Black Dragon Lake

(Local Name: Xuanwuhu) The 395ha/1.5sq.mi Black Dragon Lake in the north of the city occupies a large area of the park of the same name. It contains five small islands interconnected by bridges and causeways: Cherry Tree Island (Yingzhou), Beam Island (Liangzhou), Round Island (Huanzhou), Water Chestnut Island (Lingzhou) and Emerald Island (Cuizhou). The lake gained its name back at the beginning of the 5th C. after a black animal was seen there - supposedly a dragon, but in reality probably a crocodile.

Under the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Beam Island (Liangzhou) was used to house the largest state archive in China. It consisted of two parts, the register of inhabitants (Huang Ce) and the register of land