Linghu Scenic Area

Linghu Scenic Area

Linghu Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Linghu Park is one of the two major parks in downtown Anqing and is a national 4A-level scenic spot located next to the Linghu Campus of Anqing Normal University. It has three entrances: one on Linghu South Road, one on Textile South Road, and one on Lake Heart Road. Linghu Park has a beautiful environment and is one of the key leisure and entertainment venues for the residents of Anqing. The park not only features picturesque scenery but also rich cultural landscapes such as the Blood-Stained Clothes Pavilion, the Statue of Yan Fengying, and the Huangmei Pavilion Stele Museum. Its recreational facilities are also comprehensive, including an amusement park, an ice-skating rink, a bonsai garden, and a water park.

Linghu Lake is connected to Lianhu Lake (with Lake Heart Road in between), located in the northeast corner of Anqing City, covering a total area of eight square kilometers. In the past, it was famous for its abundant production of water chestnuts, lotus roots, fish, and shrimp. Originally a natural lake with small islands, it was excavated during the later years of Emperor Kangxi’s reign to form the Kangxi River, and was later expanded into a tourist destination, boasting a history of over 260 years. There used to be a stone tablet inscribed with “Yicheng Natural Barrier” erected by the Ming Dynasty's Shi Kefa when he was stationed in Anqing, and now there are exquisite stone carvings by Deng Shiru, a great calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty. In 1921, during the nationally shocking “June 2nd” student movement in Anhui Province, Jiang Gaoqi, Zhou Zhaoji, and Zhou’s wife Huang Jiafu, who were killed while fighting warlords, were buried together in the northeast corner of the lake. A memorial hall and the Blood-Stained Clothes Pavilion were built there for people to pay their respects. The walls of the memorial hall also featured stone carvings of the three figures, and Jiang’s blood-stained clothes were displayed in the pavilion every year on June 2nd. The site was later destroyed in wartime, but the martyrs’ tombs and the Blood-Stained Clothes Pavilion have since been restored. Historically, Linghu Lake was the site of ancient naval battles during the Taiping Rebellion’s defense of Anqing. In April 1861, Chen Yucheng, the King of England (a Taiping general), led over ten thousand elite troops from Hubei to Anqing’s Jixian Pass in a second attempt to relieve the siege of Anqing. He built thirteen camps along the north shore of Linghu Lake, while the Taiping defenders inside the city, led by Ye Yunlai, also built five camps along the south shore, facing each other across the lake. At that time, Linghu Lake was connected to Shitang Lake and Pogang Lake to the east, leading all the way to Zongyang.

Linghu Lake wins fame for its waters—here, the waves are emerald and shimmering, with crisscrossing waterways; small islets in the lake center are set off by pavilions and bamboo; boat races fill the waters with laughter. In summer and autumn, flourishing water chestnuts and lotuses vie in beauty, filling the air with intoxicating fragrance. During the water chestnut harvest season, under the bright moonlight, boating on the lake with oars gently tapping the water and singing melodiously creates a serene and enchanting scene—the famed “Linghu Moonlit Night,” also one of Anqing’s celebrated sights. Today, the double-eaved square pavilion nestled among the deep green lotuses offers the best view of the “Linghu Moonlit Night,” hence it is also called the Moonlit Night Pavilion. The park also houses a sculpture of the renowned Huangmei opera performer Yan Fengying.

In February 1984, a Japanese friendship delegation from Kyoto specially brought 400 cherry tree saplings to be planted in Linghu Lake. On April 18 of the same year, Mr. Oda Fumio led the second Japanese friendship delegation to Anqing to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the “Cherry Blossom Garden” in the park, thus forging another bond of friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples. The Lantern Festival is a traditional folk cultural event in China, an essential celebration where people express their ideals and pray for a bountiful year once a year. Under the nurturing of Chinese culture, the Zigong Lantern Festival gradually developed into a unique spectacle known for its grandeur, vast scale, harmonious integration of lights and scenery, and mesmerizing layers of illumination. It has earned worldwide acclaim and the reputation of being the “Best Lanterns Under Heaven.” During the National Day holiday, Anhui Business Network, in collaboration with Linghu Park in Anqing and Zigong Culture and Art Co., Ltd., jointly invested 5 million yuan to meticulously plan the “2003 Yicheng Autumn Zigong Grand Art Lantern Festival.” This lantern festival selected some of the finest works from previous Zigong lantern exhibitions both in China and abroad, and added newly designed light installations. Using bamboo weaving and porcelain, large-scale specialty craft lanterns were created, totaling 38 large and medium-sized lantern sets and 800 uniquely shaped craft lanterns. With themes of joy, peace, prosperity, and safety beloved by the public, and enriched with ethnic customs, mythological legends, Buddhist culture, and children’s elements, the festival aimed to present the 800-year-old art of Zigong lanterns in a brand-new light to the audience of Yicheng.