Cuiping Lake

Cuiping Lake

Cuiping Lake is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Gutian Cuiping Lake is situated in the eastern suburbs of the county town, 3 kilometers from the urban area. It has a subtropical climate, with vast misty waters, fresh air, and spring-like weather throughout the four seasons. The water area covers 37.1 square kilometers, and the water storage capacity is 641 million cubic meters. The water is crystal-clear (meeting national Class II standards). Thirty-six large and small islands stand across the water. Along the lake lies the Linshui Palace, the ancestral temple of Chen Jinggu, the widely recognized "Goddess of Mercy" Shuntian Shengmu, which is listed as a provincial cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Fujian Province. By the lake also stands the Thousand Buddha Temple, a thousand-year-old temple and the site of the first president of the Buddhist Association of China, Master Yuanying. The lake is home to Egret Island, where flocks of egrets dwell and which is known as the "Island of Love." There are also Western-style villas on the island in the center of the lake, making it an ideal destination for vacation and recuperation. Attractions such as the Immortal King Temple, Maitreya Temple, Tianhuang Temple, Bliss Fountain, and the labyrinthine underground power plant hidden deep in the mountains feature distinctive styles and remarkable features, attracting numerous visitors from Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries every year for pilgrimage, tourism, and sightseeing.

Cuiping Lake, also known as the Gutian Artificial Lake, is located in the eastern suburbs of Gutian County. Built in 1958, it is the Gutianxi Reservoir and the largest man-made lake in the province. Named after its location at the foot of Cuiping Mountain, it covers an area of 37.1 square kilometers and has a maximum water storage capacity of over 600 million cubic meters. The lake features 24 natural islands, planted with seasonal fruits and flowers, boasting beautiful scenery and earning the reputation of being “more beautiful than Taihu Lake.”

Cuiping Lake is located within Gutian County. Historically, Gutian was one of the "Ten Counties" of Fuzhou, just over 100 kilometers from Fuzhou, and is now under the jurisdiction of the Ningde region. Gutian County was established during the Tang Dynasty and has a history of over 1,200 years, but its current county town has only been around for about forty years. Originally, in the 1950s, due to wartime preparedness needs, China built its first underground hydropower station—the Gutianxi Hydropower Plant—with the help of Soviet experts. After the dam was built and the reservoir filled, the old Gutian county town, except for a villa built by British missionaries on a hilltop, was entirely submerged underwater, forming an artificial lake named “Cuiping Lake.” The new county town of Gutian was then built at a new site near the old town.

Traveling three kilometers east out of Gutian County town, the misty Cuiping Lake comes into view. With a water area of 37 square kilometers, it is two and a half times the size of Hangzhou’s West Lake. Boating on the lake, the water is clear and pleasant under the sunlight. According to guides, Cuiping Lake is located in a mountainous area with few residents and almost no pollution. Coupled with well-preserved vegetation around the lake and no soil erosion, the water quality meets national Class II standards. The hill where the British missionaries built their villa is now the core attraction of Cuiping Lake—Central Island. It takes about twenty minutes by boat from the dock to reach the island. The European-style villa on the island was built in 1898, with gray bricks and green tiles, standing by the water. The building is well-preserved and now serves as the “Cuiping Lake Holiday Resort.” The surroundings of Central Island are covered with lush grass, making it a great spot for fishing and barbecuing. The island is abundant in fruit trees and bamboo, dotted with quaint little wooden cabins that add to its pastoral charm, making it a place hard to leave. Cuiping Lake is a mountain-surrounded lake. From the lake, one can see the surrounding peaks: Wenbi Peak to the southeast, Wuhua Peak to the northwest, and Yangjiao Peak to the northeast, forming a majestic triad that creates a spectacular view of the lake and mountain scenery. The islands in the lake stand across the water, some shaded by green trees and flowers, others covered with orchards and tea plantations. Boating among them feels like entering a paradise. It is an ideal destination for tourism, recuperation, vacationing, and escaping the summer heat.

There are thirty-six large and small islands in Cuiping Lake, but the most spiritually significant is “Egret Island.” Covering less than one square kilometer, Egret Island is densely forested. From April to October each year, thousands of egrets and grey herons come to inhabit and breed on the island, creating a moving scene. Cuiping Lake not only boasts beautiful natural scenery but also features many religious and cultural attractions scattered along its shores, such as Maitreya Temple, Tianwang Temple, Immortal King Tower, Four Loyalities Shrine, City God Temple, and Bliss Temple. By the lake lies the Bliss Temple, built in the first year of the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era (742 AD). The temple houses ancient structures such as the Mahavira Hall, Scripture Repository, and Dining Hall. The plaque at the mountain gate inscribed with “Bliss Temple” was written by Lin Sen, former Chairman of the National Government, while the characters for “Mahavira Hall” were penned by Zhao Puchu, a great calligrapher and disciple of Master Yuanying. On both sides are couplets inscribed by Master Yuanying, former President of the Buddhist Association of China: “Attaining true bliss here, unaware of where the Western Paradise lies.” Since the “Bliss Temple” was approved for reopening by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government in 1980, Buddhist monks and pilgrims from Malaysia, Singapore, the Shanghai Buddhist Association, and other domestic and international locations have visited for worship.

In Daqiaozhong Village to the east of the lake stands the Linshui Palace, built in the eighth year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenyuan era (792 AD), and recognized as the ancestral temple of Shunyi (Linshui Palace) both domestically and internationally. According to the Gutian County Annals: “Chen Jinggu, the daughter of Chen Chang from Xiadu in Min County, was proficient in mystical arts, protecting the nation and its people, exorcising demons and eliminating disasters. The King of Min, moved by her virtues, bestowed upon her the status of a goddess.” Later, a stele was erected, a temple built, and the story recorded in the Mindu Bieji. After several cycles of rise and decline, it has been restored to its former glory, with pilgrims coming in an endless stream.

Gutian County enjoys convenient transportation, accessible by car, train, and passenger ships on the Min River.

Cuiping Lake is located in the eastern suburbs of Gutian County town, the “back garden” of Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian. It is 3 kilometers from the urban area and 2.5 hours’ drive from Fuzhou. In 1958, the state built the Gutianxi Hydropower Station, a key project of the First Five-Year Plan and China’s first underground hydropower station, constructing a dam 412 meters long and 71 meters high to store water. This flooded the ancient Gutian county town, which had a history of over a thousand years, forming Fujian’s largest artificial freshwater lake, covering a water area of 37.1 square kilometers and with a storage capacity of 641 million cubic meters. Named after the nearby Cuiping Mountain, it is called “Cuiping Lake.” The area is surrounded by mountains, with overlapping peaks and spring-like weather year-round. The lake surface is misty, the air is fresh, and the water is crystal-clear, earning reputations such as “Fujian’s Taihu Lake” and “Fujian’s Thousand Island Lake.”

Address: No. 26, Dongmen Road, Huxi, Gutian County Town, Ningde City

Type: Lake

Opening Hours:

7:30-17:00 (From November to February each year is the low-water season, when the water level is lower).

Ticket Information:

No admission fee.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial Scenic Areas in Zhejiang Province