Winter at Shijiu Lake (4) – Waiting for Sunset in Zhangxu Village

Travel time: February 2021

Travel mode: self-driving + subway

Route: Nanjing S9 Line Mingjue Station – Zhao Village, Lishui, Nanjing – Wugui Mountain – Zhujia Village, Hefeng Town, Lishui District, Nanjing – Zhangxu Village, Hefeng Town, Lishui District, Nanjing

Leaving Zhujia Village, the first time we navigated to Zhangxu Village, the navigation took us along the Hefeng Water Diversion Canal all the way on Zhangjia Road. The road was one-way, lined with metasequoia trees like soldiers in formation. Later, when we visited Shijiu Lake again, we didn't use navigation when leaving Zhujia Village; we simply followed the lake-ring road all the way around and arrived at Luoshan Village and Zhangxu Village. In February 2023, we circled Shijiu Lake again on a big loop and became even more aware that the lakeside ring road in the Jiangsu section of Shijiu Lake is now fully connected. A section of the ring road in Ma'anshan, Anhui is still under construction, and in the near future, it will be possible to make a complete lake circuit tour.

After passing through a village, we returned to the ring road. A beautiful sweeping curve and a turn brought us to our navigation destination – Zhangxu Village.

At the lake-facing square by the village entrance, there is an ancestral hall and a small earth god temple.

A side view of the ancestral hall, dressed in splendid colors by the setting sun.

From afar, we could see the watchtower and the long pier.

Several abandoned gray-walled buildings and the bare tall trees of winter created a stark industrial-style scene.

In winter, the water level recedes, leaving the lake far from the shore and exposing vast tidal flats. The pier becomes a land bridge, offering a completely different scene from the summer pier extending into the lake.

People could sunbathe on the broad flats, stroll in small groups, and chat. By the bridge, a photographer with a tripod waited silently for the perfect moment.

Visitors waiting for sunset.

A golden gossamer veil gently caressed the beauty before our eyes.

The scene in front of me was a delightful surprise.

The sight of the lakebed after the water had receded.

Pale yellow, deep yellow, orange, brown, gold—the whole tableau was a brilliant yellow, beautiful and natural.

Specks of green dotted the yellow flats.

The trees on the flats didn't form a forest, but they stood loosely together in twos and threes, like good friends.

The golden-yellow branches were eye-catching. In the distance, white village houses contrasted vividly with the blue sky and ochre flats.

On this trip, we walked onto the pier. Later, a dangerous bridge sign was put up, warning people not to go on it.

A man with two companions was also playing there. Listening to his leisurely stories, we learned that Zhangxu Village was his hometown. The bridge had been there since his childhood; in summer, he and his friends would dive off it. He also heard from his elders that the bridge was built in the 1950s or 1960s for militia target practice.

The pier was unique: one side had a railing about 60-70 cm high, while the left side had none.

I used two camera modes to capture this beautiful scene.

At the end and in the middle of the bridge, there are platforms. The original purpose is unclear, but now they serve as excellent viewing decks, perfect for watching the sunset over Shijiu Lake.

In summer, this 200-meter pier extends straight into the lake, giving you a chance to get close to the water. Walking to the end, you are surrounded by lake views. Now, it presented a different, stark winter landscape.

From the bridge, I looked down at the beauty from another angle.

Below the bridge, a green path stretched toward the lake like the pier itself.

Dusk has a desolate beauty; when appreciating it, there is always a faint, lingering melancholy and nostalgia.

On the golden flats, a willow tree, an embankment, a glow of sunset—every such dusk gives rise to subtle, quietly growing emotions.

As majestic and poetic as a vast desert.

Yet also with a lonely, poignant beauty and helplessness.

This was the effect of one camera's auto mode. The two cameras captured different moods and storytelling: one the dramatic, grand desert scenery of the northwestern Gobi, the other the leisurely, pastoral charm of a Jiangnan lakeside.

We simply sat on the middle viewing deck, resonating with the rhythm of the setting sun, breathing in the essence of Shijiu Lake.

On the viewing platform at the bridgehead, the vast expanse filled me with joy as I quietly admired the distant view.

In the distance, the lake water shimmered with rippling light, and the flats were dyed a peculiar gold by the setting sun.

The bridge spanning the lake merged with heaven and earth.

Lake pools large and small before me.

The vast flats, the undulating mountains in the distance, and the ring road tracing an elegant arc.

At the end of the pier, the red sun, adorned with splendid colors, created an ambience of deepening dusk. The birds had long gone, and only the glowing clouds burned softly, turning orange. At that moment, there was a hint of 'poetry and faraway places'.

Looking back at the shore, the gentle dusk light bathed the land, filling one with hope. The village houses, tidy and modern, lined the embankment in peaceful tranquility.

Just leaning on the railing, watching the sunset peek in and out of the clouds. Dusk is like a metaphor of life, making one grasp its meaning. The serenity of twilight brings a quiet peace, even a touch of melancholy.

Letting the golden afterglow envelop me—this grand and radiant sunset was the most special gift from Shijiu Lake. Watching the sunset from the pier was an absolutely exquisite pleasure.

Standing on the viewing deck at the bridgehead, I looked back at the pier.

Watching the sun slowly sink into the lake and the sky gradually darken, every casual snapshot was a masterpiece.

At the bridge end, I looked back at the path we had come.

In the brief play of light and shadow at dusk, Shijiu Lake, though waterless in the dry season, still presented myriad changes on its flats, blending into the sunset clouds.

My companion was reluctant to leave, constantly snapping photos.

On the distant horizon, clouds gathered and dispersed, under a blue sky filled with layers of clouds—vast, empty, and breathtaking. Shijiu Lake, we came and left, everything as beautiful as a dream.

This was how Zhangxu Village by the lake looked back then. Not long after, the village was dressed up with cute colors, transformed into a fairy-tale village.

One self-drive trip around Shijiu Lake stirred up all my longings for it. So I've organized and recorded the two previous visits to Shijiu Lake. Although it's the same place, different seasons, different times, different weather, and even different traveling companions bring different wonders. I will come back to Shijiu Lake, to stroll slowly and enjoy quietly.