Baiquan Scenic Area

Baiquan Scenic Area

Name:Baiquan Scenic Area Class:AAA Area:Xinxiang Tel:At the foot of the Sumen Mountain 2 kilometers northwest of Huixian City Tel:0086-400-666-0166 Email：henantour@gmail.com Skype：karenzheng2004 Two and half kilometers northwest from the center of Huixian City, Baiquan (literally, one hundred springs) Lake is located at the south foot of Sumen Mountain. The springs are also named “Pearl Springs” because underneath the lake springs bubble up from the bottom like beads of pearls. The lake was first excavated as early as 3,000 years ago in the Shang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, in order to prevent it from draining, a bank was built with stones around the lake and thus a rectangle lake was created. The lake covers an area of over 34,000 square meters with the maximum depth of three meters. The water temperature is around 20 degrees centigrade. With clean water all the year round, the lake abounds with fish and crabs. Along the shore the lake is lined with pavilions, buildings and old pine trees and cypresses. Through thousands of years of transformation and renovation, Baiquan Scenic Area has become a famous classical garden on the central plains of China comprising more than 90 ancient buildings of different kinds with both the petite and exquisite style of the south and the majestic and magnificent style of the North. As the representation of southern and northern architecture, as well as the landscape, it is regarded as “the Summer Palace on the Central Plains of China”; “the West Lake in Northern China”. Baiquan Scenic area is composed of Sumen Mountain and Baiquan Lake. As a branch of the Taihang Mountain range, Sumen Mountain is the peak of the Wanxian Mountain as it extends towards east. The streams in Taihang Mountains flow to the east along the Wanxian Mountain and reach Sumen Mountain, coming up through gaps at the south side of the mountain, and thus a clear lake is formed. With the mountain and the lake mirroring each other, it is really an amazing spectacle. SumenMountainis located on the north side of the lake, and is only 184 meters tall. But just as a poem put it that a mountain needn’t be high, it is famous so long as there is a deity on it. The mountain holds an important position in numerous famous mountains and waters because of the cultural relics left by celebrities such as poets, litterateurs, statesmen, and other famous people in history. The well-known writer of the Book of Changes, Shao Yong of Southern Song Dynasty, and one of the top three distinguished Confucius scholars at the turn of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties Sun Qifeng, were born here. Beautiful scenery has attracted a lot of celebrities to live in seclusion, go sight-seeing or give lectures here. Being intoxicated with the verdant hills and clean water, they could not help working on poems or paintings, leaving an invaluable cultural heritage. The Baiquan Scenic Area at present has more than 350 steles, 8 cultural relics under provincial or national protection, 45 cultural relics under the protection of Xinxiang City and more antiquities under general protection. The beautiful Baiquan Lake attracts tourists from all over the country. The shore is lined with various pavilions. In one of them, the Yongjin Pavilion, you can enjoy the handwriting of Su Shi, a famous poet of the Southern Song Dynasty. Another stele with the characters “People’s Baiquan” by famous patriotic general Feng Yuxiang stands in the Huxin Pavilion built in 1928, also witnessing the history of Baiquan. Baiquan Lake is divided by a bridge into two parts: the North Lake and the South Lake. Covering an area of 29, 000 square meters, the North Lake has a state-level standard swimming pool and a children’s swimming pool. It is equipped with various entertainment facilities including yachts and boats of different kinds; embodying features of the scenic area “the Northern Lake for sight-seeing, and the Southern Lake for amusement” and “it is quiet in the Northern Lake, and lively and bustling in the Southern Lake”. The two lakes, like twin lotus flowers on one stalk, are a good match. During festivals, folk recreational activities are held, such as Lantern Fairs and fireworks, which always attract numerous tourists. Address: At the foot of the Sumen Mountain 2 kilometers northwest of Huixian City.