Black Dragon Lake 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 tenure (Yuling Ce). The archive was manned by over 80 clerks but after a census, which was carried out every ten years, an additional thousand workers would be employed on a temporary basis.

Today Beam Island is the lake's main tourist attraction because it boasts many architectural monuments set in picturesque surroundings. These include the Temple of the Spirits of the Lake (Husheng Miao), the Lotus Blossom Pavilion (Shanghe Ting) and the Tower with the Beautiful View (Lansheng Lou).