Dayan Lake

Dayan Lake

Hu Benkai

Dayan Lake is located in the southwest of Jiayu County, 17.5 kilometers from the county town and 5 kilometers north of Qiujiawan by the Yangtze River. In ancient times, it was connected to the Yangtze River. In the early Song Dynasty, as the Yangtze River shifted northward and river shoals silted up, the area became a lake. To the southeast of the lake lies Dayan Mountain, known as the “First Peak of Southern Jiayu,” and thus the lake was named after the mountain.

The area around Dayan Lake consists of ancient residual hills, which gather surface runoff with a catchment area of 114 square kilometers. Its normal water storage level is about 23.09 meters, covering a surface area of 12.72 square kilometers. The lake bottom sits at an elevation of 20.2 meters, with depths ranging from 2.5 to 6 meters, and a total water volume of 14.33 million cubic meters. The lakebed is flat, and the lake has numerous branches. Its outflow passes through Changhe Port and exits via the Sanle Sluice into the Yangtze River, making it the largest lake in Jiayu County.

Dayan Lake is the main water storage reservoir for the towns of Luxi and GaoTie, collecting water for agricultural production along the lakeshore. Its water level can be artificially regulated: during droughts, floodwater is let in through the Sanle Sluice by the Yangtze River, while in times of waterlogging, it is drained via the electric drainage station at the Sanle Sluice, keeping the lake’s water level consistently at an altitude of 22.5 meters. This ensures the viability of aquaculture and agriculture, benefiting arable land spanning 52,000 mu.

Dayan Lake is also one of the freshwater aquaculture lakes in Jiayu County. Since 1955, the county has established an aquaculture farm here. It now includes 1,000 mu of intensive fish ponds and has become a major breeding and supply base for the high-quality American channel catfish variety in Jiayu County. The lake also features 3,000 hectares of fenced crab farming areas for Chinese mitten crabs, making it one of the county’s six 10,000-mu crab farming bases. These efforts have contributed to realizing the vision of “making Jiayu’s crabs roam the world” and establishing Jiayu as a well-known “Land of Aquatic Products.”

The Shewu Mountain Gold Mine on the north shore of Dayan Lake is even more renowned as the “Gold Capital of China.” It is located within the jurisdictions of the villages of Anle and Outang. The ore body stretches 1,280 meters from east to west, 450 meters from north to south, with an average thickness of 20 meters and an average grade of 2.06 grams per ton, boasting a total gold reserve of 26.96 tons. It is characterized by “high purity, excellent grade, and easy extraction,” and is Asia’s first and the world’s second lateritic gold deposit. In 2004, it produced 1,000 kilograms of gold and generated 22.49 million yuan in tax revenue.

The ancient residual hills around Dayan Lake have a long history of ramie cultivation, recorded as early as the Ming Dynasty in the Jiayu County Annals. There are two main varieties: large-leaf green and fine-leaf green. In 2004, the planting area covered 32,800 mu, with an annual yield of 5,560 tons. Thanks to fertile soil, premium varieties, and meticulous cultivation, the ramie boasts characteristics such as thick stems, thin skin, thick flesh, long fibers, and strong tensile strength. The fiber fineness exceeds 1,800 counts, making it an important raw material for textiles. Ramie fuzz can be used for papermaking, while the leaves and roots serve as valuable medicinal ingredients. Ramie leaves promote blood circulation—when mashed with lime, formed into poultices, dried, and ground into powder, they can instantly stop bleeding and promote scab formation when applied to wounds. Ramie roots can nourish yang energy, remove stagnant blood, and calm the fetus. The products are sold both within the province and across the country, as well as in eight countries including the United States, Russia, and Japan, also earning Jiayu County the title of “Land of Ramie.”