Tianjing Lake Scenic Area

　　Tianjing Lake in Tongling City, Anhui Province, lies at the foot of Wusong Mountain and covers an area of eighty hectares, encircled by hills. The interplay of lake and mountain views creates a delightful scene. Two winding causeways divide the lake into three sections: East Lake, South Lake, and North Lake. The missing ancient lake was humorously said by ancient people to have been moved to Hangzhou. The lake is replenished by springs above and connects to the Yangtze River downstream, ensuring crystal-clear water. In the center of South Lake lies an island with a well whose water level remains more than two meters above the lake surface year-round. When the lake rises, so does the well water; when the lake falls, the well water follows — a remarkable sight often cited to illustrate the saying “well water does not intrude upon river water.” Legend has it that the well water comes from the heavens and was meant for celestial beings to rest and enjoy tea, hence its name “Tianjing” (Heavenly Well). Later, a pavilion named “Tongtian Pavilion” (Celestial-Connecting Pavilion) was built over the well to protect it.

　　Tianjing Lake is situated on the north side of Changjiang West Road, a major urban thoroughfare. Natural hills and causeways divide it into East Lake, South Lake, and North Lake, all interconnected by water. It is about 5 kilometers from Tongguanshan Mountain. The lake features a well that is said to “connect to the heavens above and the seas below,” known as Tianjing. The lake and the surrounding park derive their names from this well. The well is a major wonder within Tianjing Lake Park, a natural spring that perpetually sits around two meters above the lake’s surface.

　　There are also two beautiful and moving legends associated with the site: One tells of a heavenly thief who attempted to steal the sacred treasure of Tongguanshan. As his boat passed Tianjing Lake, he was spotted by the mountain guardian deity, who imitated a rooster’s crow. Hearing this, all the roosters in the area began to crow, startling the thief. In his haste to flee, he thrust his pole through the lakebed, creating the Tianjing. Another legend speaks of the youngest daughter of the Dragon King of the East Sea. One day, she secretly left her palace, avoided the oceans, traveled through Tianjing, and swam in the lake. There she met a kind-hearted fisherman and fell in love. Transforming into a beautiful sea snail, she was caught in his net. Moved by her plight, the fisherman refused to sell her to buy rice for his blind mother-in-law, instead keeping her in a jar. From then on, strange things happened in their home: the jar never ran out of rice, the stove always had firewood, and no matter how late the fisherman worked, he would return to find warm meals ready. One day, returning unexpectedly at noon, he discovered a beautiful young woman managing their home, revealing the truth. Just as the couple’s love flourished, the Dragon King sent a vicious dragon to retrieve his daughter. When confronted with the truth, the dragon used force to take her back. Refusing to go, the dragon girl fought back. The evil dragon, in a rage, tried to drain the lake to kill the crops and capture the girl. In response, she transformed into a giant sea snail, sucking seawater up through Tianjing, vowing, “I will not be a jewel of the heavens — I will protect the life-giving spring of mankind.” Exhausted from the effort, she died and transformed into today’s Luosishan (Screw Mountain), covered in evergreen pines and cypresses, within the city.

　　At the time of the park's establishment, the spring was enclosed to form Tianjing, with rocks and earth used to build Zhongzhou Island (with Nan Island constructed as an auxiliary feature). Later, Tongtian Pavilion was built on Zhongzhou Island, where the spring water flows from a dragon’s mouth into a small pool before dripping into the lake, demonstrating the difference in water levels.

　　The park spans 1,646 mu, including 1,222 mu of lake surface, and is surrounded by seven uniquely featured hills. Since opening in 1972, the park has successively developed over 30 recreational areas and scenic spots, such as a children’s playground, roller-skating rink, boat docks, Tianjing Tea House, Yiqin Garden, corridors and waterside pavilions, zigzag bridges, Tongtian Pavilion, Valley Stele Forest, and Peony Garden. These, along with lighting projects and the decoration of the Lakeview and Lakeside Squares, present a competition between majestic mountains and beautiful waters, and between newly built sights and historic sites. The park can be divided into eight major scenic zones, including “Five Pines Grand Tour,” “Night Chants and Pestles,” “Wooden Fish and Red Scales,” and “Three Thousand Paintings.” Among them, the “Five Pines Grand Tour” stretches from the park gate to the zigzag bridge in South Lake. It boasts the largest land area, with the majestic Wusong Mountain standing at its center, making it the park’s main scenic area.

　　The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai visited twice, lingering and composing poetry. He wrote 11 immortal poems praising Tongling, including lines such as “I love Tongguan so, / I’d not return for a thousand years. / My sleeves would dance, / To sweep away the Five Pines.” On his first visit, he built a study on Wusong Mountain, residing and reading there, which became known as the Wusong Study Hall. Later, Song Dynasty poets Su Shi and Huang Tingjian followed in his footsteps, also visiting Wusong Mountain. They built pavilions, composed poems, and enjoyed the scenery together — these were known as the Su-Huang Poetry Pavilion. Subsequently, notable officials like Li Gang and celebrated poets such as Wang Shipeng and Lin Nan, as well as literati from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, were drawn to the site. They visited the Temple of Li Bai to offer poems and record their admiration. The Wusong Study Hall was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. It was reconstructed during the Song Dynasty and renamed the Temple of Li Taibai; during the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated again and called the Li Bai Study Hall. Because of the poetic charm and breathtaking beauty of Tianjing Lake Park, the late renowned calligrapher and former Chairman of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhang Kaifan, once inscribed: “Willows line the causeways in countless numbers, beyond the hills are more hills, beyond the lake are more lakes. All the scenery before one’s eyes is like a painted scroll — Tongling is surely no less beautiful than Suzhou.”