: The Huai River Governance Stele is located at the 45K mark of the Hongze Lake Dyke. The stele bears a five-character inscription about water control written by Emperor Qianlong, originally erected at Wulipai. During the Cultural Revolution’s “Smash the Four Olds” campaign, Qianlong’s inscription was deliberately ground off and replaced with Mao Zedong’s handwritten directive: “We must repair the Huai River well.” This reflects the confidence and determination of the Party and government in managing the Huai River, as well as the courage and strength of the people in the Huai River basin in shouldering the arduous historical task of flood control.

Xindam Ruins: The Xindam Ruins are located at the 50.6K mark of the Hongze Lake Dyke. Constructed in the twelfth year of the Daoguang reign (1832 AD), the dam is 200 meters wide, with diamond-shaped walls extending through the body of the dyke. Throughout the more than 1,800-year history of the Hongze Lake Dyke, there were at least 37 water-regulating dams. During the Qing Dynasty, five such dams were built on the Hongze Lake Dyke, named after the Confucian Five Constants: Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust—hence also called the “Upper Five Dams.” Currently, only the Xindam remains intact. In 2006, the Xindam Ruins, along with Zhouqiao Datang and the Hongze Lake Dyke, were designated as Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Jiulong Bay: Jiulong Bay is located at the 54K mark of the Hongze Lake Dyke. Legend has it that nine dragons often played in the waters here, causing frequent breaches in the dyke that endangered the people. To pray for eternal peace, a Jiulong Temple was built here for worship, but it later fell into disrepair and was destroyed. The upright stone retaining wall built here represents the earliest form of the Hongze Lake Dyke. The stone retaining wall of the Hongze Lake Dyke was first constructed by Pan Jixun, a river official of the Ming Dynasty. Each piece of basalt slab was meticulously carved, and the construction spanned both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, taking 171 years to complete.

Integrity Education Hall: The Integrity Education Hall is divided into five sections: “Water Town Chronicles,” “Huai River Governance and Nourishment,” “Ant Holes Collapse Dikes,” “Rectifying Conduct and Discipline,” and “Sounding the Alarm Bell.” It highlights the integrity and achievements of clean and diligent officials in the history of Huai River governance, reviews the history of our Party’s conduct and integrity building, outlines the new situation and tasks of Party conduct and integrity development in the new era, and aims to educate and guide Party members and cadres to consciously establish correct views on career, power, and values, and to build a “spiritual dam” against corruption.

China Seal Museum: The China Seal Museum is planned and designed based on the landmark Shuifu City building, the Guanguan Pavilion. With a construction area of 600 square meters, it is China’s first museum to combine seal carving culture with water control culture. The museum is divided into three exhibition halls: Official Seals, Imperial Seals, and Celebrity Calligraphy and Paintings. It showcases the profound and extensive Chinese seal culture and the great achievements of emperors and generals in managing the waters of Hongze, allowing visitors to appreciate the treasures of Chinese seal culture while experiencing the rich heritage of water culture.

Hongze Lake Fishing Culture Museum: The Hongze Lake Fishing Culture Museum is located within Shuifu City in the Hongze Lake Ancient Dyke Scenic Area, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. Using modern technologies such as sound, light, and electricity, it comprehensively displays the folk customs, fishing traditions, fishing tools, food culture, and intangible cultural heritage of the Hongze Lake region. It is the only fishing culture museum in northern Jiangsu and the first in Huai’an.

Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Reduction Science Popularization Base: The Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Reduction Science Popularization Base has an exhibition area of 500 square meters, divided into six sections: the Preface Area, Earthquake Threat, Earthquake Knowledge, Earthquake Simulation Experience, Earthquake Work and Civil Air Defense, and Earthquake Escape Training. It integrates earthquake science popularization, earthquake prevention and disaster reduction, and earthquake avoidance and self-rescue. Leveraging modern high-tech means such as simulated scenes, LED videos, interactive projections, and 5D dynamic cinemas, it vividly recreates the concept of earthquake prevention and disaster reduction, enhancing the base’s appeal, participation, and interactivity.

Guandan Paradise: Covering an area of 2,215 square meters, Guandan Paradise is the only functional area in China themed around Guandan (a popular card game) culture. It features complete facilities, diverse competitions, and educational entertainment, attracting Guandan enthusiasts from across the country to participate. The park is divided into the Guandan Culture Expo Hall, “Golden Egg” Masters Area, “Silver Egg” Experts Area, “Bronze Egg” Veterans Area, Competition Activity Reserve Area, and Playing Card Art Performance Area. It spreads and enriches Guandan culture through gaming competitions, cultural exhibitions, leisure experiences, and commercial activities.

Sunken Ship Protecting the Dyke: In the summer of the Gengyin year, heavy rains fell continuously in the Huai River basin, causing the water level of Hongze Lake to rise sharply. Protecting the Hongze Lake Dyke became urgent. At this critical moment, five fishing families resolutely sank their boats to block the waves, successfully safeguarding the people. This story is widely told locally. The original site has been preserved as a reminder: when floods come, one must act without hesitation and with determination to ensure the eternal stability of the golden dyke and the tranquility of the great lake.