A Nanjing Local’s View of Nanjing: Zixia Lake in the Forested Hills

Visited in March 2021.

Location: Northeast of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Zhongshan Scenic Area, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, nestled in the arms of Purple Mountain.

Long ago, Zixia Lake was a standalone scenic spot. You entered from this gate, walked north up the slope, and halfway up the hill a jewel-like lake appeared—Zixia Lake. No tickets needed back then. Later it got enclosed within the Ming Xiaoling Scenic Area, so now you have to buy a Ming Xiaoling ticket to reach Zixia Lake. This gate has since remained closed to casual visitors.

Ming Xiaoling has many entrances; Gate 7 is the closest to Zixia Lake.

As soon as we entered Gate 7, instead of following the main path deeper into Ming Xiaoling, we turned right onto a woodland trail.

In these woods, adorable cats are everywhere. Some regulars come with food and even have sweet names for them. As they enter the forest they call out, and as they explained, different groups of cats occupy different patches.

On the way to Zixia Lake we spotted the Yan Zhenqing Stele Forest. Outside its wall stands an entrance building with white walls and a red lintel, carved with the words "Shu Xing Ji Cui" (Gathering of Calligraphy Stars).

The entire stele forest imitates Tang Dynasty architectural style—dignified, rustic, elegant and graceful.

The area is embraced by covered stele corridors, with stone tablets standing in the garden.

Steles in the corridor

This stele forest was jointly established by the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Administration, the Yan Zhenqing Calligraphy Academy, and the Tokyo Chinese Calligraphy Research Association. Nearly a hundred steles are displayed, some by renowned calligraphers like Lin Sanzhi and Hu Xiaoshi, others by prominent Japanese calligraphers. At the end, surrounded by ancient trees, stands a statue of Yan Zhenqing. Not knowing much about calligraphy, I merely soaked in the aura.

Early spring plum blossoms set off the steles beautifully.

Ancient trees encircle Yan Zhenqing's statue.

The uphill forest path, with few visitors, was so pleasant to walk.

Climbing further, halfway up, the view suddenly opened. Amidst a sea of trees lay a green gem—Zixia Lake.

Zixia Lake was built in 1935, a man-made reservoir funded by patriotic overseas Chinese philanthropist Hu Wenhu. A stone carving here bears two characters: “Tian Chi” (Heavenly Pool), a true portrait of Zixia Lake.

I remember my first visit to Zixia Lake over twenty years ago, cycling all the way from South Lake with classmates for a picnic. How much has my youthful self from back then changed? On reflection, not much—still calm and going with the flow.

Few out-of-town tourists venture here; most visitors are local Nanjing folks. It’s a paradise for winter swimming enthusiasts, probably because the water is so clean!

Small groups of friends gather here. I saw a nifty gadget—a mini gas stove for boiling water to brew tea on the spot, oh so chic. Sitting in this forest oxygen bar, sipping good tea, chatting about life, or just sitting quietly—so relaxing.

Guandan is a card game Nanjing people love. Playing a round with friends in this natural oxygen bar is an enviable retirement life.

There were also adorable children. To them, everything in nature is fascinating—a stone, a little bug can captivate them for a long while.

To the north of the lake rises the main peak of Purple Mountain, Tuotuo Peak. In early spring, though full green hasn’t spread yet, you can still sense the layered ridges. Such lake and mountain scenery is delightful.

The woods hadn't turned green yet; so the lake’s green must come from itself, not reflections. Just green—but one lake of water showed many shades of green. At the shore you clearly see stones on the bottom; a meter out, the green deepens, gradually becoming a dark, unfathomable ink-green.

Around the lake, vegetation was lush and ancient trees plentiful.

In the southwest corner of Zixia Lake stands a Republic-era water tower, full of period charm.

From this angle, the lake’s colors are even richer—blue up close, green in the distance...

The lake is primarily fed by runoff from nearly one million square meters of the southern slope of Purple Mountain, flowing down along two big gullies on the east and west and converging into the lake.

On the west bank, from north to south, is a large gully directly carved by mountain waters.

North of the lake there’s a trail going uphill.

I followed the trail climbing up.

Halfway up stands a pavilion—Zhengqi Pavilion (Righteousness Pavilion). Built in 1947, this is where Chiang Kai-shek chose his own burial site. In the spring of 1947, Chiang selected this spot as his final resting place.

The pavilion is square, of reinforced concrete, with double-eave, pointed roof covered in glazed tiles, its base resting on Suzhou granite. The three characters “Zhengqi Ting” were inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek himself, along with a couplet: the first line reading “Vast righteousness links far to the Loyal Martyrs' Pagoda”, the second “Purple clouds shroud Precious Pearl Peak”.

Behind the pavilion is a stone tablet engraved with “Record of Zhengqi Pavilion”, the text composed by Sun Fo.

From Zhengqi Pavilion, a wild trail leads straight up to Tuotuo Ridge.

I didn’t go further but retraced my steps back to the east side of Zixia Lake.

The east side is a shallow flat; in this season the water was especially low. You could tell from this stone bridge how deep mountain waters flow here in summer.

Red bridges and red pavilions stood out vividly in the early-spring woods.

Zixia Lake, cradled by forested hills, had few visitors, few sounds. The silence was so profound I fancied I could hear the ripples of the lake.

The splashing of a wild duck suddenly broke the silence.

Seeing this scene felt graceful, a bit mysterious, almost as if momentarily stepping out of the world.

After circling the lake I returned to the “Heavenly Pool” stone.

I sat quietly a while longer, gazing at the hills, the lake. The hills are the lake’s support, the lake is the hills’ softness. With eyes, breath, and heart, I savoured the purity permeating this place. I imagined its deep summer green, its splendid autumn colours, the changing scenery through all four seasons...

No matter how history shifts, you remain yourself.

Little pavilions in the woods—perfect for a rest, for taking in the view—all beautifully designed.

I didn’t retrace my full original path, but turned right toward Ming Xiaoling.

The Wenwu Fangmen (Gate of Civil and Military) is the main entrance to the mausoleum. It has five openings, three large and two small. The middle three are arched doorways, the side two are rectangular. The roof has pale yellow tiles above hip-and-gable form, vermilion doors, and above hangs a square plaque with four gilded characters vertically inscribed: “Wen Wu Shuang Quan Fang Men”.

Here are the rectangular side gates.

Sunlight cast tree shadows on the red wall, creating a captivating scene.

At that moment many people were taking photos in that dappled light—a dreamy feeling.

We didn’t enter Ming Xiaoling, but continued south along the avenue outside Wenwu Fangmen.

Towering ancient trees lined the avenue. The number of visitors suddenly multiplied, and after the tranquillity of Zixia Lake I felt a bit unsettled, eager to escape the noise.

At the end of the avenue stands Jinshui Bridge, a bridge leading directly to the tomb palace. Originally, five bridges were arranged in a row, hence also called “Five Dragon Bridge”. Now only the middle three remain, their arches rising, with drainage spouts and baluster guardrails on the sides.

South of Jinshui Bridge is a square, surrounded by Plum Blossom Hill. It was Nanjing’s Plum Blossom Festival then, and the brilliant blossoms made it dazzling. In the square sits a stone marker reading “World Cultural Heritage”. In 1961, Ming Xiaoling was among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. In July 2003, at the 27th World Heritage Committee session, Ming Xiaoling, as an extension of the “Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties”, was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The plum blossoms on Plum Blossom Hill have always been loved by tourists and locals alike, but because of the crowds I never deliberately go to see them. Yet this casual passing-by still stunned me with their beauty.

Tens of thousands of plum trees were blooming in a riot of colour, layer upon layer, clouds of vapour and rosy haze, flowers spreading all over the mountain.

They just flaunted themselves, surging toward me overwhelmingly.

We didn’t delve into Plum Blossom Hill, not wanting to get caught in the crowds. Just skirted its edge, exited from Ming Xiaoling’s Gate 7. Even this fleeting brush was enough to glimpse your blossom-like beauty.

I came for Zixia Lake, and savoured its quiet elegance. Unintentionally, I also caught the bustle and splendour of Plum Blossom Hill in March. In Nanjing, beauty is everywhere.