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Chinese Name: 鼋头渚
English Name: Turtle Head Island; Yuan Tou Zhu
Location: Jiangsu
Type: Ancient culture and art
Rating Level: AAAAA (5A)
Website: 无锡市太湖鼋头渚风景区 (ytz.com.cn)
Brief Introduction
Turtle Head Island Scenic Area in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a peninsula lying on the northwest bank of Taihu Lake, covering an area of 5.39 square kilometers. It is named after the giant rocks that protrude into the lake like turtles holding their heads high. It is one of the main scenic spots of Taihu Lake Scenic Area (a national key scenic spot).
In the fifth year of the Republic of China (1916), Yuantouzhu Scenic Area in Wuxi was built; After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the People’s Government of Wuxi took over and established the “Turtle Head Island Park”.
In 2012, Wuxi Turtle Head Island Scenic Area was rated as a national AAAAA tourist attraction. Many scenic spots in Yuantouzhu Scenic Area in Wuxi City are cultural relics protected in Jiangsu Province.
What are worth visiting and seeing？
Natural resources
The planting scale and variety number of Yuantouzhu ranked first in the gardens in East China. In May, large numbers of flowers of the same family of Acorus calamus L. 菖蒲, such as the brook fungus and yellow iris, blossomed. Most of these two kinds of flowers bloom in late April. Other varieties of flowers of Acorus calamus have also been blooming sporadically and will enter the best viewing period around May 15.
In the middle of the 1990s, a Huachangpu Garden was built in Yingxiu, Yuantouzhu Mountain. Most of the original Yellow Acorus calamus L. were imported from Japan, with more than 100 kinds of 6000 plants, covering an area of about 3000 square meters.
Attractions
Turtle Head Island has natural landscape paintings; There is pastoral scenery in mountain villages; Jiangnan Garden Scenery; There are also complete supporting services and entertainment facilities such as food, accommodation, shopping, and transportation. In addition, many profound cultural accumulations such as the whereabouts of celebrities and refined scholars, stone carvings, calligraphy and painting, legends, etc., constitute a comprehensive and multi-functional scenic resort with natural mountains and waters as the main part and artificial decorations as the auxiliary part.
Cherry Blossom Valley 樱花谷 is located at the north foot of Luding Mountain in Yuantouzhu Scenic Area, adjacent to and integrated with the Sino-Japanese Cherry Blossom Friendship Forest. It covers an area of 200000 square meters and has more than 30000 cherry trees of 68 varieties. It is the largest cherry garden in China. Cherry Blossom Valley has buildings such as Cherry Appreciation Tower 赏樱楼, Tiaoyun Pavilion 蹑云阁, Fanying Pavilion 繁英轩, and Cuchun Bridge 簇春桥.
Wanlang Bridge 万浪桥 is located at the foot of the east mountain slope of Guangfu Temple 广福寺, and there is a natural water bay along the lake. There are reeds and fishing boats. On the hillside, there are cliffs and forests of pines and cypresses. In the 1930s, with curved levees and arch bridges built in China, it was quiet and indifferent. When the southeasterly wind blows fiercely, thousands of waves roll up, roaring like waves, rolling from afar, slapping the lake embankment, and the water splashes like snowflakes, so it gets the name “Wanlang Bridge”.
A natural water bay in the west of the scenic spot is built with Wanlang Bridge and Qudi 曲堤. Walking on the waves, the long waves hit the shore. When the lake wind blows, the water splashes like snowflakes. In the evening, you can also see the fun of returning to the boat in the sunset, and fishing boats moor at night.
The Fairy Island of Taihu Lake 太湖仙岛, formerly called Sanshan Island 三山岛, is located in the lake 2.6 kilometers southwest of Yuantouzhu, and is reputed as the “Three Mountains Reflect Green Water”. There are three mountain Taoist temples on the island, including Huixian Bridge 会仙桥, Tianjie Street 天街, Lingxiao Palace 凌霄殿, Tiandu Xianfu 天都仙府, Yuelao Temple 月老祠, and other buildings. The interior layout is magnificent and magnificent, and the statues of gods are vivid. The statue of the Jade Emperor is 18 meters high.
The Tortoise Gate Tower 鼋门楼 is located at the foot of Chongshan Mountain, in the shape of an archway, covered with orange-colored glazed tiles. It was built in 1986. From here, you can go 3.5 kilometers straight to the old gatehouse. There is an elevated electric train to take the place of the park. The whole journey is 3800 meters, crossing the water surface of Wuli Lake, passing through Luding Mountain Tunnel, and connecting to the old gate tower.
The old gate tower is located in Dushan Village. It was built in 1972. It has flying roofs with double eaves, glazed tile roofs, and three gilded characters of “Yuantouzhu”. Go along the road, walk 300 meters across the Cuckoo Slope, and there is a ferry pier leading to the fairyland of Taihu Lake. A piece of water from Taihu Lake is exposed here, surrounded by mountains.
