Jiaxing South Lake Scenic Area

The South Lake Scenic Area is named after its location south of Jiaxing City, and is known as one of the "Three Great Lakes of Jiangnan" along with Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area and West Lake Scenic Area. It not only boasts the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan but is also an important revolutionary memorial site in modern Chinese history. Tourist boats depart approximately every 20 minutes, taking you on a tour around the lake in the order of the attractions. When you arrive at an attraction, passengers disembark and then wait for the next boat to go to the next attraction. There are 3 main piers along the shore, usually boarding at the Huijingyuan of Jiaxing South Lake Tourist Area, located on the east side of the South Lake Scenic Area. Except for Huxin Island, which is in the center of South Lake and must be reached by boat, the other two locations are on the shore. You can tour the entire circle and return to the starting point, or you can end your tour at one of the locations. The first stop of the boat tour is Huxin Island in the center of the South Lake Scenic Area. The Misty Rain Tower on Huxin Island is said to be a place where Emperor Qianlong stopped many times during his tours to Jiangnan, thus gaining great fame. Today's Misty Rain Tower on Huxin Island is no longer the ancient artifact of yesteryear, but the antique buildings appear very beautiful amidst the surrounding gardens, and it is still a worthwhile building to see on the island, especially when looking out from the tower. The famous site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Memorial Boat of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is located on the lake in front of the Misty Rain Tower on Huxin Island. Many tourists come here to see the birthplace of the revolution with their own eyes. However, the red boat seen today is a later replica, and its interior decoration is very new. Boarding the boat requires an additional fee, and you can only look inside the boat, no photos are allowed, so it's generally best to take pictures of the exterior from the shore. In addition, Huxin Island also has the Qianlong Imperial Stele Pavilion, Qinghui Hall, and several small pavilions where you can stroll around freely. In the subsequent itinerary, the Cang Sheng Ancestral Temple and Wenzi Shubei Garden of Jiaxing South Lake Tourist Area, which commemorate Cangjie on Xiaoyingzhou to the north, and the Water Canal Pagoda and Haogu Pagoda-Wuxiang Ancestral Temple, which commemorate Wu Zixu to the west, are all relatively plain, but walking around and enjoying the scenery feels quite good. Climbing the tall pagoda offers a panoramic view of the green trees, weeping willows, pavilions, and bridges in the South Lake Scenic Area, with trains occasionally passing by on the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway on one side. In fact, simply walking around the South Lake Scenic Area is also a good choice. In recent years, the South Lake Scenic Area has been maintained with increasing refinement, and many new small gardens have been built along the lake, such as the four small parks on the east side with themes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and Shaoyuan on the south side, which are also popular urban green spaces for locals. If you want to experience red history, the South Lake Revolutionary Memorial Hall (New Museum) and Hero Monument near Shaoyuan are good choices. In addition, the Misty Rain of South Lake is one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Jiahe"; when it drizzles, the lake is shrouded in mist, and the scenery is charming.