Xuanwu Lake
玄武湖公园
The largest inner-city lake in the Jiangnan region, at the foot of the Ming City Wall, with five islets, lotus and cherry blossoms. Nanjingers come here to stroll and cycle, and to see Jiming Temple and Purple Mountain reflected in the water.
Xuanwu Lake lies in the northeast of Nanjing, inside the Ming City Wall. It covers about 3.7 square kilometres. In the Six Dynasties it was an imperial garden. In the Ming, islets in the lake housed the Yellow Registers Repository, which stored the national household records. It is the largest urban park in the Jiangnan region and has been free to enter since 2010. Five islets (Huanzhou, Yingzhou, Lingzhou, Liangzhou and Cuizhou) are linked by causeways and bridges.
Highlights: cherry blossoms on Yingzhou bloom in late March and can be combined with the cherry blossom avenue at Jiming Temple. The bonsai garden and Friendship Hall on Liangzhou host a tulip show every April. In summer, the lotus ponds on Huanzhou and Cuizhou are Nanjing's summer emblem. From the Xuanwu Gate on the west shore, or the Jiefang Gate section of the wall on the south shore, you can photograph the lake, the Medicine Buddha Pagoda at Jiming Temple and Purple Mountain in one frame. You can rent pedal boats on the lake (about 60–100 yuan per hour), and the lakeside greenway is about 10 km long, suitable for cycling or running.
The park is free and open all day. Smaller attractions, such as the Taicheng section of the city wall (the Jiefang Gate section, with the Ming City Wall Museum, about 30 yuan), charge separately.
Getting there: walk from Xuanwu Gate station on Metro Line 1, Jiming Temple station on Lines 3 and 4, or Nanjing Railway Station on Line 1. The south square of Nanjing Station faces the north shore of the lake.
Recommended: go in the late afternoon, climb the wall at Jiefang Gate to watch the sunset, then walk down to the lakeside. This takes about 2 hours. In cherry blossom and lotus seasons, come early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Note: there is no shade on the lake, so beware the midday sun in summer. Electric carts in the park can help you get around.
Opening hours
Open all day (some islands and venues about 6:00 AM–9:00 PM)
Nearby sights
- Taicheng City Wall
- Jiming Temple
- Hongshan Forest Zoo
- Zifeng Tower
- Nanjing 1912 Block
- Presidential Palace
- Meiyuan New Village Memorial Hall
- John Rabe House