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Gantang Lake

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Gantang Lake

With crystal clean water surrounding an island, Gantang Lake in the centre of Jiujiang City makes the city elegant and graceful. Covering an area of 800,000 square meters (197.6 acres), Gantang Lake is a naturally formed lake fed by water from Lushan Mountain. A 60 meters (196.9 feet) long embankment was built in the year 822 to avoid the overflow from the Yangtze River, thus dividing the lake into two parts. Though the two parts initially had different names, they are both called Gantang Lake now.

The lake is said to have been the military base of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). On the island in the central lake was once located General Zhou Yu's training platform. Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), started to build a pavilion on the platform during his commission period in Jiujiang and it was named 'Jinyue Pavilion'. By the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), a 'Yanshui Pavilion' was added to it. Though both were destroyed in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), groups of buildings were erected continuously in later days. Still called Yanshui Pavilion, the whole construction is comprised of many halls, pavilions, kiosks and doorways. Strolling in between the buildings, visitors experience their exquisiteness and elegance. There is a bridge connecting the island and the bank.

 Entrance Fee: CNY 10 
 Opening Hours: 08:30 - 17:30 
 Transportation: Take Bus 16, 101, 102 or 103 and get off at Yanshuiting stop.

Wave Well

Wave Well (Lang Jing) is said to be the most ancient relic found in Jiujiang City. It is located in the Langjing Lane, which is very close to the Yangtze River. Being 15 meters (49.2 feet) in depth, the well is distinct from others for its water had waves when the Yangtze River did, thus the name Wave Well. The reason why there were waves in the well remained controversial in the olden days. There were mainly two theories: one was that the well connected with the Yangtze River, the other one that the water was gushing out from the spring head, thus creating waves.

According to history records, the well was dug in about 201 BC when General Guan Ying of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD) initiated the construction of Jiujiang City. For this reason the well is also called Guanying Well. However, the well was later buried and was unknown till the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220), when Sun Quan, emperor of Wu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Period, found the site and dug it out.

After a restoration, the well is now guarded by newly-built square pavilion. The poems written by Li Bai and Su Shi explaining the reason of the phenomenon are carved on the wall.

 Entrance Fee: Free 
 Best Time to Visit: Apr. to May & Sep. to Oct. 
 Transportation:
A. Take Bus No. 5, 12, 17 or 19, get off at Yuliang North Road and walk to the well.
B. Visitors can also take a taxi to Wave Well (less than CNY 10 for Jiujiang Railway Station).

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