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Where there are mountains, there is water; where there are good mountains, there is good water. Mountains are the source of water, water is the lifeblood of mountains. Mountains are more beautiful because of water, water is clearer because of mountains. The ancients said: 'The benevolent love mountains, the wise love water.' Nowadays some say: 'A woman who does not love mountains is not a good woman, a man who does not love water is not a good man.' Baofeng Lake has mountains and water, good mountains and good water, mountains within the water and water within the mountains — a fairyland on earth worth visiting again and again by everyone (whether benevolent or wise, and regardless of whether they are good men or good women).
'Green mountains surround green waters, a calm lake appears in the high gorge.' Baofeng Lake is located at an elevation of 585 meters, on the mountainside at a relative height of 85 meters. It is named after Baofeng Mountain behind it. The average water depth is 72 meters, the area is 15 hectares, and the water storage capacity reaches over 6 million cubic meters. The lake water is formed by the convergence of groundwater, mountain springs, and rainwater, and is as green as jade all year round. It has been praised by domestic and international tourists as a 'Jade Pool on Earth.' Famous scenic spots include: Baofeng Flying Waterfall, Stone Gate Welcoming Guests, Peacock Spreading Its Tail, Golden Toad Holding the Moon, and Fairy Maiden Looking in the Mirror.
'The flying stream plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way falls from the ninth heaven.' Baofeng Flying Waterfall may not be as majestic and spectacular as Lushan Waterfall, but it is exceptionally graceful and lingering! The sight of this jade-clean, ice-pure water cannot help but remind one of a beautiful and innocent Tujia maiden. The water seems to contain the scent of flowers, grass, and trees, as if it were the faint, refreshing 'body fragrance' emanating from those exquisite mountains and waters. The water of Baofeng Lake is the most enthusiastic — listen, that splashing sound of water seems to be 'applauding' to welcome us!
The Cool Pavilion is truly cool. Surrounded by mountains and waters, with birds singing and flowers fragrant, gusts of mountain breeze blow over, making one feel especially refreshed. The green islets in the lake, like emerald jewels, are so beautiful that one cannot help but wonder if one has arrived in a 'water town in a dream.'
'Each place's landscape nurtures its people.' Zhangjiajie not only has clear waters and green mountains, beautiful scenery, but the Tujia people living here are hardworking, kind, and good at singing and dancing. Every Tujia person is a singer, and each can sing several mountain songs of different tunes. Tujia people sing antiphonal songs when cutting firewood, hunting, and going to market. Young men and women use mountain songs as matchmakers to pledge themselves to each other. If a man cannot sing mountain songs well, it is very hard for him to find a wife; if a woman cannot sing mountain songs well, it is very hard for her to get married. Can you guess what the small flower boat ahead is for? That's right, it's for antiphonal singing! Who dares to sing a song in response? If you can match three mountain songs from the young lady on the boat, you can win the beauty's hand. But if you cannot match even one song? — Then you must wash clothes for the young lady for three years, cook for three years, and gather firewood for three years, and see if the young lady will be moved by your sincerity. If truly no one dares to sing in response, then let's applaud — first applaud, then enjoy — let us invite the beautiful young lady to sing an authentic Tujia mountain song for us!
Baofeng Lake has an endless supply of good songs and good scenery. The widest part of Baofeng Lake is over 150 meters, and the narrowest part is only just over 10 meters. Directly ahead of the tour boat, there are two facing stone peaks that happen to form a natural stone gate, which we call 'Stone Gate Welcoming Guests.' This is the narrowest spot and also the deepest spot, reaching a depth of 119 meters. 'In the steep gorge lies a jar of wine, hiding joy and intoxication but not sorrow.' What exactly are the delightful, intoxicating sceneries that Baofeng Lake hides? Let us pass through the stone gate and take a look together.
After passing through this stone gate, the view suddenly opens up, and lake light and mountain colors rush toward us. A stone peacock is displaying its beautiful feathers before us. The white stone screen on the mountainside looks like feathers, and the protruding small stone peak in front looks like its head — what a beautiful peacock! Some say: 'The peacock spreads its tail, gazing with tender affection.' Others say: 'The peacock spreads its tail, full of self-infatuation.' Can you guess whether this beautiful peacock is gazing with tender affection or full of self-infatuation? Some say that the mountains, stones, grass, and trees of Zhangjiajie are all creatures of romance.
As the saying goes, 'A toad lusting after swan meat.' Actually, the toad has a more elegant name — Golden Toad (toad). Look, between the two overlapping stone peaks at the end of the lake, a huge gap has opened, forming a tilted English letter 'V,' looking like a large toad with its mouth wide open gazing at the sky. Every year on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the westward-slanting moon happens to fall right into its mouth. This is one of the great wonders of Baofeng Lake — Golden Toad Holding the Moon. It seems Mr. Golden Toad is again having fantasies about the moon goddess Chang'e.
On the water surface ahead, a golden turtle is swimming toward us. It droops its head, opens its mouth just a little, and playfully blinks its small eyes — who knows at whom it is batting its eyelashes?
On the smooth stone wall of a stone peak ahead, there is actually a naturally formed white path extending from the lower left of the lake surface all the way to the top of the peak, like an 'Immortal's Path' — one can only travel it in spirit, not by climbing. 'Above Zhangjiajie's peaks there are immortals; the immortals bathe in Baofeng Lake.' Legend has it that this is the path the Seven Fairy Maidens took when they descended to earth to bathe in Baofeng Lake.
