Mochou Lake
Encyclopedia
Mochou Lake lies outside Shuixi Gate of Nanjing City, with a total area of 47 hectares and a circumference of 5 km. In Qing Dynasty, it was a beautiful garden that was also famed as the first attraction of Nanjing. Mochou Lake was once part of Yangtze River
. Later the channels of Yangtze River and Qin Huai River changed their carrying capacity and direction, so Mochou Lake gradually became a lake.
The name of Mochou Lake originated from a beautiful woman called Mochou who had to bury her father. Her state of poverty resulted in her having to sell herself. Later, her husband’s parents weren’t pleased with her, so she committed suicide by jumping into the lake.
Since the early Ming Dynasty, Mochou Lake was gradually developed into a famous garden, which was bestowed to Xu Da
by the first emperor of Ming Dynasty
because he won his majesty while playing chess. During the following dynasty, this garden was extended several times and many other pavilions were added. In 1929, Mochou Lake was changed as a park. In 1953, Mochou Lake Park underwent major restorations, and the waterside pavilion and ready for ferry pavilion were built. The statue of Mochou got remodeled as well.
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. Later the channels of Yangtze River and Qin Huai River changed their carrying capacity and direction, so Mochou Lake gradually became a lake.
The name of Mochou Lake originated from a beautiful woman called Mochou who had to bury her father. Her state of poverty resulted in her having to sell herself. Later, her husband’s parents weren’t pleased with her, so she committed suicide by jumping into the lake.
Since the early Ming Dynasty, Mochou Lake was gradually developed into a famous garden, which was bestowed to Xu Da
Xu Da
Xu Da was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Ming Dynasty and contributed to the founding of the dynasty. Apart from being a friend of the Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of the dynasty, Xu was also the father of Empress Xu, who would marry the third ruler of the Ming, the Yongle...
by the first emperor of Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
because he won his majesty while playing chess. During the following dynasty, this garden was extended several times and many other pavilions were added. In 1929, Mochou Lake was changed as a park. In 1953, Mochou Lake Park underwent major restorations, and the waterside pavilion and ready for ferry pavilion were built. The statue of Mochou got remodeled as well.