Dongting Lake & Baling Square
洞庭湖
A lakeside city on the eastern shore of China's second-largest freshwater lake. The Hou Yi Shooting the Ba Serpent sculpture at Baling Square, the Dongting Lake Bridge and lake sunsets are part of daily life for Yueyang residents. All are free.
Dongting Lake covers about 2,600 square km in the high-water season and stretches across northern Hunan. Yueyang city lies on the eastern shore of East Dongting Lake. From Yueyang Tower to Nanyue Slope, along Dongting North Road and the lakeside walkway, you have the most convenient lake views. Baling Square, next to Yueyang Tower and Bianhe Street, covers more than 40,000 square m. Its landmark is a 16-metre sculpture of Hou Yi Shooting the Ba Serpent, which explains the origin of Yueyang's ancient name, Baling. On the lakeside edge of the square are lake-viewing terraces and a musical fountain. In the evening, people watch the sunset, fly kites, and enjoy the night market and Baling opera performances. Walking south along the lake, you reach Nanyue Slope, Fish Alley (the old city's market street and fish market, where you can eat Dongting Lake fish) and the Yueyang Port passenger terminal. Looking north across the lake, you can see the Dongting Lake Bridge. For a closer experience of the lake, take a ferry to Junshan Island or a one-hour Dongting Lake boat trip from the Yueyang Tower pier. Admission is free and it is open all day. Getting there: it is within walking distance of Yueyang Tower and Bianhe Street, and many city bus routes stop at Nanyue Slope or Yueyang Tower. Tips: winds are strong by the lake, so bring a jacket in autumn and winter. In the high-water season, parts of the lakeshore paths are flooded. At the night market, crayfish are sold by weight, so confirm the price first. The sunset falls over Junshan Island to the west, and the best time on clear days is 17:30 to 19:00 in summer.
Opening hours
All day