Ten Thousand Mu Lotus Pond in Jinhu Lake

Ten Thousand Mu Lotus Pond in Jinhu

The Ten Thousand Mu Lotus Pond in Jinhu is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national water conservancy scenic area.

The Jinhu Lotus Pond is a national agricultural eco-tourism scenic area, located in Hengqiao, a historic ancient town in Jinhu County. The Song Dynasty literary giant Su Dongpo once visited here by boat at night with his brother-in-law Qin Shaoyou and literary friend Huang Tingjian, enjoying the scenery and composing poetry, leaving behind the timeless verse: "Wine bought at the bridgehead under the moon of Hengdang, tea brewed with spring water from behind the Green Mountain Temple." Our ancient town, Hengqiao, also got its name from this story. The total area of the lotus pond is 22.4 square kilometers. Inside the pond lies an expanse of emerald green lotus fields stretching as far as the eye can see, while beyond the pond lies the vast and misty Gaoyou Lake, with shimmering blue waves and scattered fishing boats. As an ornamental and edible aquatic plant, lotus roots have been cultivated in China for over two thousand years. Every part of the plant is valuable: the roots and lotus seeds are both fragrant, tender, and crisp fruits as well as delicious dishes; the lotus leaves are fragrant and have preservative properties, serving as a “fresh-keeping bag” for food packaging and also as an ingredient in many famous dishes. Especially, the lotus flower’s quality of “emerging unstained from the mud and not being vulgar despite washing in clear ripples” has always been a spiritual inspiration and object of praise for many literati and poets. Today, the Lotus Pond has become a national “AA-level” scenic area integrating lotus root production, tourism, sightseeing, leisure, and vacation.

The entrance gate of the scenic area is a tall and elegant memorial archway. The three large characters “Lotus Pond” inscribed on it were handwritten by Master Cao Changheng, a Singapore Buddhist Association president who became a monk at Xi’an Temple in the Lotus Pond and is originally from Jinhu. Passing through the archway and walking along the road leads to the embankment of Gaoyou Lake. On the embankment, the right side where many fishing boats are moored is the shelter harbor, and the left side features vast stretches of lotus ponds.

This area is located on the northwest side of Gaoyou Lake, in a remote and tranquil location. During the fiery years of battling nature, the people of Minqiao carried soil on their shoulders and pushed carts to link together shallow shoals of ten thousand mu of lake land into polder fields for rice cultivation. In recent years, a variety of lotus roots have been planted across these expansive waters. Every summer, when the wind rolls through the lotus leaves and green slopes wave, and the lotus flowers emerge from the water with their fragrance spreading everywhere, it forms a marvelous natural scenic area.

Pishi Pavilion

Gaoyou Lake was originally called Pishi Lake. Legend has it that one night during the Renzong reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the sky was pitch black, a sudden bright light shone from the lake. A fisherman witnessed a bamboo mat-sized clam open its huge shell, revealing an enormous pearl radiating dazzling light that illuminated the lake surface as bright as day. The great Northern Song literary figure Huang Tingjian then wrote the verse: “A bright pearl emerges in Pishi Lake, casting radiance borrowed by Huainan’s vegetation,” praising the event. Even today, people can sometimes witness such a magical scene on the lake.

Jiming Pavilion

In ancient times, an elderly couple lived here and kept a chicken. This chicken did not lay eggs for three years, but after that period, it laid a very large egg. The old woman became pregnant after eating this first egg and gave birth to a son named “Jizi.” When the boy turned three, the elderly couple passed away one after the other, leaving the chicken and the child to rely on each other. When it was hot, the chicken used its wings to fan him, and when it was cold, it used its feathers to keep him warm. People said the chicken was a magical one. A local landlord heard about it and wanted to take it for himself. The magical chicken told the child: “If you kill me and make me into a soup, and the landlord comes to bully you, just pour the soup on the ground, and you will be saved from disaster.” The child couldn’t bear to kill it. Later, when the landlord really came to snatch the magical chicken, the chicken pecked at him, and the landlord dared not come close. The chicken then told the child: “The landlord won’t give up easily, you must kill me quickly.” The child still refused, so the chicken slit its own throat against a sickle. The next day, when the landlord returned with others, the child poured the chicken soup on the landlord as the chicken had instructed, and instantly a great flood surged, drowning the landlord wherever he ran until he finally perished. The place where the child lived then grew a large mound, and since then, the place has been called “Jimu Dun” (Hen Mound). Also, because the area is situated higher and the lights at night could guide ships on Gaoyou Lake, it is also called “Jiming Dang” (Hen-crowing Pond).

Chenzhou Pavilion

There is also a legend of the Flooded Chenzhou here. It is said that before the Song Dynasty, there was a city called Chenzhou located in what is now Gaoyou Lake. Opposite the government office lived an elderly couple who made a living by grinding tofu, and their business was thriving. One day, a mad monk arrived in the city and said that if the stone lions in front of the government office turned red-eyed, the city of Chenzhou would sink. The townspeople didn’t take it seriously, thinking how could stone lions’ eyes turn red? By coincidence, some children overheard this and, thinking it was fun, painted the stone lions’ eyes red with rouge that night. The next day, when the elderly couple got up early to grind tofu and looked up, they saw that the stone lions' eyes had indeed turned red. Panicked, they packed their things and prepared to flee. They had nothing valuable except for an ancestral treasure jar they insisted on taking. Unbeknownst to them, there was a spring under the jar. The moment they moved the jar, a massive flood gushed out. The elderly couple barely managed to climb into the jar and survived. But soon after, the entire Chenzhou was submerged. After the great flood, the emperor sent Bao Zheng to distribute grain and provide disaster relief, saving countless lives. Later, the people built Chenzhou Pavilion here to commemorate Bao Zheng. The pavilion has two floors, with murals of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea painted on the ceiling of the first floor. Walking up the stairs and leaning on the railing, you can admire thousands of acres of green lotuses, a lush and refreshing view that is as enchanting as a fairyland.

Fenghuang Bridge

Originally, there was a large mound here. Over time, eroded by water and waves, only a dirt slope remained. Legend has it that a phoenix once landed here, hence the name. As the ancients said: “A phoenix does not land on a place without treasure, and a treasured land attracts a phoenix.” The pavilion on the far right is called “Longteng Pavilion.” Legend says this place was originally an auspicious land where a “true dragon emperor” could be born. When this reached the ears of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it enraged him. Zhu Yuanzhang urgently dispatched his military advisor Liu Bowen to investigate the site. Sure enough, a “dragon vein” was found. Liu Bowen then summoned 72 craftsmen who worked for 72 days to dig 72 deep wells along the “dragon vein,” and forged 49 iron shovels, which took 49 days to dig a “Dragon-Slaying River” that cut through the middle of the “dragon vein.” The next day, the Dragon-Slaying River was filled with crimson water, signifying that the “dragon vein” had been severed, thereby lifting the emperor’s concern. Although the feng shui was ruined and no true dragon emperor was born, the area produced many skilled craftsmen. Minqiao is a well-known building hometown, and Longteng Pavilion symbolizes the prosperous life and thriving endeavors of the people of Minqiao.

After listening to these ancient legends and admiring the wonderful natural scenery of the Lotus Pond, having feasted your eyes, it’s time to feast your taste buds. Here you can enjoy authentic water-town delicacies such as “lake fish boiled in lake water,” experiencing the joy of a fishing lifestyle. The Lotus Pond scenic area offers four major series of dishes: lotus root series, aquatic products series (fish, shrimp, crab, turtle), game series (wild rabbit, wild duck, pheasant), and wild vegetable series.