Why Go
A Lake Made by Garden Builders
1. A lake made from a moat
The lake began as a stretch of city moat and river outside Yangzhou's walls. In the Qing dynasty, salt merchants who grew rich on the Grand Canal trade built gardens and pavilions along its banks, and the lake became a place for boating and viewing.
The water is narrow and winding, so views change with each bend, and the banks are lined with willow, bamboo and rock.
2. Bridges, pavilions and a pagoda
The classic route is by boat or on foot along the shore, past arched bridges, a pavilion on a small island, and a pagoda that rises above the trees at the northern end. The photographs show a pavilion on a fishing terrace, an islet of twisted trees, a stone bridge and a bamboo path.
The lake connects by waterways to the Grand Canal on the other side of the old city, which is why a salt-trade town could invest in garden building.
