Hebei Travel: Boating on Jingniang Lake (Photos)

The scenic Jingniang Lake Scenic Area is located in Wu'an, Hebei. This was also the fourth stop of the 'Yanzhao Tour' for our beloved cars, after the trip 'In Search of the Eighth Route Army's Footprints to Pay Homage to the 129th Division Headquarters'. On the afternoon of May 2, 2007, the reporter followed the self-driving convoy from She County to arrive here.

Jingniang Lake Memorial Stone (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Since we had already visited the Wahuang Palace and the former site of the 129th Division Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army earlier that day, although the car enthusiasts were still in high spirits, some friends felt a bit fatigued. Fortunately, the tour of Jingniang Lake mainly involved boating on the lake and enjoying the scenery, which somewhat alleviated the need for strenuous physical exertion.

Jingniang Lake Yixiantian (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Jingniang Lake is named after the legend that Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, escorted Jingniang a thousand miles and passed through here. This mysterious and beautiful landscape is located at the western foot of the Taihang Mountains within Wu'an City. It is 32 kilometers southeast of Wu'an City and 60 kilometers east of Handan City, with convenient transportation.

Lake and Mountain Scenery (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The convoy arrived at the beautiful Jingniang Lake after about an hour's drive. Since it was the May Day Golden Week, the area was crowded with tourists. Several parking lots in the scenic area were densely packed with cars. So everyone had to split up and find their own spots to park.

Speedboat Cutting Through Waves (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Standing on the dam of Jingniang Lake and looking into the distance, the lake has clear water and beautiful mountains. It has both the charm of mountains and the spirit of water. The water surface is vast, the lake water is clear, surrounded by mountains. In the distance, the mountains undulate; nearby, the cliffs stand tall, with various postures, just like a natural beauty created by immortals.

Cliffs on the Shore (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Jingniang Lake covers an area of over 2,500 mu, with a water capacity of 32 million cubic meters and a depth of up to 50 meters. The lake water forms an inverted '人' (person) shape, divided into eastern and western branches, with a total length of over ten kilometers. The lake surface winds and twists, sometimes open and sometimes narrow like a thread. Jingniang Lake's mountains and waters depend on each other; the mountains are beautiful because of the water, and the water is unique because of the mountains. In the blending of mountains and water, the 18 scenic spots here each have their own characteristics.

Jingniang Lake Cruise Ship (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The reporter's group happened to take a sightseeing cruise boat on the lake. From time to time, speedboats sped by, leaving white waves behind, which was very spectacular.

Photo at Jingniang Lake (Photo by Cao Qun)

Whenever a speedboat passed, the divided water waves would rock the smoothly moving cruise ship, causing children to cheer and scream, adding a bit of joyful atmosphere to the car enthusiasts boating on the lake.

Boat Pier (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The cruise ship full of car enthusiasts first entered the lake area of one branch of the '人' character. After reaching the end, it turned back, circled around, returned to the top of the '人' character, and then continued boating along the lake area of the other branch of the '人' character.

Boating on Jingniang Lake (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Everyone sat in the cabin, listening to the guide's explanation, and enjoyed the beautiful lake and mountain scenery through the windows. On both sides of the lake, steep peaks faced each other, with overlapping layers of mountains, beautiful and perilous. The scenery deep in the valleys had various features, some artificially made, majestic and ingenious; some naturally formed with various postures, lifelike. Especially the interesting anecdotes and touching myths and historical stories told by the guide not only evoked emotions from the scenery but also added a lot of charm.

View Behind the Dam (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The elevation at the top of the Jingniang Lake dam is 612.5 meters. Adjacent to the lake is a mountaintop park surrounded by water, with clouds and mist, hiding brocade and containing green, quite spectacular. Next to the cliffs, along the lake, is a long sightseeing boardwalk. Although most car enthusiasts did not go ashore to climb the mountain, the unique scenery of the boardwalk and the mountaintop park was clearly visible.

Sightseeing Boardwalk (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

According to records, the peak of the mountaintop park surrounded by lake water is at an altitude of 900 meters. Due to its high terrain and being surrounded by water, it creates a comfortable microclimate. The average summer temperature is 20°C, which is 2.5°C lower than the average temperature of Wu'an city proper and 5.06°C lower than that of Handan city proper. Because of the large water surface and lush forests, the relative humidity is also higher. Coming to Jingniang Lake from a dry and hot environment, one immediately feels the fresh air and cool climate.

Flying Over the Lake (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Jingniang Lake Scenic Area mainly consists of 18 scenic spots including Gaoxia Pinghu (High Gorge and Flat Lake), Xianling Gorge, Songzu Gorge, Jingniang Gorge, Angry Lion Raising Head, Divine Turtle Sticking Out Head, Eagle Gazing, Tunshan Jiliang (Mountain Store Grain), Shennu Shesu (Goddess Spreading Grain), Dieqiao Xi Yue (Stacked Bridge Playing with Moon), Tuofeng Jingxiu (Camel Peak Competing in Beauty), Zhuanghan Tan Yihen (Chill Pool Leaving Regret), Yunya Jizhi (Cloud Cliff Recording Ambition), Guyan Piao Mian (Ancient Rock Floating Cotton), Qingfeng Kaiping (Green Peak Opening Screen), Weiyan Cang Jing (Precipice Hiding Sutras), and others.

Scenery Downstream of the Lake (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The reservoir dam blocks the entrance of Mendao River and Changshe River. It is a masonry rubble gravity dam, 81 meters high, 185 meters long, with a crest width of 10.5 meters. There is a traffic bridge on the overflow section. The dam stands proudly, like a silver wall, magnificent.

Jingniang Lake Dam (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

There are also rich cultural attractions. The story of 'Zhao Kuangyin Escorting Jingniang for a Thousand Miles' takes place on the western branch of Jingniang Lake, along Jingniang Gorge and Songzu Gorge, where one can see Jingniang's 'Dressing Table' and 'Clothes Rock'. At the 'Yunya Jizhi' scenic spot, there are inscriptions on the cliff, handwritten by Zhao Kuangyin, for visitors to appreciate. In the distance, many mountain peaks shaped like granaries are said to be the granaries that the goddess stole to save the hungry people in myths and legends.

High Gorge Emerging as a Flat Lake (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Three kilometers northeast of Jingniang Lake is the Northern Wudang Mountain, also known as Laoye Mountain, a historical Taoist and martial arts holy site. Four kilometers southeast of Jingniang Lake is the Dingjinyan Luoguo Temple site, built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, where there are many stone inscriptions from the Five Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty. These finely carved stone Buddhas and steles are key cultural relics protection units of Hebei Province. These historical legends and ancient artifacts add endless brilliance to Jingniang Lake, attracting tourists from all over the country every year. (Text and photos by Feng Ganyong)