Lanxi Zhongzhou Park

Lanxi Zhongzhou Park

Zhongzhou Park, also known as Zhongzhou Bei, is located in the Lanjiang River within downtown Lanxi. It was formed by the alluvial deposits of the convergence of the Wu and Qu rivers. Surrounded by water on all sides, the park stretches 900 meters from east to west and 1,800 meters from north to south, covering an area of 800 acres in the shape of a lute. Visitors can enter the park via the Yueji Floating Bridge or the auxiliary bridge of the Lanjiang Grand Bridge.

Zhongzhou Park was known as the Western Market during the Song Dynasty. At that time, County Magistrate Liu Xu built his “Liu Family Estate” here and composed “Eight Poems on the Liu Family Garden.” In the Ming Dynasty, due to changes in the river’s course, it became silted up as a sandbank and served as a mooring place for fishing boats. In 1978, it was developed into a public park, where numerous flowers and trees were planted, and various structures were added, including pavilions, flower gardens, rockeries, fishponds, winding bridges, corridors, restaurants, teahouses, roller-skating rinks, water amusement areas, children’s playgrounds, a Monkey Hill, and a statue of the Orchid Maiden. Situated on this small island, visitors can gaze around at shimmering waters veiled in misty willows. Strolling through Zhongzhou, winding paths lead to serene scenes of landscape, towers, and bridges, all exuding refined beauty. In summer, it becomes not only a natural bathing spot where couples and youngsters splash and play in the water, but also the best place for families to enjoy the cool and admire the moon. When night falls, Zhongzhou is draped in a delicate veil — the drooping willows by the water, the glowing lights of towers and pavilions, the bright moon in the sky, and the tender couples beneath it, all immersed in the soft, tranquil shimmer of the waves. This charm, this posture, this color — so dreamlike and intoxicating — make it hard to tear oneself away.

The “Zhongzhou Fishing Fires” on Zhongzhou Island is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Lanxi. Fishing fires refer to the gentle glows cast by the blue oil lamps and kerosene lamps once used by boatmen for illumination. Hanging on boats, they sway with the vessels and drift along the soft ripples on the river surface, creating a scene that is remarkably graceful, peaceful, and poetic.

Source: Jinhua Government Website