Yunmeng Lake

Yunmeng Lake

Yunmeng Lake is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a national wetland park.

Fifteen kilometers east of Mengyin County lies the nationally renowned Yunmeng Lake. Covering an area of 4,200 hectares, it has a water storage capacity of 782 million cubic meters, a dam height of 29.8 meters, a dam length of 1,665 meters, a catchment area of 160 hectares, and an irrigated area of 107,000 hectares. It supplies an average of 379 million cubic meters of water downstream annually and is the second largest artificial lake in Shandong Province and one of the major artificial lakes in northern China. Embracing the beauty of thousands of mountains and gathering the flow of myriad valleys, it is like a huge pearl inlaid among the lofty ridges. Here, the shimmering waters blend with the surrounding hills, vast and boundless, alive with leaping fish and resonant songs.

In the past, this area was fertile farmland, with Guanzhuang and Tieshi being the county’s famous “Granaries of Painted Vats.” Fields crisscrossed the landscape, teahouses and taverns stood side by side, cooking smoke curled into the air, and the Wen River flowed mightily. To harness the benefits and reduce the hazards downstream — for flood control, irrigation, and power generation — construction on the Andi Reservoir began in November 1959. To build this artificial lake, the people of Mengyin sacrificed 63,000 acres of fertile land. A total of 45,172 farming households from 78 administrative villages bid farewell to their homes and relocated to barren hills around the reservoir. At that time, 50,000 workers were mobilized, setting up camps for miles, with red flags everywhere and a sea of people. With iron arms and silver hoes, they shook the earth. It was the depths of winter, with piercing winds and icy waters. They toiled day and night, dredging the lakebed and intercepting underground streams, until finally, before the flood season arrived in April 1960, the reservoir was completed and filled with water. Its completion played a significant role in reducing flood peaks, alleviating waterlogging, developing irrigation, and promoting industrial and agricultural production along the lower reaches of the Dongwen and Yi Rivers, extending all the way to some counties and cities in northern Jiangsu.

After the completion of the Andi Reservoir, multiple batches of fish fry were released into the lake, yielding plump fish and shrimp, bringing benefits to the local people. However, due to long-term mismanagement, only fishing and no restocking occurred, and even predatory practices such as blast fishing and poison fishing emerged. In 1993, the Mengyin County Party Committee and County Government made a decisive decision to implement centralized and unified management and comprehensive development. Integrating aquaculture, tourism, afforestation, flood control, power generation, shipping, and irrigation, the Andi Reservoir was completely transformed, regaining its enchanting charm.

Today’s Yunmeng Lake is serene and picturesque in mild weather, with the reflection of still mountains like inverted jade in the water. During storms, it displays the wonder of crashing waves breaking against the shore. At dawn and dusk, with gentle breezes and bright moonlight, the lake shimmers. When rain falls or snow flies, with mist and clouds blending together, sky and water become one. If you take a sightseeing boat and slowly head toward the lake’s center, you’ll find the reflections of nearby mountains vividly clear, making you feel as if you’re both on the water and floating in the air. Look closely at the water beside the boat, where schools of red carp leisurely follow one another, creating a delightful scene. A gentle breeze brings a refreshing mist, lifting your spirits.

Visiting Yunmeng Lake isn’t limited to boating on the lake. You can also compete in swimming areas, test your marksmanship at water shooting ranges, try parachute jumping with towering jump towers, or enjoy fishing from peaceful piers. Lakeside resorts are nestled along the contours of the land, while pavilions and corridors dot the shores. The 2,700 hectares of fish-breeding waters in the lake have been fully developed, home to species such as grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, crucian carp, and Taihu silverfish. Local residents along the lake have also developed cage fish farming, pearl mussel breeding, as well as duck and goose farming, generating considerable economic benefits every year.

In the evening, as the sunset glows across the sky and flocks of birds soar, Yunmeng Lake takes on a uniquely charming atmosphere. Visitors standing on the dam all gaze involuntarily toward the setting sun. There, on the shimmering lake surface, golden ripples shimmer and dance with the undulating waves, slowly rolling toward the shore in a dazzling display of color.

During the bitter cold of deep winter, when the lake surface is frozen solid, it becomes a natural ice-skating rink. Though you won’t see the solitary figure of an old man in a straw raincoat fishing on a boat, the continuous stream of people and tourists walking carefully across the ice, listening to the cracking sounds beneath their feet, adds a uniquely delightful charm.

Whenever the floodgates of the great dam are opened, it’s like a dragon gate bursting open — the lake water surges forth with a thunderous roar, as if thousands of gongs and drums are being struck, shaking the air for miles and creating a spectacular sight. In late autumn, as the tides recede, the waves calm and the scenery returns to its gentle and graceful tranquility.

On April 15, 1994, Liu Zongyuan, the then Secretary of the Mengyin County Party Committee, composed a seven-character regulated poem to commemorate the first anniversary of the development of Yunmeng Lake. The poem reads: “The mighty dam locks the Ziwu River, / The azure waves of Yunmeng spread far. / The smoke of war has long since faded, / As thirty brave souls showed their valor. / Sightseeing boats glide over gentle swells, / Cranes soar as fish leap alongside. / When the pearls gleam and fish grow fat, / A thousand sails return laden with joy.”