Qinzhen, Lotus Garden, Kunming Pool – A Self-Drive Day Trip to Xi'an's Suburbs with Old Friends
In the morning, I joined a few good friends and their families for a self-drive outing. We left home heading west, and half an hour later arrived at the Lotus Garden in Puxian Temple Village, Xiliu Subdistrict Office, Chang'an District, Xi'an. You can enter the Lotus Garden directly without a ticket. During the pandemic, you need to wear a mask, have your temperature checked, and scan the QR health code. Inside the garden, there are over 600 varieties of lotus arranged in three series: seed lotus, root lotus, and flower lotus. It is the largest lotus breeding base in northwest China. The park spans nearly 1,000 mu (about 67 hectares) and consists of a lotus garden, a reed garden, a plum garden, vast flower fields, a propagation area, a comprehensive service area, and a lotus culture research and exhibition center. It’s a modern agricultural technology demonstration park that integrates production, research, sales, and sightseeing. It’s also a well-established leisure garden resort, mainly featuring lotus ponds, with excellent dining and entertainment—a perfect destination often called the "Jiangnan Water Town of the North".
We strolled through the park, enjoying the tree-lined paths, pavilions, and winding trails, filled with happy laughter and relaxed conversation. It truly is a wonderful leisure garden. A gentle drizzle fell as lotus blooms flourished—such a beautiful scene! Reuniting with old friends after a long time, our hearts were full of joy. The scenery was delightful and pleasing to the eye. After walking around for over an hour, we felt completely refreshed and content.
For lunch, we planned to head to Qinzhen for some liangpi (cold noodles). We drove south for about 30 minutes into Huyi District. In Qindu Town, we spotted the famous "liangpi" and spontaneously pulled over to enter a simple eatery called "Duyiwei Rice Noodles". Qinzhen truly deserves its reputation as a liangpi paradise. Just randomly stepping into any shop, the taste is refreshing and blissful!
Qinzhen liangpi comes in two types: rice skin and wheat skin. Rice skin is made by grinding rice into a slurry and steaming it; wheat skin is made by washing wheat flour and steaming the resulting paste. What makes Qinzhen's rice skin especially famous is its carefully crafted chili oil. High-quality chili powder is added to premium oil along with Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, and other spices, then slowly simmered. The longer it cooks, the spicier, more fragrant, and redder the oil becomes. Paired with a "roujiamo" (meat-filled bun) and a bowl of red bean porridge, the meal is incredibly affordable and delicious! We also tried Qinzhen's small yougao (fried cakes), each about one-quarter the size of a typical yougao, round and plump with a crispy outer layer and a sweet filling of brown sugar and crushed nuts—so crispy, sweet, and tasty. Lunch cost about 20 yuan per person, and we even brought back several portions for family and friends.
As the folks from Guanzhong in Shaanxi say, it looks absolutely fabulous and tastes astoundingly satisfying! Many Xi'an locals, like us, make a special trip of dozens of kilometers just to eat Qinzhen liangpi and take some home, sometimes even to friends and family out of town.
After lunch, we drove from the city’s south to the northwest, the roads smooth and toll-free, arriving at one of Xi’an’s large-scale scenic spots—Kunming Pool. At the gate of Kunming Pool, there was no entry fee; you walk right in. During the pandemic, masks, temperature checks, and health code scans were required.
The site was built on the historic Kunming Pool, and the Kunming Pool Qixi Park is located on the central north shore of Doumen Reservoir (Kunming Pool) in the southern part of greater Xi’an. The area covers over 2,255 mu (about 150 hectares), including 707 mu of water surface and 1,548 mu of landscaping. Because the legend of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl originated here and the local Qixi (Double Seventh Festival) culture has deep roots, the park is named "Qixi Park". It's a shining gem for Xi’an’s water system management, ecological conservation, environmental protection, cultural heritage, and tourism leisure. Within the park, the lake glimmers with ripples, lotus songs drift faintly, and the magpie bridge seems to express tender emotions over the waves. The Han Dynasty embankment is cloaked in mist and lush grass, tea fragrance lingers in the pavilion, while you look up at clouds drifting and rolling, then down at imperial delicacies. You can board a boat, lean on the railing to watch fish, see stone whales blowing spray, and ginkgo trees shimmering gold like hidden treasures. Pavilions and terraces by the pool glow like rosy clouds...
Looking back over 2,000 years, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Kunming Pool was dug southwest of Chang’an with a circumference of ten li, intended to train a navy. The emperor had sent envoys out but they were blocked by the Kunming tribes, so he wished to conquer them. Having seen the 300-li-wide Dianchi Lake, he returned to Chang’an and ordered the excavation of a pool replicating it for naval practice, hence the name Kunming Pool. Historical research suggests that the waters of the historic Kunming Lake were the equivalent of six West Lakes today, and this area will become Xi’an’s largest urban water body.
Timed with a gentle breeze and drizzle, we strolled through the park for just half an hour, yet we felt utterly refreshed and delighted. Then we drove back, reaching our city center homes in about half an hour. We deeply appreciated the convenient transportation, beautiful scenery, delicious food, and reasonable costs. Definitely worth another visit!
Strolling to enjoy wonderful views, happily savoring delicious food, friends looking out for each other—a feast for the eyes and the heart!
