Mochou Lake () is located west of the

Qinhuai River The Qinhuai River () is a tributary of the Yangtze with a total length of 110 km. It flows through central Nanjing and is called "Nanjing's mother river". It is the "life blood" of the city. The Qinhuai River is divided into inner and outer river ...

and Hanzhongmen Gate in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, inside Mochou Lake Park. The lake is named after Mochou, a legendary woman known for her beauty, versatility, virtue and loyalty. It was named Hengtang in ancient times, and also known as

Stone City The Stone City () is the site of an ancient fortified city within Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. Almost all of the original city is gone; all that remains are portions of the massive city wall. History The original town was built during the W ...

Lake. The lake park was owned by

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

, the first emperor of

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, and bestowed to his general

Xu Da Xu Da (1332–1385), courtesy name Tiande, was a Chinese military general and politician who lived in the late Yuan dynasty and early Ming dynasty. He was a friend of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder and first ruler of the Ming dynasty, and assist ...

. Since then, it has become a famous garden best known for its two-storied Shenggi Pavilion. Within the park are other pavilions, gardens, pools and a stunning rock display. It is noted for its architecture, collection of carved antique rosewood furniture and calligraphies. Visitors can take boats allow through the lotus blossomed lake.

Tales of Mochou

The name of Mochou Lake originated from a beautiful woman called Mochou, which means "do not worry" in Chinese, from the

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

who committed suicide to prevent herself from being married to an undesirable man. Another tale has it that Mochou was a beautiful and virtuous woman who lived during the Northern and Southern Dynastyies(386-589). She was married and had a child. Her happy life was disrupted when her husband was conscripted into the army. No news of her husband came even after months of his leaving for the front. Mochou grew sadder with each passing day. Finally, unable to shake off the grief of separating from her husband, she turned into a lake, with the hope of flowing to her husband. The lake was named after this woman, as a tribute to her unflagging love and devotion to her husband.

History

Since the early Ming Dynasty, Mochou Lake was gradually developed into a famous garden, which was bestowed to

by the

, the first emperor of

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, because he won his majesty while playing chess. Chinese folklore tells that the emperor and the general played the game regularly, and although the general was a great player, he always lost intentionally so as not to offend the emperor. Before long Emperor Taizu discovered the general's habit and ordered him to play normally. Needless to say, the general won. But while playing the general skillfully displayed the character 'wan sui,' meaning 'long life'. This feat pleased the emperor so much that he instantly gave Shengqi ('winning the game') Pavilion along with the Mochou Lake to his general During the following dynasty, this garden was extended several times and many other pavilions were added. Since 1929 Mochou Lake has been known as Mochou Lake Park. In 1953, Mochou Lake Park underwent major restorations, and the waterside pavilion and ready for ferry pavilion were built. The statue of Mochou was remodeled as well.

Park

It lies outside Shuixi Gate of

Nanjing City Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

, with a total area of 47 hectares and a circumference of 5 km. In Qing Dynasty, it was a beautiful garden that was also famed as the first attraction of Nanjing. Mochou Lake was once part of

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...

. Later the channels of Yangtze River and Qin Huai River changed their carrying capacity and direction, so Mochou Lake gradually became a lake. The park is a collection of pools, gardens, and pavilions, and a stunning rock display. Perhaps the most well-known feature of the park is the Shengqi Pavilion. It is a two-storied structure redolent of the austere architecture of ancient China. The first floor of the pavilion houses paintings and calligraphies created by famous artists. On the second floor the most conspicuous sight is of a picture depicting the emperor and Xu Da engrossed in a game of

Weiqi Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to ...

that led to the emperor bestowing Shengqi ('winning the game') Pavilion along with the Mochou Lake to his general. North of the Shengqi Pavilion lies Mochou's former house. It is called Yujin Hall, after yujin, which means white cardamom. The hall is partitioned by a pond in which grow lilies. The pond is adorned by a marble statue of Mochou, which stands in the middle of the pond. The statue's sorrowful expression is a reminder of that woman's tragic life. The pond is surrounded by cloistered pavilions. A large collection of ornately carved antique rosewood Chinese furniture is exhibited in one of the courtyards.Nanjing's best parks: Mochou Lake Park.
City of Nanjing. Retrieved May 12, 2014. The lake is situated behind the pavilion. Lotuses cover the lake, and when they are in bloom, they present a wonderful sight. There is an island in the lake's middle that can be reached by boat.

Events

Mochou Lake Park celebrates

Duanwu Festival The Dragon Boat Festival ( zh, s=端午节, t=端午節) is a traditional Chinese holiday which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or June in the Gregorian calendar. Names The Engl ...

each year with a

dragon boat race A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

References

External links