Li Lake Scenic Area

Li Lake Scenic Area

A beautiful and moving thousand-year-old legend has given the Wuli Lake, an inner lake of Taihu Lake in Wuxi, another charming name — Li Lake.

The name Li Lake originates from the legend of Fan Li and Xi Shi: during the Spring and Autumn Period, after the Battle of Fuchai between Wu and Yue, King Goujian of Yue was defeated and captured. Fan Li, a minister of Yue, offered strategic advice, and Goujian endured humiliation while adopting the strategy of “sleeping on firewood and tasting gall to strengthen himself and govern diligently.” He found the peerless beauty Xi Shi in the Ruoye Stream of Zhuluo Mountain in Zhuji, and tasked her with the mission of sacrificing herself for the nation. She was presented to King Fuchai of Wu, which led him to indulge in wine and women, lower his guard against Yue, and even execute his loyal minister Wu Zixu. Eventually, Wu was destroyed, with Fan Li playing a leading role. However, Goujian was highly suspicious and could only be together in adversity, not in peace and prosperity. Fan Li chose to retire after his achievements and sailed on Taihu Lake with Xi Shi, traveling among the seventy-two peaks. Upon entering Wuli Lake, they were captivated by its beautiful scenery and spent their days boating on the lake, reluctant to leave. Since then, locals have referred to Wuli Lake as Li Lake.

Throughout history, the beautiful scenery of Li Lake has been praised by many insightful individuals. Hua Shu, a native of Wuxi during the Ming Dynasty, compared Li Lake to West Lake, stating that "the charm of West Lake lies in its allure, elegance, tenderness, delicacy, causeways, bridges, pavilions, tombs, battlements, peach and willow trees, and song and dance — like a beautiful woman. The charm of Li Lake lies in its openness, maturity, leisure, vastness, and desolation — heroic? Ethereal? Especially under snow, moonlight, misty rain, or light winds and hazy fog, it is even more refreshing to the eyes and spirit." At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yongji wrote in *A Brief Account of the Scenery of Xishan*: “What Li Lake lacks is rouge, leaving Xi Shi’s face without color. If towers, ancestral halls, lake embankments, and flowers and trees were built here, the scenery of Li Lake would certainly not be inferior to that of West Lake.”

The scenic area includes attractions such as Li Lake Park, Li Garden, Changguangxi Wetland Park, and Guanshe Villa.

Address: Huanhu Road, Binhu District, Wuxi City

Type: Lake

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Official website: http://www.wxlihu.com/default.aspx

Opening hours:

Open all day