Qiushui Square

Qiushui Square

Nanchang’s Qiushui Square is situated on the banks of the Gan River in the Honggutan New District, right next to the Administrative Center Square. Completed on January 28, 2004, it was constructed on reclaimed land to function as both a flood barrier and a scenic spot. Facing the Tengwang Pavilion across the river, it captures the essence of the timeless verse from “Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion”: “The rosy dusk and a lone duck fly together, and the autumn water blends with the boundless sky”—which is how the square got its name. It is a large-scale leisure plaza themed around fountains, integrating tourism, shopping, and sightseeing. The musical light fountain at Qiushui Square in Honggutan is a major attraction, being the largest of its kind in Asia. With a pool area of 12,000 square meters and a main jet reaching 128 meters high, it is a stunning landmark in Nanchang. Visitors can enjoy music while taking in the view of the Tengwang Pavilion. “Qiushui Square in Nanchang” opened to the public on January 1, 2004. The square has an overall crescent shape, stretching along the river. Its shoreline spans 1,100 meters, with the widest point measuring 110 meters. World’s second-largest super musical fountain.

Qiushui Square in Nanchang boasts the country’s largest musical fountain complex, covering a total area of 87,000 square meters, including a fountain pool of approximately 12,000 square meters (excluding the dry fountain area). The main jet reaches 128 meters, with green space spanning about 30,000 square meters and hard-surface plaza area around 40,000 square meters. Easily accessible, it serves as a large leisure plaza for international tourism. Cultural Corridor at Qiushui Square in Nanchang.

To the south of Qiushui Square lies the richly layered “Gan Culture Corridor.” This riverside promenade, stretching three kilometers, showcases the profound and diverse history of Gan culture through a variety of forms such as sculptures, reliefs, stone carvings, murals, small gardens, and buildings. It features statues and textual introductions of many notable figures from Jiangxi’s history, most famously the Jin Dynasty pastoral poet Tao Yuanming, the Tang and Song Eight Masters including Wang Anshi, Ouyang Xiu, and Zeng Gong, renowned Song poets Yang Wanli and Huang Tingjian, Confucian scholars Zhu Xi, Zhou Dunyi, Lu Jiuyuan, and Wang Yangming, anti-Jin national hero Wen Tianxiang, ancient scientist Song Yingxing, philosopher Li Gou, master of freehand brushwork painting Zhu Da (also known as Bada Shanren), landscape painting pioneer Xie Lingyun, theatrical genius Tang Xianzu who rivaled Shakespeare, phonologist Jiang Yong, as well as religious figures like Jianzhen, Zhang Daoling, and Xu Xun. These statues of ancient masters are either bold in expression or solemn in demeanor, each vividly crafted and deeply inspiring. These figures made remarkable achievements in their respective eras and fields, contributing to the pride of Jiangxi and China alike.

The Gan Culture Corridor offers insights into various aspects of Jiangxi’s ancient culture, including literary traditions, scholarly heritage, religious practices, and folk life—such as the stories behind “Bailuzhou’s Righteousness,” “Debate at Ehu,” “Three Friends at Tiger Creek,” “Jianzhen’s Eastward Voyage,” “Teng Pavilion’s Masterpiece,” and “Zhenjun Subduing the Flood Dragon.” There’s also the ancient and mystical Nuo culture, an early ritualistic form involving masks, dances, and songs used for exorcism and worship. Wearing various “demonic” masks, performers dance to the beat, creating a uniquely cultural and artistic experience. In the Nuo Culture Square stand eight tall white stone totems intricately carved with various Nuo masks and facial designs, adding a distinctive charm to the art corridor. A poem titled “Hongdu” by Mao Zedong, written during his inspection of Jiangxi in the 1960s, is also displayed. Among Chairman Mao’s limited collection of classic poems, many were written in or about Jiangxi.

Engaging sculptures leave a lasting impression on every visitor. Sets of life-sized bronze statues depict local customs and street scenes, reviving familiar crafts, professions, and entertainment once common in daily life. These include a barber walking while cleaning a customer’s ears after a shave, a hoop fitter securing metal bands on wooden basins, children trading chicken feathers and toothpaste tubes for candy with a scrap collector, an elderly man drawing water from a well and a young woman washing clothes in a wooden tub using a washboard, as well as a newlywed couple riding a bicycle with the bride dressed in a traditional gown. There are also kids playing with spinning tops, kicking shuttlecocks, and rolling hoops. These bronze works serve as timeless mementos of an era. Large-scale laser show.

High-tech attraction at Qiushui Square in Nanchang’s Honggutan New District—the laser performance system. With a total investment of 19 million yuan, it requires a delicate environment maintained at a constant 22 degrees Celsius. Green laser patterns projected onto the fountain mist change dynamically with the music, creating a more vibrant visual spectacle.

Latest renovation plan: Starting April 2011, all shops at Qiushui Square suspended operations for upgrading. Fu Shiyong, chairman and general manager of Honggutan Urban Investment Group, stated that Qiushui Square and Administrative Square will undergo comprehensive improvements. The first-floor shops of Qiushui Square’s commercial street will be expanded into two-story units. The Administrative Square, located between Nanchang’s Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, will feature an underground parking lot beneath its green belt to accommodate increasing parking demand.

Show times: The laser performance system operates nightly from 8:00–8:20 PM and 8:55–9:15 PM. Super fountain—the largest in Asia.

Qiushui Square in Nanchang houses the largest musical fountain complex in Asia, covering a total of 87,000 square meters, with a fountain pool area of about 12,000 square meters (excluding the dry fountain area). The main jet soars to 128 meters, complemented by 30,000 square meters of greenery and 40,000 square meters of hard-surface plaza. The highest jet reaches over 128 meters. On both sides of the central plaza, along Ganjiang Avenue, a 500-meter-long observation corridor has been built. Below the corridor, 4,500 square meters of functional shops—collectively known as the Shuiliantian Commercial Street—are integrated into the terrain. This commercial strip will primarily feature Western fast food, coffee, tea houses, bakeries, pastries, photography services, food, gifts, and souvenirs, enriching the commercial offerings of Qiushui Square.

Qiushui Square derives its name from the famous line by Wang Bo: “The autumn water blends with the boundless sky.” Covering 86,000 square meters with a crescent-shaped layout, the square has an 1,100-meter shoreline and a maximum width of 110 meters. Centered around its musical fountains, the main jet reaches 128 meters. Couples ride tandem bikes, children play with colorful light toys, and elders stroll along pebble paths—especially at night, when neon lights illuminate the dancing fountain that stretches dozens of meters, set to music, lifting everyone’s spirits.

To the south of Qiushui Square lies the richly layered “Gan Culture Corridor.” This riverside promenade, stretching three kilometers, uses a variety of forms—sculptures, reliefs, stone carvings, murals, small gardens, and architecture—to bring the millennia-old, diverse Gan culture to life. Further along the riverbank, the world’s second-tallest Ferris wheel, standing 160 meters high, glows with “Welcome to Nanchang” lights, illuminating the night sky. Beneath the wheel is the newly developed Ganjiang Star Commercial Street. It’s hard to believe that just ten years ago, this area was barren. Urban development has transformed the western bank of the Gan River into a scenic skyline of high-rises, now hailed as China’s window to the world and nicknamed “the next Pudong” by investors.

Address: Ganjiang Middle Avenue, Donghu District, Nanchang City (near the Municipal Government)

Type: Square

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Opening hours: Open all day

Ticket information: Free admission.