East Lake (Wuhan)

Introducing East Lake (from CGTN & China Daily & Wikipedia)
In addition to the iconic Yellow Crane Tower and Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, Wuhan is also noted for its lakes. Over 30 square kilometers in size, five times bigger than the UNESCO World Heritage Site – West Lake, Wuhan's East Lake is in no shortage of beauty and significance. As one of the largest urban lakes in the country, it also exemplifies a fine fusion between human and nature. In 2019, the East Lake was cited as the "most beautiful lake in the Yangtze River Economic Belt."

East Lake Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Dong Hu 东湖
• Best Time to Visit: Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
• Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 day
• Things to Do: Photography, Nature, Hiking
• Opening Hours: All day
• Entrance Fee: Free for Tingtao & Mo Hill Scenic Area; CNY 13 for Luoyan Island; CNY 7 for Chuidi Scenic Area
• Address: No. 16 Yanhu Avenue, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province

What to expect at East Lake
The East Lake scenic area is made of many famous scenic spots along the bank of the Yangtze River. The six major ones are: Tingtao, Mo Hill, Luoyan Island, Baima, Chuidi, and Luohong Hills. Among the six scenic areas, Tingtao and Mo Hill scenic areas are the most two notable

Tingtao Scenic Area
The gate of East Lake opens to the Tingtao scenic area, featuring the rare sequoia especially elegant in late autumn. The Listening-to-the-Waves Tower (Tingtao Xuan), with its classic elegance, is one of the famous buildings in this area, along with Land of Water and Cloud (Shuiyun Xiang), which serves as a teahouse, and the Tingtao Inn of Wine, a restaurant offering local fish dishes. On the north, the center of this area, is the Poetry-Reciting Pavilion (Xingyinge), built for memorizing works of Qu Yuan, the great patriotic poet of the State of Chu (one of the seven warring states before Qin (221–206 BC) in China's first feudal dynasty). Many exhibits about Qu Yuan are featured in this building including his great literary masterpieces. In addition, the first allegory sculpture park in China is here displaying wonderful sculpture and allegories.

 

Mo Hill Scenic Area
Mo Hill is a natural scenic area and includes many buildings which are reflective of Jingchu culture which are collectively referred to as 'Chu City'. The Chu City architecture was built in attempt to imitate the way that Ying had been built. The city gate is 23.4 meters tall and 105 meters long. The watchtower is 12.4 meters tall and the city wall is 11 meters tall. The scenic area includes East Lake Cherry Blossom Park and a Plum Blossm Park which was designated as the Chinese Plum Blossom Research Center in 1992. One end of Mo Hill features a Daoist temple built over the putative site of where one of the characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms performed special Qi Men Dun Jia rites before the famous battle of Red Cliffs. No one knows precisely the actual location, but the Moshan site was an archeological dig in the early part of the twentieth century.

 

Other Scenic Areas
Other scenic areas include Luoyan (Diving Wild Goose) Island, known for its serene environment, Baima (White Horse), with the white horse tombs, Chuidi (Playing Flutes), Zhu Zhen (the sixth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)), and Luohong Hills, where the highly respected Wuhan University is situated.

Bird Forest
Besides these, the Bird Forest with 200 kinds of birds, the mysterious East Lake Ocean Park, the biggest sand beach bathing area in inner China, the Friendship Forest where many other cities' delegates together with Wuhan people have planted trees symbolizing friendship are all worth a visit.

The East Lake Greenway
Stretching nearly 102 kilometers, the East Lake Greenway is made of pedestrian and bicycle paths, offering open space for walking, jogging and cycling. It also links several major scenic areas by the lakeside, including the Tingtao and Mo Hill areas. In line with the notion of sustainable development, the greenway has adopted a series of measures to continue improving the ecological system and providing a host of services for visitors. The green stretch has since drawn people from all walks of life, especially those who would like to get away from the bustling city life and soak in the greenery or simply go for a leisurely stroll.

 

The Eye of East Lake
The Eye of East Lake, a 49.9-meter ferris wheel, was open to the pubick on August 18 at the Mo Hill Scenic Area. Equipped with 28 pods, the ferries wheel can accommodate 122 people at the same time and provide a panoramic view of the East Lake.

How to get to East Lake
• To Mo Hill: Take bus 401, 402, 413, or 625 to Zhiwuyuan.
• To Tingtao: ake bus 14, 402, 411, 552, 578, 701, 709 or 810 to Donghulu Sheng Bowuguan.
• Rent a car/bus from GGC to enjoy a hassle free private transfer from hotels in Wuhan to East Lake.

Additional travel advice on East Lake
• The scenic area is very large, please wear comfortable walking shoes.
• UV is very strong in summer. Please wear sunscreen, hat and sunglasses to prevent sunburns.