Shimen Mengquan Lake Scenic Area

Shimen Mengquan Lake Scenic Area

Mengquan Lake Scenic Area is located in Mengquan Town, Shimen County, Hunan Province. It was named after the Northern Song Dynasty poet and calligrapher Huang Tingjian personally inscribed the Chinese character "Mengquan" ("Hidden Spring") here in 1094. The lake was constructed in 1974, covering a total area of 44 square kilometers. The lake features numerous islands scattered across its surface, and it serves as a habitat for tens of thousands of white cranes, egrets, cormorants, and wild ducks. The surrounding hills are layered and lush, with blooming flowers everywhere, earning it the reputation of being a "flower mountain and bird island."

Mengquan Lake lies at the easternmost tip of the Wuling Mountains where they extend into the Dongting Lake Plain, historically a strategic military location. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, after Li Zicheng’s defeat, he took refuge in the rugged mountains of Mengquan and engaged in fierce battles with Qing Dynasty General Wu Sangui, the Prince who Pacified the West, at Yunnan Village. During the Three Feudatories Rebellion in the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, "King of Yunnan" Wu Sangui and anti-Qing forces fought against the Qing army here for six years. Today, there remain many historical sites such as Wu Gong's "Yunnan Village," "Chengmen Village," "General Mountain," "Wu Gong Cave," "Mingfeng Mountain," and "Sangui Valley." Many legends are widely circulated. Mengquan Lake is adjacent to the Taoist sacred sites Nanyue Wudang Mountain and Guanguo Mountain, making it a key pilgrimage route.

Scenic Area Address: Mengquan Town, Shimen County, Changde City, Hunan Province

Transportation: Take a bus from Changde City to Shimen County, then transfer to a minibus to reach the scenic area.