SanTan YinYue, also known as ‘XiaoYingZhou’, is located in the central and southern part of West Lake, and is one of the three islands in West Lake with the largest area, and the only one that allows visitors to tour the island. The outline of the island resembles the Chinese character for ‘field’, with an outer ring of beautiful Jiangnan gardens, and the interior is divided into four small lakes by a cross-shaped island and bridges, full of poetic charm. To reach the island, one must take a West Lake cruise ship, with multiple docks available along the lake. Cruises from HuaGang, ZhongShan, and HangFan (YueMiao) docks stop on the west side of the island, while those from HuBin (urban area) stop on the east side. There is no time limit for touring the island, and after the visit, visitors can return to any of the aforementioned docks with their tickets, which is very convenient.
The scenic spot of SanTan YinYue on the island is not large, and can be easily explored on foot. The cultural landscapes are concentrated at the northern end of the island, including the XianXian Temple, KaiWang Pavilion, TingTing Pavilion, nine stone lions, and the JiuQu Bridge, all of which are quite exquisite. Starting from the JiuQu Bridge at the northern end and walking south along the central line, one arrives at the ‘SanTan YinYue’ imperial stele pavilion, which is considered the symbol of the entire island, where many tourists take photos to commemorate their visit. Continuing to the southernmost point and passing through the WoXin XiangYin Pavilion, one can see three stone pagodas on the vast lake surface, which are the essence of SanTan YinYue. In the past, especially on moonlit nights and during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people would light candles inside the pagodas and cover the circular holes on the pagoda’s body with thin paper, allowing the light to shine through and reflect on the lake surface, creating a beautiful contrast with the moon in the sky. This scene is also called ‘SanTan YinYue’ and is one of the top ten scenes of West Lake.
Many visitors will find the three stone pagodas familiar when they see them, as they are the background pattern on the one-yuan Renminbi note. Consequently, many tourists take photos with the stone pagodas and the background of the one-yuan Renminbi note. In reality, it is impossible to find the same angle as on the Renminbi note on the island. Moreover, due to the distance, the small holes on the pagodas are not clearly visible. If departing from the HuaGang dock, the stone pagodas can be seen halfway, and for a closer view, one can rent a rowing boat on the HuaGang GuanYu shore and ask the boatman to row to a position about 100 meters away from the pagodas, with a cost of approximately 150 yuan per hour.
The opening hours are from 08:00 to 17:00 all year round. Preferential policies for children under 1.2 meters (not including) are available with discounted tickets.
SanTan YinYue: A Scenic Spot in Nantong, Jiangsu
SanTan YinYue, also known as ‘XiaoYingZhou’, is located in the central and southern part[...]
