The Jianhu Lake, also known as the
Mirror Lake, is located in the southwest of Shaoxing City in Zhejiang Province.
As a famous lake in Zhejiang, the Jianghu Lake covers an area of 30.5 square
kilometers and is 22.5 kilometers long from Tinshan Hill in the east to the
Hutang Pool in the west. It looks like a river course running in the Shaoxing
Plain. The Jianhu Lake is a provincial scenic spot and a perfect entertainment
resort which is composed of the South Hill Recreation Area and 6 sights in the
east, namely the Lake Bridge, the Kuaige Pavilion, the Three Hills, the Qingshui
Flood Gate, the Keyan Rock and the Hutang Pool.
The water in the Jianhu Lake is pure
and it is from this water that the world-famous Shaoxing Wine is made. Going
boating in the vast lake surrounded by green hills, one will feel like touring
around a fairyland cast in a mirror. Besides beautiful natural landscapes, the
lake also has many historic sites. It is the hometown of the renowned poet Lu
You of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The sites of the Kuaige Pavilion
and the Three Hills were built in memory of him. Lying on the north side of the
Jianhu Lake, the Kuaige Pavilion was the place where Lu You studied in his
middle age. The pavilion then changed its name to the Lufangweng Ancestral
Temple, with several old buildings of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Walking
several kilometers from the pavilion to the west, one can find the Three Hills,
namely the Xinggong Hill, the Hanjia Hill, and the Shiyan Hill. Lying in these
hills is a small village that is the birthplace of Lu You. Though his former
residence has been abandoned, the beautiful scenery has not changed, making
visitors forget to return.