This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
In autumn night on South Lake no mist veils the water, / How I wish to ride the waves straight up to the sky! / Let me borrow the moonlight from Lake Dongting, / And buy wine by the white clouds as my boat drifts by. Having read this poem about South Lake by the great Tang poet Li Bai, one can well imagine that South Lake has been a famous scenic area since ancient times. The South Lake scenic area includes: South Lake, Sanyan Bridge, the Mizi Kingdom city site east of South Lake, the Paotai Mountain ruins, 'One Dragon Chasing Nine Turtles,' 'Nine Turtles Chasing One Toad,' the International Dragon Boat Festival racecourse, and more than ten other scenic spots. South Lake lies south of the city, connected to Dongting Lake on the west, bordered by Ganshan and Guishan on the south, and Jin'e Mountain and Baihe Mountain on the north. On the east, the lake water divides into two branches, one near Guozhen and one leading to Kangwang Bridge, each stretching over ten li. The lake surface is irregular, with a shoreline of over 60 kilometers and a water area of more than 18,000 mu.
South Lake is beautiful in scenery, with lake inlets and peaks interlocking, water and mountain light enhancing each other's charm. On the south bank, a ridge of Ganshan Mountain undulates continuously, just like a green dragon leaping from the water; in the lake, nine small islands are arranged in a line, commonly known as the Nine Turtle Hills, forming the strange spectacle of 'One Dragon Chasing Nine Turtles.' Folk legend says that when Qin Shi Huang drove mountains to fill the sea, dawn broke here, and no matter how the tyrant whipped it, the mountain remained immovable. So this mountain stayed by the shore of South Lake. At the foot of the mountain's tail remains a deep hollow, known as Ma'ao (Horse Hollow), said to be the whip mark left by Qin Shi Huang. On the west side of the lake, a railway bridge separates it from Dongting Lake, and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway crosses over the lake. At the northern harbor mouth on the east side of the lake, a large three-arched stone bridge spans the water, a long bridge lying on the waves with great elegance—this is the well-known Sanyan Bridge. It was built by Fang Dun, Minister of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty. Opposite the bridge is Luosi Mountain, on which stands Fang Dun's tomb; at the foot of the mountain, water surrounds on all sides, with fishing boats coming and going; in the lake there is a central island, like a jewel set in the blue waves; in the distance, streets and alleys crisscross, with pavilions and towers of varying heights. The ancients described it as: 'By day receiving the salutations of a thousand people, by night watching ten thousand bright lamps.' On the north shore of the lake, a peninsula juts out, with winding harbors, green waters and blue mountains—truly 'a thousand peaks emerge from the perilous waves, ten thousand trees embrace the deep mist.' And there is Jin'e Mountain standing majestically by the lake, facing Ganshan from afar.
South Lake has been a gathering place for literati and a venue for composing poetry and painting since ancient times. After Tang Zhongshu Ling Zhang Yue was demoted to Yuezhou, he often boated on South Lake with poet friends, drinking wine and exchanging verses, making it a grand occasion of the time. Famous poets Li Bai, Zhao Dongxi, Yin Mao, and others were all regular visitors to South Lake, leaving behind many famous works. Zhang Yue's 'From the clouds the eastern ridge emerges a thousand layers, / Amid the trees South Lake shines in one bright expanse' ('Ode to South Lake'), and Li Bai's 'The waters idle, a bright mirror turns, / Clouds encircle, a painted screen shifts'—both are peerless masterpieces through the ages.
South Lake is a treasure bowl. Fish are raised in the lake, with an annual yield of over one million jin. Tea is produced along the lakeside; it is said that beside Baihe Well grows Baihe tea, 'extremely sweet and fragrant, beyond comparison with grass tea from elsewhere.' Today, the Baimaojian tea produced at South Lake is still a famous tea.
South Lake ripples with blue waves all year round, serene and elegant. Mountains and waters, a scenic wonder formed by nature. In 1982, it was designated a Hunan Provincial Nature Scenic Reserve.
