Taihu Lake Yuyang Mountain

Taihu Lake Yuyang Mountain

Yuyang Mountain is located in the central area of Suzhou Taihu Lake National Tourism Resort, bordered by the lake on three sides. To the east, it connects to the ancient town of Xukou; to the north, it faces the Dengwei, Xuemu, and Da-Xiao Gong mountains of Guangfu; to the south, it overlooks East Dongting Mountain; and to the west, it guards West Dongting Mountain. The Taihu Lake Bridge stretches across the water like a rainbow, linking West Mountain, Ye Mountain, and Changsha Island. Yuyang Mountain is a peninsula extending into the heart of the lake, with undulating terrain that resembles the head of a mythical turtle. It boasts rich landscapes, including lakes, mountain valleys, islands, streams, forests, ancient wells, springs, peculiar rocks, and rare wildlife. The area consists of Yuyang, Fahua, Boyu, Huangmao mountains as well as Yaojialing, Xiejialing, Magong Mountain, Wild Cat Stream, Tanhua Valley, Fahua Valley, and Qinghua Valley, covering a total area of approximately 11 square kilometers, with the main peak rising 171 meters above sea level.

As early as the time of the legendary Yu the Great’s flood control efforts, there are records of the tribal leader of the Fangfeng clan, Wangmang, being buried at the foot of Yuyang Mountain. At that time, this was still a wild and undeveloped region where the local people “cut their hair and tattooed their bodies to signify their dragon lineage,” to the extent that when Yu the Great entered the “Land of the Naked,” he had to remove his own clothes and follow local customs. The name Yuyang Mountain originates from the story of Wu Zixu “giving a mountain in gratitude.” After Wu Zixu led his army to decisively defeat the powerful state of Chu, dug up the tomb of King Ping of Chu, and flogged the corpse to avenge a deep-seated blood feud, he sought out the descendants of the old fisherman who had once saved his life. He brought them back to the State of Wu and settled them in the most auspicious location closest to the royal palace. He named the place Yuyang Mountain, signifying that the old fisherman’s life-saving kindness was as vast as the ocean, a debt he could never forget.

Ascending to the summit of Yuyang Mountain, a panoramic view of Taihu Lake unfolds like a series of elegant, three-dimensional landscape paintings: peaks emerge and vanish, islands and reefs dot the waters, mountains embrace the lake, valleys and coves run deep, gulls chase sail shadows, mist and rosy clouds flicker in and out, presenting a scene of boundless wonder. It makes one feel as if they are in a celestial fairyland—mesmerized, dreamlike, and fantastical. Since ancient times, Yuyang Mountain has been the best spot to admire the beauty of Taihu Lake.