Yingzhou West Lake

Yingzhou West Lake

Yingzhou West Lake is located on both banks of the Xinquan River, one kilometer northwest of Fuyang City. It was the confluence of four ancient waterways: the Ying River, Qing River, Xiao Ru River, and Bailong Gully. It derives its name from Fuyang being called Yingzhou after the Northern Wei Dynasty and was a famous scenic spot through the Tang, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

　Yingzhou West Lake, renowned as the “ten-li expanse of emerald-like waters,” takes its name from Fuyang being called Yingzhou after the Northern Wei Dynasty and has been a celebrated scenic site since the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The ancient Yingzhou West Lake was situated one kilometer northwest of Fuyang City on the banks of the Xinquan River, at the meeting point of the ancient Ying, Qing, Xiao Ru, and Bailong Gully rivers. The Ming Dynasty’s *Zhengde Yingzhou Annals* recorded: “West Lake is ten li long and three li wide, with unfathomable depths and expansive, well-balanced shores.” The *Qing Dynasty’s Unified Gazetteer* stated: “Yingzhou West Lake is famed throughout the world; its pavilions and towers, along with the abundance of poetic gatherings, rival those of Hangzhou West Lake.” The beauty of Yingzhou West Lake shines in all seasons, attracting numerous scholars and officials to govern Yingzhou, making it a prime destination for literati and artists to compose poetry and create paintings. Starting from the Song Dynasty, seven notable figures served as magistrates of Yingzhou, including the Northern Song poet and statesman Yan Shu, literary scholar and historian Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and the Song Dynasty’s Vice Director of the Secretariat Lü Gongzhu. They made immortal contributions to the development of ancient Yingzhou West Lake and left behind 113 renowned poems, along with 259 poems in total from 71 other ancient and modern poets. Among them were four of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song, as well as Yang Wanli of the Southern Song’s Four Great Poets and Huang Tingjian, who rivaled Su Shi in fame. Su Shi once compared Yingzhou West Lake to Hangzhou West Lake in his poetry: “In the rise and fall of a myriad worlds within a single speck of dust, one cannot tell which—Hangzhou or Yingzhou—is the superior.” This shows that Yingzhou West Lake was indeed the foremost among all West Lakes in ancient times.

However, later due to the flooding of the Yellow River, the lake surface of West Lake gradually silted up after the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty and was eventually filled in by mud and sand. The former beautiful scenery no longer exists, and today only structures such as the Hui Lao Hall and stone carvings of Ouyang Xiu remain. The current Fuyang Ecological Park has been built on the original site of Yingzhou West Lake.

New West Lake

Located 15 kilometers west of Fuyang City, it has a circumference of 11.5 kilometers, a water surface of approximately 5.74 square kilometers, and an average depth of 1–2 meters. It was constructed on the foundation of the original Sanshil River. The lake features islands within it and pools within the islands, with green willows lining the shores, fragrant flowers and lush plants along the paths. Major attractions include: the Forest of Stone Tablets Park, which houses a tablet corridor and a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation of tablets, showcasing over 500 authentic works by contemporary master calligraphers and painters. Stone carvings such as the Hundred Dragons Pavilion, the Eight Immortals, and the Twelve Zodiac signs are exquisitely crafted, leaving visitors in awe. The Purple Bamboo Courtyard features rockeries and a swimming pool. The Hidden Leisure Hall is a place for paying homage to Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi. The Clear Ripple Pavilion is a five-story antique-style building. The Zigzag Bridge is ingeniously designed using the first letters of Yingzhou West Lake in Pinyin. The Fish Palace consists of two reclining carp shapes, equipped with modern electric sound and light effects, creating a fairy-tale atmosphere. Other attractions such as pleasure boats, cruise ships, and tiger-themed displays further enchant visitors.

According to the overall plan, Yingzhou West Lake will be developed into a key scenic area that combines ancient cultural landscapes with modern amusement facilities. It will also become one of the most valuable and attractive tourist destinations in northwestern Anhui. Fuyang Yingzhou West Lake

This information is sourced from Baidu Maps, and the final results are subject to Baidu Maps data.