Wuchang Shahu Park

Wuchang Shahu Park

Shahu Lake is located in the northeastern part of Wuchang, Wuhan. It borders Zhongbei Road to the east, Xiaogui Mountain to the south, the railway line from Wuchang to Daye to the west, and Xudong Road to the north. The Yuehan Railway, built during the late Qing Dynasty, runs through the lake. To the west of the railway lies Xiaosha Lake, also known as Neisha Lake, which has almost disappeared; to the east is Dasha Lake, also called Waisha Lake, which is the present-day Shahu Lake. According to the latest measurement data published by the Wuhan Water Authority, the current area of Neisha Lake is 0.134 square kilometers, while that of Waisha Lake is 3.197 square kilometers. It is the second-largest “urban lake” in Wuhan after East Lake and the only lake within the inner ring road of downtown Wuhan.

Historical records indicate that over 100 years ago, East Lake was part of the Shahu water system. Ren Tong referred to Shahu and East Lake together as the Greater and Lesser Shahu Lakes in his book *Shahu Zhi*. Originally, East Lake, Shahu Lake, and Baiyang Lake were interconnected and linked to the Yangtze River. After the construction of a large embankment from Wuchang to Qingshan during the late Qing Dynasty, the three bodies of water became separated. In 2004, an ancient Shahu boat dock was unearthed at Jiyuqiao in Wuchang. The exposed stone piers bore five or six grooves from boat ropes, varying in depth, silently telling the story of Shahu’s gradual shrinkage. The Wuchang Shahu boat dock was built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, about 600 years ago. At that time, Shahu covered nearly 10,000 mu, with boats dotting its surface. Farmers would moor their small boats here before heading into the city on business. In the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong built dams such as Wufeng Sluice, Wutai Sluice, and Wannian Sluice to mitigate flooding, which slightly reduced the lake’s area to over 7,000 mu. During the War of Resistance, the population around the lake surged, leading to land reclamation and housing construction, causing the lake to shrink significantly. The boat dock gradually fell into disuse. By the 1980s, Shahu’s area had dwindled to just over 6,000 mu. Even then, nationally protected bird species such as the white-tailed sea eagle, grey crane, and osprey were regular visitors. Over a decade ago, parts of Shahu were filled in to widen Zhongbei Road and Xudong Road for the construction of the Second Yangtze River Bridge. In recent years, rapid urbanization has led to the construction of numerous schools, office buildings, and residential complexes around the lake. Frequent lake-filling incidents have reduced Shahu’s water surface by over 1,000 mu. Coupled with pollution from urban waste and domestic sewage, the lake water has become severely contaminated, devastating its natural ecology. Shahu is losing its wetland characteristics and value. Many once-common rare bird species have vanished, and fish in the lake often die en masse due to severe pollution. Shahu has thus faded into obscurity, drifting further from public view and gradually becoming a lost scenic gem.

Historically, however, Shahu had its own beauty and splendor. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, appointed his sixth son, Zhu Zhen, as the King of Chu. Zhu Zhen resided in Wuchang for over fifty years. He was particularly fond of Shahu for its picturesque scenery and pleasant environment. The reeds by the lake were often used by Zhu Zhen to make flutes with beautiful tones, hence Shahu was also once called “Ge Di Lake” (Flute Lake). Ren Tong, an official of Hubei Province during the late Qing Dynasty, was deeply enamored with Shahu’s beauty and even styled himself the “Hermit of Shahu,” with the alias Qin Fu. On the shores of Shahu, Ren Tong built China’s first modern-style amusement park inspired by the Grand View Garden in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, naming it “Qin Yuan” (Lute Garden). The garden was landscaped by season: Spring Scene featured Flower Willow Pond, Summer Scene had Lotus Pond, Autumn Scene boasted Moon Pavilion, and Winter Scene showcased Plum Ridge. The garden also included structures like the “Lele Hall.” A path was constructed alongside the garden, connecting the Yangtze River to Shahu, and was named “Qin Yuan Road.” Upon its completion, the garden caused a sensation and became a renowned attraction, frequented by the literati and scholars who gathered in Wuhan at the time. Kang Youwei once composed a couplet for it: “Lute scores and tea scriptures alternate in elegance; garden flowers and pool moonlight reveal Zen insights.” During the War of Resistance, Qin Yuan was destroyed, and Qin Yuan Road was mistakenly renamed Qin Yuan Road.

The name Jiyuqiao (Jade-Accumulating Bridge) is also closely tied to Shahu. According to the *Jiangxia County Annals*, Jiyuqiao was originally called Jiyu Bridge (Carp Bridge), built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887). It was a stone bridge with an interior span of over ten feet. Every summer when Shahu’s waters rose, nearby residents would fish and catch shrimp through the bridge’s arches, mostly carp, hence the bridge came to be called Carp Bridge, and the surrounding area was generically referred to as such. Later, the area became a key route for carts transporting materials to the Copper Coin Bureau, so the name was euphemistically refined to Jiyuqiao (Jade-Accumulating Bridge), playing on the homophone. In 1931, the stone bridge was destroyed. In 1934, it was rebuilt with reinforced concrete piers and a wooden deck, but it was destroyed again in 1938. Today, only remnants of the bridge foundation remain faintly visible. As a district name, Jiyuqiao has endured to this day.

Wuhan, known as the “City of a Hundred Lakes,” once suffered severe damage to its natural lake ecosystems due to excessive human development and encroachment. To protect Shahu, the Wuhan municipal government implemented a series of conservation and restoration measures. In December 2002, the demarcation and boundary-marking of Shahu were completed with 88 lake-protection stakes, using GPS to define the exact locations and water area. On March 23, 2004, Wuhan’s “Sweden Day” initiative determined to leverage Swedish funding and expertise to rehabilitate Shahu. According to the preliminary plan jointly established by China and Sweden, the three-year Shahu restoration project would total $8 million in investment. That same year, the Wuhan government also decided to regularly monitor the lake, prohibit further filling, and implement comprehensive management to gradually improve water quality and promote ecological protection and sustainable development. Plans included constructing an approximately 80,000-square-meter Shahu Park near the northwest shoreline, centered around the lake’s surface. Additionally, a lakeside ring road would be built around Shahu. Once completed, this road would not only improve traffic flow but also “encircle” and protect the lake from further encroachment.

It is believed that in the near future, Shahu will reclaim its former glory—vast azure waters teeming with gulls, lush aquatic plants, and schools of fish. The Shahu area will become a beautifully landscaped, conveniently connected, well-equipped neighborhood with distinctive lakeside charm. Astute real estate developers have long recognized the immense value appreciation potential of the Shahu land parcel. At 17:50 on December 12, 2004, inside the bidding hall of the Wuhan Land Transaction Center, the nearly frantic breathing of onlookers was as palpable as the lingering smoke. Bidders remained eerily calm despite their extravagant spending, while the auctioneer’s visible anxiety over the soaring prices was equally striking. After 294 intense rounds of bidding, a relatively overlooked plot of land by Shahu was sold to Wuhan Fuxing Huayu Real Estate Co., Ltd. for a staggering 800 million yuan. This price far exceeded the initial listing price of 436 million yuan, translating to a floor price of around 2,800 yuan per square meter—while the average price of commercial housing in Wuhan at the time was just over 2,000 yuan. Just a year earlier in December, in Shenzhen, the so-called “land king” auction of the first three reclaimed land parcels only exceeded the starting price by about 400 million yuan. The highest-priced plot, with the best location, sold for merely 780 million yuan, with a buildable floor area comparable to the Shahu parcel. The Shahu land parcel suddenly transformed from an unremarkable gravel-covered site into a goldmine of immense value.

“Ge Di Lake,” “Qin Yuan”—these stories and legends of Shahu may even be unfamiliar to many native Wuhanese today. But history always remarkably preserves its cultural continuity, and the privilege and rarity of lakeside living always belong to a select few. As the saying goes, “The wise find joy in water.” Amid the city, one can seamlessly transition between nature and urban vibrancy—to stroll through Shahu Park, reflect quietly along the lakeside boardwalk, gaze at the bustling city skyline across the water, and contemplate life’s deeper meanings. Isn’t this the most idyllic lakeside lifestyle we’ve all dreamed of? Shahu will become a harmonious haven where humans and nature coexist. If the King of Chu, Zhu Zhen, or the “Hermit of Shahu,” Ren Tong, could know that such a life awaits them by Shahu, might they not echo Emperor Kangxi in the TV series *Kangxi Dynasty* and exclaim, “How I wish I could live another five hundred years!”