Li Lake Fisherman's Island

Li Lake Fisherman's Island

Fisherman's Island is situated on the west side of Huanhu Road, spanning around 7 hectares. It was once home to China’s first farmers’ sanatorium. The island is named after Fan Li, who lived in seclusion on Li Lake where he fished, made pottery, and wrote China’s first monograph on fish breeding, the "Fish Farming Manual." Locals referred to him as the Fisherman, hence the island’s name. It is the only island of greenery that protrudes into the lake along the several-kilometer linear, open scenic leisure belt around West Li Lake, connected to the lakeside landscape greenway by a roughly 300-meter-long western dike. In terms of form, Fisherman's Island is a lively variation along the shoreline of West Li Lake, and it offers the best panoramic views of the surrounding lake and mountain scenery within the entire West Li Lake scenic area. The island features recreational areas such as a lakeside sandy campground, a boat dock, a water activity zone, a cultural performance platform, and a landmark observation square.

At the junction between the island and Li Dike, there stands a striking four-cornered Water Control Pavilion. Inside the pavilion is a tall stone stele inscribed with Fan Li’s "Fish Farming Manual." In front of the pavilion is a sculpture depicting Fan Li writing the manual. As night falls, Fisherman's Island takes on an even more poetic ambiance. With the bright moon overhead, stars densely scattered, tree shadows swaying on the island, and silver light shimmering on the lake, it vividly embodies the scene described in the famous line by Ming Dynasty’s Li Zhan: “Golden waves shimmer, shaking the jade-like water into fragments; the silvery moon’s reflection soaks the glassy surface till it gleams.” Being there feels like stepping into a fairyland.

Li Dike is located to the west of Fisherman's Island, connecting to Bogong Island in the north. Slightly S-shaped, it stretches 1,200 meters in length with an average width of 9 meters. It is an ecological embankment themed around Fan Li. The whole dike features interconnected bridges, including one five-arch bridge, one seven-arch bridge, one single-arch bridge, and two flat, long-span dike bridges. The two multi-arch bridges are named Zhuoren Bridge and Shangjia Bridge, highlighting Fan Li’s illustrious and legendary achievements in life. At both ends of Li Dike are island-shaped ecological wetlands equipped with covered walkways, waterside pavilions, and ponds. Li Dike embraces the waves and lies close to the water, stretching across the blue lake surface and recreating the love story of Fan Li and Xi Shi. Walking along Li Dike, with gentle lake waves lapping at the shore, shaded greenery embracing the pavilions, and a distant view encompassing green mountains and clear waters, visitors truly feel as if they are in a painting—“a thousand-meter-long dike rises above calm waves, waters and shores enhance each other’s charm, the misty landscape of mountain and water defies full depiction, like a jade belt drifting through mist and rain.”

The Western Dike is 300 meters long, slightly curved, connecting Fisherman's Island in the south to the Qundie Liangchi (Butterflies Spreading Wings) scenic spot in the north. It is named after Fan Li, a minister of the Yue State during the late Spring and Autumn Period, who once sailed here with Xi Shi. Crossing the arched Western Dike Bridge from the northern end of the dike, visitors will find an 11-meter-wide embankment lined with willow branches brushing the face, emerald waves rippling, peach blossoms blooming brilliantly, and red hues spread across the land—a truly captivating scene. On the inner eastern side of the dike, a stretch of clear water ripples gently, dotted with graceful lotus flowers, reminiscent of Xi Shi gliding lightly over the water veiled in gauze. Strolling further along the dike and looking westward over the lake, the sight of willows in the breeze, a vast lake, and spring mountains is picturesque, naturally bringing to mind a line from Qing Dynasty poet Liu Qi’s "Morning Departure from Li Lake": “Mist-shrouded distant trees emerge slowly from the hills; the moon sets, cold waves subside, and waters lie flat.”

Address: Central Li Lake, Li Lake New Town, Binhu District

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

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

Opening hours:

Open all day