Baiyang Lake:Behind the Stories

If you have watched Chinese movies or TVs that reflect the “age of revolutionists”， you must have heard the name “Baiyang Lake” （Bai Yang Dian in pinyin）. In the lake and surrounding areas， many people once heroically fought against Japanese invaders and warlords in these movies and TV series.

These heroes might be fictional characters， but the place“Baiyang Lake” is real. It is located close to Xin’an County， Baoding City in the central part of Hebei Province. Also known as “Western Lake”， it is a water-filled depression which is actu- ally an alluvial fan of Yongding River and Hutuo River， two rivers that flow through Mountain Taihang.

Baiyang Lake is the largest lake in Haihe Plains. The lake consists of 143 small lakes – legends had it that the 143 lakes were transformed from the fragments of a fairy mirror dropped by Immortal Chang’e when she ascended into the heaven. These lakes totally cover 366 square kilometers， which are connected by ditches and entrenchments， connecting the subsidiary lakes together and forming a special landscape. It is called the Crystal Pearl of North China， as well as the Jiangnan Area and West Lake in North China. In 2007， it is enlisted as the National 5-A Tourist Area in China. Several small rivers flow into the lake from the western， northern and southern sides.

The lake is located in the subtropical area and the continental climate prevails there， leading to the well-distinguished seasons. The spring is windy and dry， while the summer is hot and rainy. Cool temperature and mild breeze dominate the autumn， which is followed by the cold and snowy winter.

Three Basic Features

The geological and climatic features of Baiyang Lake create three general features of this place. The first one is its abundance of aquatic products. The total water reservoir of the lake amounts to 1.32 billion cubic meters. In order to control the volume of the lake， a dam was built in the southern side of the lake. The lake has abundant aquatic products， including over 50 kinds of fresh fishes and numerous plants. Thus this area is considered to be a piece of land of rice and fish.

A lot of freshwater fishes can be found there， such as the trout， carp， herring and so on. Shrimps and crabs could also be found there. In addition， the abundance of lotus here provide a eat output of lotus roots and lotus seed pots. The fishes and plants also attract many birds and animals， which in turn add into the specimen in this area. Local people can catch fishes and pick up lotus seeds. The great output and variety make sure people can enjoy harvest in almost any season of a year.

The other feature is the reed growing in Baiyang Lake. In north China， the word “dian” means“waters with tense reeds”. There are over 10 kinds of reeds growing in Baiyang Lake. The area covered by reeds total 20 thousand acres. Baiyang Lake can produce 45 thousand tons of reeds which can be used to produce mats， baskets， bags， fans， paper and many other things.

The reeds in Baiyang Lake are not only for the industrial use， but also for the fun. Thanks to the nature of being strong and well-connected of the plants， the reeds actually formed the “soft， green lands” that dot and intercept the water. The dense reeds can make any people or boat inside them invisible to people out- side them. They also block the sights of anyone who want to see the waters beyond the reeds. That provides a natural maze， which is now used for the tourists’ adventure and entertainment， or used for the natural camouflage and hiding place for people to fight against invaders in the warring times. That’s also why Baiyang Lake was a famous place with great revolutionary history.

The last feature of Baiyang Lake is the wetland. It is located in the northeastern part of the lake. The wetland underlies a natural protection zone， which consists of the marsh， reeds， lotus and so on. The wetland boasts natural and harmonious landscape. The sky and the water seem to be connected together in this place， which is highlighted by the green reeds and red lotus. Fishes and crabs could be seen as good decorations to the picture.

The scenes of the wetland also change to the season. Generally speaking， the green water and reeds dominate the spring； the beautifully lotuses are the protagonists of the summer； the people busy boating afloat and picking lotus roots and seed pots are the best scene in autumn and the winter features frozen water and snow-covered reeds.

The wetland also serves as an important stopover for the migrant birds. About 197 birds are found there， most of which are migrant birds， including a lot of precious birds under the governmental protection. The paradise for migrant birds is only a part of its ecological value. As the biggest freshwater lake， Baiyang Lake can be said to be a giant climatic adjuster and humidifier for this region.

The History and Customs

As said before， Baiyang Lake once served as an important place for the revolutionists. During the civil war of China and the Anti-Japanese War from the 1920s to the 1940s， many people took this place as the base of their activities， they fought the Japanese invaders， bandits and anti-revolutionists with their wisdom and the geographical advantages of this place.

We have not the opportunity to relive the heroic deeds except through the movies. But the administrative department of Baoding makes use of the history to repeat the current scenes. People can even play the roles of these heroes – or even the bad people if they want – to experience the exciting and charming history.

If you think the revolutionary history is too violent， you can go to the Lotus Festival for the fun. Starting from 1991， the Festival was held annually from July 23 to September 23. During that period， the blossoming lotuses are at their best time. Baiyang Lake at this time is the most beautiful of a whole year. In July， the lotuses blossomed together. The green leaves huddle together layer by layer and supplement with each other. In August， the lotus flowers blossom and spread the aroma to the entire lake. The white， red or pink flowers are elegant and delicate， showing unprecedented charm. Every year the organizer will invite some painters and photographers to record these with their pens or cameras.

The first half of September features the third part of the Lotus Festival. The topic of this part is the “Moonlight against Pond”. Tourists can attend the evenings held on and by the lake by the organizers and taste different lotus-related foods. In addition， any literature fans can contribute their wisdom to write stories about Baiyang Lake.

If the Lotus Festival is only available for three months once a year， the farm stay can provide you with fresh experiences every day. The farm stay has already become a common method for tourists to spend their nights at Baiyang Lake since it has the biggest cost performance. Priced at about 100 yuan or so per person， tourists can have access to TVs， hot water， Internet and other modern facilities. Most of the houses for farm stay are located close to the pier， providing convenience for tourists to travel in Baiyang Lake.

The biggest appeal of Baiyang Lake’s farm stay is none other than the flavor of local dishes. Most of the dishes are made from the fish， shrimp， crab， poultry， lotus root and others from Baiyang Lake. The cooks are experienced locals who know how to make the best of the raw materials and bring the most authentic flavors of Baiyang Lake.

Places to Go

Apart from these general features， Baiyang Lake has a lot of sightseeing spots for people to go to watch them.

1. Mandarin Duck Island

The Mandarin Duck Island is the most famous scenic spot of Baiyang Lake. It covers 64，000 square meters and is surrounded by reeds and lotuses. The islands have everything a tourist needs during his/her travel： hotels， restaurants， entertainment facilities and shopping areas.

The island is named after mandarin duck， the birds that represent eternal love in China， because of a fairytale about this island. This island used to have two young residents. The boy was named Diansheng while the girl was called Shuilian. The two grew up together and loved each other. However， a local bully named Liu Erbie was attracted by Shuilian’s beauty. He abducted the girl one night. After hearing that， Diansheng came to Liu’s house to take Shuilian back. However， he was beaten to death by Liu Erbie’s servants. Seeing her lover’s death， Shuilian was outrageous. She took out a harpoon and stabbed Liu Erbie to death. Then she jumped into a lake， killing herself with the hope of meeting Diansheng in the netherworld. Their love moved the god， who turned them into mandarin ducks， as well as the immortals protecting this island. From then on， local fishermen named this island after the mandarin duck in order to memorize them.

Nowadays， the beautiful story about the island is closely related to its tourism features. The Mandarin Island is considered to be sacred place for lovers. In the island the tourists can see the “World’s No. 1 Lock” that can “lock the love forever”， the“Temple of the Matchmaking God”， the pool that accommodates all kinds of mandarin docks， the “Love-seeking Platform”where people can throw coins to foretell their love life…

2. Cultural Gardens

The Cultural Gardens is a place with both the cultural， historical， revolutionary features and local customs. It has eight scenic spots in total. Among them， the best and most representative are the “Lotus and Wind in Western Lake” and the “Memorial Hall of the Wild Geese Feather Guerrilla”.

The “Lotus and Wind in Western Wind” is also termed as the “Fairy Land on the Lake”. This area features naturalborn lotuses. So it is better to visit them in summer and autumn when the flowers and leaves are at their best time. People can drive boat to float through the lotuses like boating in the picture. They can also walk on the twisted bridge whose total length reaches 2，500 meters and rest in the pavilions that are built around each twist of the bridge.

The “Memorial Hall of the Wild Geese Feather Guerrilla”is a museum built in the memory of the guerrillas that once fought against Japanese invaders in the area of Baiyang Lake. Led by the CPC， the guerrilla was named the “Wild Geese Feather” with the meaning of being flexible and tactful as the wild geese.

The museum is divided into three parts， which respectively display the leaders of the guerrilla in the war， the battles of the guerrilla and the weapons and tools used by the guerrilla. Every picture， book and video in this museum tells visitors the hard time of the war and the heroic deeds of the guerrilla fighters.

3. The Water World

The Water World is the largest manmade entertainment facility in the area of Baiyang Lake. Covering 85，800 square meters， the Water World is located in the north of the Mandarin Duck Island. The wonderful geographical location and the careful design make the facility a good place to go.

People can see the performance of circuits here. There is a Russian circuit providing the performance of above-water acrobatics. Other circuits will provide the tiger-riding and other exciting performances. People can also see the Russian-style ballet， dance and model show offered by Russian artistic organizations. They can also enjoy the dancing and singing performances of minority ethnics.

4. Wocheng Academy

Wocheng Academy is located in Xin’an County， which was called Wocheng in the Qing Dynasty. The academy was built in the ruling period of Emperor Kangxi of Qing， just by Baiyang Lake. The academy was reconstructed and expanded several times in the past 200 years. Now a part of them serves as a primary school while most of them are used as the museum to memorize the old time of education in the area of Baiyang Lake.