Zhexi Reservoir

　　Zhexi Reservoir, located 15 kilometers west of Anhua County, is a large hydroelectric power station built in the early 1960s by constructing a dam to block the Zi River. It is the earliest "ruby" in Hunan, not only bringing light to the region but also forming a hundred-mile high gorge turned into a serene lake above the dam, creating a "hundred-mile gallery" on the land of central Hunan that rivals the scenery of Guilin.

　　The starting point of the scenic area is a magnificent dam, 330 meters long and 104 meters high, resembling a rainbow stretching across the Zi River from north to south. To the north is a ship lock for passing the dam, and to the south is a highway tunnel. When the dam releases water, the hundred-meter drop sends water cascading down through nine spillway openings—nine silver ribbons hanging in the air, with rolling snow-white waves that seem to overturn the seas and rivers, leaving visitors in awe. At night, thousands of lights shine brightly on and under the dam, like stars scattered across the earth.

　　Taking a boat from the power station dam to Pingkou Town, the waterway stretches 56 kilometers. Along both banks of the river, the mountains take on various forms, and the trees remain lush green. Some resemble steeds by the river, others fairy maidens descending to earth, some two dragons playing with a pearl, and others a reenactment of the Three Gorges—it is truly a hundred-mile landscape, a hundred-mile gallery, not Guilin yet surpassing it in beauty. The entire reservoir area consists of five scenic zones: Duipixi, Bao Ta Shan, Mei Wang Dong, Fu Shou Shan, and Da Rong Tang, forming a unique landscape painting characterized by serenity, beauty, grandeur, and peril. There are 45 islands of varying sizes scattered across the reservoir, creating a majestic scene where there are mountains within the lake, and a lake within the mountains, with reflections of water and peaks, and blue waters against the blue sky. When cruise boats glide over the lake, they sometimes evoke the feeling of sailing through the Three Gorges in their grandeur, other times as if cruising on Lake Dongting. The Bao Ta Shan is fragrant with citrus fruits, while the Forest Science Institute Mountain boasts a hundred uniquely fascinating trees. Agile monkeys have made their homes on the small islands in the lake, and beautiful peacocks spread their dazzling tails on the green islets. In recent years, the mountainous areas around the reservoir have also built folk-style holiday villages along the lake inlets, and houseboats have been turned into fresh fish restaurants and gourmet eateries. Visitors coming to the reservoir area for leisure holidays, staying for two or three nights and enjoying three or five days here, are guaranteed a joyful and refreshing experience every single day.