Xi'li Lake Ecological Scenic Area

Xi'li Lake Ecological Scenic Area

Xi'li Lake Ecological Scenic Area is a National Water Conservancy Scenic Area.

Xi'li Lake gets its name from its location in Licun Village, Xiakou Town—a key town in southwestern Zhejiang near the borders of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. It is a picturesque tourist destination that combines sightseeing, leisure, vacationing, and summer retreats. The scenic area features rare celestial tourism resources—the miraculous Xi'li Divine Wind; a “green corridor” as mystical as the Three Gorges and as beautiful as the Li River, known as the Canyon Gallery; and the Sanqingkou Ancient Porcelain Village, hailed by CCTV as “China’s No.1 Ancient Porcelain Village” and home to China’s best-preserved Song Dynasty ceramic workshops. These are known as the “Three Treasures” of Xi'li Lake.

Xi'li Lake is the third batch of “National Water Conservancy Scenic Areas.” It is located southeast of Jianglang Mountain in Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, on the upper reaches of the Jiangshan River, 40 kilometers from downtown Jiangshan, 80 kilometers from Quzhou Airport, and within 2 kilometers of both National Highway 205 and the “Huang-Qu-Nan” (Huangshan–Quzhou–Nanping) Expressway. Road, rail, and air transportation are all convenient and fast.

Xi'li Lake is an artificial lake built along a high mountain valley, stretching 13 kilometers in length with a water storage capacity of 6,340 cubic meters. Lush green mountains surround both banks, with winding shorelines and shimmering waters that captivate visitors. Boating and fishing here are endlessly delightful. Xi'li Lake offers ideal conditions for cooling off, making it feel like a refreshing paradise in summer.

Xi'li Lake is a masterpiece of both nature and human ingenuity. By the lake stands the “Xiakou Reservoir Stele,” which reads: “In the past, the mountains stood tall in vain, and the waters wept alone. Times have changed. In September 1966, the whirring of drills and the roaring of mixers echoed along the stream and between the mountains. Construction workers toiled day and night, dedicating themselves to laying the foundation for this everlasting project. By May 1973, Niutouchong Mountain and Baihuayan Mountain embraced each other, and a majestic 46-meter-high dam stood firmly in place.”

Xi'li Lake Ecological Scenic Area is one of the four major scenic zones of Jianglang Mountain, a national key scenic area in China. It is situated in the Xianxia Mountain Range, one of the main sources of the Qiantang River, in southwestern Zhejiang. The lake gets its name from its location in Licun Village, Xiakou Town—a key town in southwestern Zhejiang near the borders of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. It is a picturesque tourist destination that combines sightseeing, leisure, vacationing, and summer retreats.

In summer, Xi'li Lake has an average daily temperature of only 29°C, making it an ideal summer retreat. Northwest of the lake, Jian Toutong and Gucheng Mountain are home to Shang and Zhou dynasty cultural relics. Nearby, the Sanqingkou Ancient Porcelain Village preserves Song Dynasty kiln workshops, and a 100-square-meter miniature model of the village’s original appearance is displayed at the Shanghai Museum.

The Xi'li Lake Scenic Area is divided into three major zones: the Xi'li Scenic Area, the Canyon Gallery Scenic Area, and the Shizhu Agricultural Sightseeing Zone.

The Xi'li Lake Scenic Area is rich in both natural and cultural landscapes, with uniquely abundant tourism resources. It features rare celestial tourism resources—the miraculous Xi'li Divine Wind; a “green corridor” as mystical as the Three Gorges and as beautiful as the Li River, known as the Canyon Gallery; and the Sanqingkou Ancient Porcelain Village, which preserves complete Song Dynasty ceramic workshops and is hailed as the “Three Treasures” of Xi'li Lake.

Xi'li Lake boasts three uniquely advantageous resources:

Xi'li Divine Wind: This wind “works at sunset and rests at sunrise.” Its presence signals clear weather, while its absence promises rain—faithfully year after year.

Xiakou Reservoir: With its east and west main canals and numerous branch channels flowing around Xiakou Town, the deep and cool reservoir waters provide a bone-chilling bath experience. Just approaching the canals makes the heat and sweat vanish.

Woodlands: Xiakou Town is covered with lush forests, encompassing 33,513 mu of woodland and a total timber volume of 11,651 cubic meters. The area remains verdant year-round, offering a cool and shady retreat.

Xi'li Lake offers ideal conditions for cooling off, making it feel like a refreshing paradise in summer. In summer, the average daily temperature is only 29°C, making it an ideal summer retreat.

Xi'li Divine Wind is a rare celestial tourism resource bestowed by nature.

At the western entrance of Xi'li Lake lies the bustling Xiakou Town, a key town in western Zhejiang. A unique wind, found nowhere else in Quzhou, Zhejiang, China, or the world—the Xi'li Wind—blows here. It “works at sunset and rests at sunrise.” Its presence signals clear weather, while its absence promises rain—faithfully year after year. This long-term, regular weather forecasting is remarkably accurate.

During the hot summer months, as the sun sets, gusts of Xi'li Wind blow from the mountains into the valleys. The hotter it gets, the stronger the wind. The Xi'li Wind brings immense relief when it enters a hot room. In the bitter cold of winter, after 8 or 9 p.m., the icy Xi'li Wind arrives punctually and disappears again by 8 or 9 a.m. the next morning.

The greatest benefit of the Xi'li Wind is that it cools in summer and warms in winter. Even during the dog days of summer, temperatures rarely exceed 30°C. Wherever the wind blows, it brings a refreshing coolness, instantly revitalizing the surroundings. The Xi'li Wind sweeps away the summer heat, leaving an incredibly invigorating sensation. In winter, however, it feels as warm as a spring breeze, protecting crops and helping the elderly through the cold season. Based on existing data and feedback from travelers, the Xi'li Wind is widely regarded as a unique and unparalleled phenomenon in the world.

According to meteorologists, the “Xi'li Divine Wind” is the “mountain wind” within the meteorological phenomenon known as “valley wind.” It is a localized wind caused by uneven surface heating. During the day in mountainous areas, intense solar radiation heats the slopes faster than the air at the same elevation, causing the air to rise. Meanwhile, the air above the valley remains relatively cooler and sinks, creating a thermal circulation where the cooler air from the valley flows up the slopes—this is called the “valley wind.” At night, the air on the slopes cools faster than the air in the valley. The cooler, denser air on the slopes sinks, while the warmer air in the valley rises, causing the wind to blow from the slopes down into the valley—this is the “mountain wind.” The Xi'li Divine Wind that blows through the mountain town at night during winter and summer is actually this “mountain wind.”

The Canyon Gallery is a “green corridor” as mystical as the Three Gorges and as beautiful as the Li River.

Near Xi'li Lake lies the Xiakou Reservoir, with its east and west main canals and numerous branch channels flowing around Xiakou Town. The deep and cool waters offer a bone-chilling bathing experience. The surrounding area is covered with lush forests that remain verdant year-round, providing a cool and shady retreat. Along the reservoir, a narrow, winding waterway stretches for dozens of kilometers, forming a “mini Three Gorges.” The entire channel is flanked by emerald-green mountains, with towering rocks and cascading waterfalls that create stunning natural scenery, resembling a series of beautiful landscape paintings.

The ancient porcelain village is located in Sanqingkou by Xi'li Lake. It preserves Song Dynasty kiln workshops, and a 100-square-meter miniature model of the village’s original appearance is displayed at the Shanghai Museum.

The ancient porcelain village is hailed by CCTV as “China’s No.1 Ancient Porcelain Village.” It retains the complete process of Song Dynasty ceramic production, with various workshops built along the mountain slopes. There are nine water-powered pounding mills for porcelain clay, arranged along a small stream.

The ceramic-making process involves 65 steps, with painting and hand-throwing being the most challenging.

At the “2007 China Yiwu Cultural Products Fair,” samples of colored pottery exhibited by Jiangshan City’s Hemu Colored Pottery Factory reached a cooperation agreement with Yiwu merchants: the factory’s entire product line would be exclusively distributed by Yiwu merchants, with an annual sales volume of no less than 100,000 pieces, 80% of which would be exported to the European market.

The Sanqingkou Bowl Factory workshop is located at Ziling’an in Sanqingkou Township, Jiangshan City. It is a traditional handmade ceramic workshop from the modern era. In the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era (1736–1795), Uncle and nephew Huang migrated here from Liancheng County, Fujian, and began exclusively managing the Huang family’s kiln business. Before liberation, there were 24 workshops. Mining, crushing, washing, molding, and firing were all carried out on a household basis.

The bowl workshop retains manual processes such as throwing, glazing, and firing. The tools and workshops used for crushing and washing still preserve traditions from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, offering high reference value for studying ancient ceramic production techniques and making it a great place to experience folk heritage.