Huainan Longhu Park

Huainan Longhu Park

Huainan Longhu Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Introduction: Huainan Longhu Park is located in Tianjia’an District, Huainan City. Covering a total area of 654,000 square meters (including 305,000 square meters of water area in the North and South Lakes), it is currently the city’s only comprehensive municipal park and one of the larger comprehensive parks in the province. With vast waters, complete facilities, numerous scenic spots, and gardens within the garden, it is accessible via National Highway 206.

The park’s water area is divided into the South Lake and the North Lake, with a boat dock built on each side. The South Lake is designated for boating, featuring various small pleasure boats, dragon boats, and dragon parade boats. There are four islands in the lake: the Central Island is connected to the South Island by a Zigzag Bridge to the south and to the lakeshore by a Rainbow Bridge to the north. In the center of the island stands the Lake Heart Pavilion, surrounded by lush greenery, birdsong, and floral fragrance, evoking the ambiance of “Spring Dawn at the Lake Heart.” The South Island features winding paths shaded by trees, along with the Wind Lotus Pavilion by the lake, creating a summer scene. The scenic area naturally divides into three main parts around the lake.

It consists of nine functional zones, including the Entrance Plaza Area, Citizen Leisure Area, Landscape Lake Area, and Central Plaza Area. It incorporates elements of ancient Zhao culture while integrating modern landscape design concepts, with ample consideration given to leisure and recreational spaces for visitors. By utilizing modern technologies such as sound, light, and electricity, the water features and garden art complement each other, creating a harmonious landscape where humans and nature coexist.

The first phase of the park project involved excavating earth totaling 600,000 cubic meters to create the lake and build hills, as well as constructing 82,000 square meters of expanded water area. Over 16,000 plants of various species were planted, and 12 uniquely designed bridges were built. Additionally, nighttime water features were completed, consisting of a large-scale musical fountain, water screen movies, and laser shows. The musical fountain, themed around the dragon, features dynamic water displays such as “Dragon Soaring in Prosperous Times,” “Heavenly Dragon Spiraling Through Clouds,” “Heavenly Dragon Soaring,” “Dragon Emerging from Water,” “Dragon Roaming the World,” and “Golden Dragon Spouting Water.” These captivating displays attract tens of thousands of visitors daily. The second phase of the park includes an observation tower, illuminated landscape features, background music, and supporting facilities. The water of Longhu Lake originates from the Fuyang River and flows back into it. Entering from the southwest, flowing northeast, forming the lake in the middle, and exiting from the northwest, the lake lies majestically like a dragon—hence the name “Longhu Park” (Dragon Lake Park).

Longhu Park features three gates, three lakes, three islands, and eleven bridges; it also boasts over twenty scenic spots, including the “Water Great Wall,” “Water Welcoming Pine,” “Musical Light Fountain,” water screen movies, lotus pond sunsets, and the Dragon Head Stone.

Longhu Park has three gates—east, south, and north—arranged in a triangular “品” (Chinese character for “item”) formation. Each gate is adorned with unique rocks, peculiar altars, and distinctive gardens.

The East Gate faces Fudong Street and is about 100 meters wide from north to south. Forty-six “colon punctuation stones” bow before the gate, welcoming visitors. Upon entering, you can ascend the “Sun Altar.” At dawn, looking east from the altar, you’ll see the rising sun and the fiery red sky of sunrise. Moving forward on the altar, a cluster of “torch stones” appears to burn eternally, symbolizing the prosperity and flourishing of our great nation for millennia.

The South Gate faces Renmin Road and resembles an ancient Roman temple. Twenty-four gleaming stone pillars, each over six meters tall, stand in four rows and six columns, creating a majestic sight. Upon entering and ascending the altar, more than 20 pine and cypress trees line the path on both sides, welcoming visitors. The flower beds on the altar are vibrant and colorful, competing in beauty. The shapes of the flower beds include rectangles, squares, triangles, diamonds, trapezoids, right angles, circles, and ovals. In the center of the main flower bed stands a lifelike “camel stone,” facing east with its tail to the west, as if struggling through the desert, with the sound of camel bells seemingly ringing in your ears. The camel’s spirit of perseverance, endurance, resilience against wind and sand, and relentless forward movement is truly admirable. This is the first sight upon entering through the South Gate.

The North Gate, facing Congtai Road, is built with steel and iron, curving like a drawn bow. A “coral stone” stands proudly at the entrance. Stepping inside and heading south, you ascend the “Heavenly Altar.” At the southeast corner of the altar stands a pair of “mandarin duck lion stones,” exquisitely carved, embracing each other closely, symbolizing eternal love between people that lasts forever.

Visitors enter the park through the three gates, each offering a different sequence of sights. As some visitors say: “Enter through the East Gate to see the bridges first, the South Gate to see the lake first, and the North Gate to see the hills first”—and there may be some truth to that.

Entering through the East Gate and walking west for a hundred meters, you’ll reach the “First Scenic Spot of Longhu Park,” the “Water Great Wall,” also known as the “Longhu Boardwalk” or “Dragon Bridge.”

The “Dragon Bridge” resembles a dragon, with an uneven bridge surface and a winding structure, stretching over 100 meters in length.