Mochou Lake Scenic Area is located outside Shuixi Gate in the west of Nanjing City. It is a classical famous garden in the south of the Yangtze River and a historical site of the Six Dynasties. There are many varieties of begonias in Mochou Lake Scenic Area, including Chaenomeles speciosa, Chaenomeles cathayensis, Malus micromalus, and Malus halliana, which are in full bloom from March to April every year. Every midsummer, tens of thousands of lotus flowers on the lake compete for beauty. Origin of the name: Mochou Lake was formerly known as Hengtang. Because it is adjacent to Stone City, it is also called Shicheng Lake. According to legend, Mochou was a beautiful girl from Luoyang in the Qi Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. Her family was poor and she sold herself to bury her father. She married far away to Jinling but was not tolerated by her uncle and aunt. She threw herself into the lake and committed suicide. Hence the name Mochou Lake. Shengqi Tower: The Shengqi Tower in the park was first built in the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty and was renovated in 1871 (the tenth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty). According to legend, this is the place where Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, played chess with General Xu Da. Xu Da secretly arranged the chess pieces to form the words ‘Long live the emperor’. Although he won the chess game, he only said it was a draw, which made Zhu Yuanzhang admire him very much. So Zhu Yuanzhang gave Mochou Lake to Xu Da. This tower is called ‘Shengqi Tower’. Yujintang: To the west of Shengqi Tower is the former residence of Mochou girl – Yujintang. The three characters ‘Yujintang’ were inscribed by Liu Haisu. In the middle of the front hall hangs a landscape painting of ‘The First Famous Scenic Spot in Jinling’ by Chen Dayu. In the middle of the back hall is the living room. Beside the round table sits a statue of Mochou girl who is embroidering. On the left is her bedroom. The furniture in the hall is all rosewood and mother-of-pearl furniture from the late Qing Dynasty, full of antique charm. On May 5, 2012, the former residence of Mochou girl was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. Statue of Mochou girl: To the west of Yujintang are the north and south halls. Surrounded by corridors on the east and west is the lotus appreciation pavilion. In the middle is a lotus pond. On a stone in the pond stands a more than two-meter-high white marble statue of Mochou girl. She is seen coming slowly like a fairy on waves, holding a mulberry basket in her hand and her long skirt trailing on the ground. Her pair of eyes full of resentment seem to be telling her misfortune to tourists from all directions. Opening hours: Open from 06:00 to 21:00 from May 1st to September 30th; open from 07:00 to 21:00 from October 1st to April 30th. Tips: Behind the lotus appreciation pavilion is the cruise ship dock. There are rowboats, pedal boats and battery boats for tourists to rent. Now motor speedboats have been added to take tourists on a lake tour. There is an island in the center of the lake where waterbirds often inhabit. It can be reached by boat.
Mochou Lake Scenic Area
Mochou Lake Scenic Area is located outside Shuixi Gate in the west of Nanjing City. It is a classica[...]
