If you happen to be passing through Wuhan, Hubei Province and you want a nice and tranquil place to walk around away from the honking cars and city noise, head down to the East Lake. Now you may be thinking to yourself, don’t you mean West Lake? True, Hangzhou’s West Lake is definitely more famous because Hangzhou is a more aesthetically pleasing city and a more popular tourist destination, but the East Lake has its own qualities that make it a relaxing day trip if you happen to be passing through Wuhan. The best time to go is in the spring, as in the summer Wuhan itself reaches squelching temperatures comparable to Dante’s Inferno, and you will not enjoy the mosquitoes and heavy summer air. Wuhan usually marks a quick stopover on your way to Yichang, which is where many people embark on their river tour of the Three Gorges.

The East Lake in Wuhan is actually, and unbelievably, five times the size of West Lake in Hangzhou. It’s located in Wuchang, one of the suburbs of Wuhan. Wuhan itself is carved by the river into three sections: Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankou. The East Lake park lies on the southern bank of the long fabled Yangtze River. The area around Wuhan itself is surrounded by green mountains thick with foliage and layered farms with rice paddies. The park itself is immense so plan on spending a leisurely day walking around. There are not many places to get food in the park so bringing along provisions is a good idea. There are occasional restaurants and snack stands, but they are not as abundant as you might hope.

Photo: Andrea Hunt

The park is divided into six scenic areas, which you will not be able to see all in one day. The areas most popular with tourists are Moshan Hill Scenic Area and Tsing Tao Scenic Area. The Moshan Hill area houses the remnants of a 1000-year-old Chu city; you can climb up the restored towers and look out onto the lake. The Chu culture itself dates back 2500 years and was one of the ancient kingdoms in China during the Warring Period. The Moshan area has various white pagodas there and an abundance of colorful gardens and willow trees. The Botanical Viewing garden has 13 special gardens with year round flowers blooming including their famous cherry blossoms that Chinese paintings have affectionately depicted for centuries. For a beautiful view, take the cable car up to the top of the hill and go see the Zhu Bei Pavilion.

There is also a famous museum with over 2,000 ancient Chinese relics that make up the Hubei Provincial Museum. This museum holds the 2000-year-old tomb of Emperor Yi who was a Chu king of the period. There are over 200,000 collected ancient artifacts such as jade, weapons, musical instruments, porcelain and bronze. In addition, 16 of which are deemed significantly historically important to be labeled national treasures.

Photo: Calton

If you don't feel like hiking around, you can rent a paddle boat and paddle yourself around the lake for hours at a time for around 20 RMB an hour. This is seriously the best place for a picnic so come prepared with food and drinks and enjoy the serenity of the park. When you just want to lose a day… when you have done enough sightseeing and temple visiting… when you just want to be away from the chaos of the city… and you have a stopover in Wuhan. Treat yourself to a relaxing day at the lake away from the city.

Location:
No.156 East Lake Road, Wuchang
武昌区东湖路156号
To get there:
Take Bus 701, 108, 578, 552, 706, 605, 712 or 411.

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