Duck Lake

Duck Lake

Chen Xinjian

The meandering Han River, flowing mightily from the west, reaches Xiangfan after bidding farewell to the towering Qin and Daba Mountains, entering the expansive Jianghan Plain — as the saying goes, “The mountains vanish into the open plain, and the river flows into the boundless wilderness.” Xiangfan’s geographical location means it is not like the vast and misty Yunmeng Marsh; it does not have a scattering of lakes everywhere. But as a type of water body — a lake — Xiangfan still has some, and Duck Lake outside the western gate of Xiangyang City is one of them.

Ancient Duck Lake was located outside the western gate of Xiangyang City. Originally, it was an expanse of vast waters. Duck Lake is also known as Tánxī Lake. According to the *Commentary on the Water Classic*, “The waters of Tánxī originate from Liǔzǐ Mountain to the west of the county, flow eastward to form Duck Lake, and the canal to the north of the lake is fed by the Tánxī stream.” It also states, “Duck Lake is formed by the convergence of mountain and river waters; when dried by the sun, it becomes land, and when flooded, it becomes a lake.” The locations referred to in the text are the area south of today’s Old Dragon Dyke, extending south to the northern foot of Jiānshan Mountain, including Guānlùkǒu, Pípá Mountain, Zhēnwǔ Mountain, Yánghū Mountain, and the base of Zhèngjiā Mountain, west to Wànshan Mountain and Shùn’ān Mountain, and east to the area around Luòqiáo Street.

The Xiangyang poet Mèng Haoran wrote in his poem *Climbing to the Highest Peak of Wangchushan*: “Viewing the landscape’s grandeur, Xiangyang rivals Kuaiji in beauty. … Yunmeng is but a palm-sized expanse, while Wuling’s blossoms bewilder the eye. At dusk I ride back down, moonlight through vines reflecting on the deep stream.” Back then, the poet climbed Wangchushan to the southwest of Xiangyang City, gazed upon the waters of Tánxī, and was filled with longing, thinking of the vast and misty Yunmeng Marsh; looking out at Duck Lake and the surrounding southwestern mountains, interlaced and surrounded by water, he was reminded of the Peach Blossom Spring depicted by Táo Yuānmíng. In his poem *Seeking an Old Friend at Tánxī*, he also wrote: “Bamboo groves where companions turned into dragons, pools where steeds leapt across streams. No sign of the people in the fields and gardens — they must be dwelling in caves.” From this, we can see that the Duck Lake area was once a place of harmonious landscapes and breathtaking scenery.

The “pool where steeds leapt across streams” mentioned in Mèng Haoran’s poem refers to the famous anecdote of “Liu Xuande’s Horse Leaping the Tánxī,” vividly recounted in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. This story is directly related to Duck Lake.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liú Bèi stationed his troops in Fánchéng and went to Xiangyang to seek refuge under Liú Biao, the Governor of Jing Province. The local Xiangyang strongmen Kuǎi Yuè and Cài Mào, anticipating that Liú Bèi would one day rise to prominence, conspired to assassinate him during a banquet hosted by Liú Biao. Alarmed by the news, Liú Bèi fled in haste, rushing out the western gate only to be blocked by the Tánxī and Duck Lake. With pursuers closing in, Liú Bèi shouted to his horse, “Dilu, do your best!” Startled, the horse leapt across the Tánxī and Duck Lake. Where Dilu’s hooves landed, two deep pits were left behind. The *Xiangyang County Annals* also record: “The Han founding emperor (Liú Bèi) was stationed in Fánchéng. Liú Biao invited the emperor to a banquet, and Kuǎi Yuè and Cài Mào plotted to kill him during the gathering. The emperor secretly fled, and his horse, named Dilu, crossed the Tánxī waters west of Xiangyang City but became trapped in the water and could not get out. The emperor said, ‘Dilu, do your best!’ The horse then leapt three zhang (approximately 9 meters) and managed to cross.” One can imagine the state of the lake back then.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the banks of the Tánxī and Duck Lake were also home to the famous figures of the Three Kingdoms period, Xu Shù and Cuī Zhōupíng. This historical trace comes from the *Book of Jin · Biography of Xí Záo Chǐ*, where in a letter, Xí Záo Chǐ wrote: “Looking west to Lóngzhōng, I recall the whispers of the Sleeping Dragon; gazing east to Báishā, I think of the voice of the Young Phoenix; facing north toward Xūngu, I remember the nobility of Dèng the Elder; overlooking the city, I cherish the spirit of Yánggōng; and staring out at Tánxī, I think of my friends Cuī and Xu…” This “Xú Yuánzhí, who recommended Zhūgě Liàng on horseback,” and this “Xú Shù, who spoke not a word in Cáo Cao’s camp,” along with the scholar Cuī Zhōupíng, chose to build their refined retreats on the shores of Tánxī and Duck Lake — showing just how livable and pleasant this place once was.

From a physical geography perspective, the formation of Duck Lake may have originally been part of the Han River or the Xiangshui River channel. Due to the natural shifting of the Han River channel, the river water may have moved away from the eastern side of Wànshan Mountain and the northern foothills of Zhēnwǔ Mountain, shifting entirely northward. The remaining old river channel formed what is called in physical geography a “fluvial lake” formed by hydraulic action, also known as an “oxbow lake.” But we should not therefore assume that Duck Lake is a “dead lake.” It is sourced by the mountain water systems to the southwest and is connected to the Han River via Tánxī. The *Commentary on the Water Classic* actually states it quite clearly: “The waters of Tánxī were once part of the Han River,” and “Duck Lake further east joins with Tánxī waters, being the lower stream of Tánxī. The wording is very clear — that it was part of the Han River is naturally a fact before the dikes were built.” This indicates that the Han River flowed through Duck Lake and then rejoined the main course of the Han River at Guānyīn Gé. It can be inferred that for a considerable length of time, although Duck Lake had become a lake, part of the Han River’s flow still passed through it, much like how today the Han River is split into two branches by Yúliángzhou. As for when Duck Lake was completely cut off from the Han River, it may have been due to the construction of the Old Dragon Dyke project between Wànshan Mountain and Fūrénchéng. The *Hydrogeological Engineering Map of the Xiangfan Region* drawn by the Hubei Provincial Hydrogeological Brigade in 1973 also fully confirms that the ancient Duck Lake area belonged to the ancient riverbed zone of Xiangyang, more scientifically reflecting the changes in the Han River channel and the formation of Duck Lake. Moreover, due to the long-term torrential mountain floods from the southwestern mountains, sediment flowed into the lake and settled at the bottom, gradually raising the original Han River channel, causing the lake surface to continually shrink and the lakeshore to be gradually reclaimed as farmland.

Times change, and seas turn into mulberry fields.

Today, without the aid of historical documents and photographic materials, we can no longer see Duck Lake’s former glory. But to its southwest, the green mountains remain; to its northeast, the Han River still flows. When domestic and international tourists, cultural heritage seekers, and visitors with a keen interest in Three Kingdoms culture come to Xiangfan, they cannot help but seek out the old sites, lingering in the areas around Duck Lake and Tánxī. The rich cultural relics and historic sites retained by Tánxī and Duck Lake, along with the cultural heritage they have formed, still exude endless charm and continue to attract us to reminisce about the past and explore.