Qionghai Lake

Overview
Qionghai Lake, covering 31 square kilometers in Xichang City, capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, is the second biggest freshwater lake in Sichuan. The nearby Mount Lushan and Mount Luoji are reflected in the crystal-clear water of the lake, creating pictureque sceneries. In May 2002, the Qionghai-Mount Luoji Scenic Area was designated by the State Council as a state-level scenic area. Tourists can rent bicycles to move about.

Highlights of Qionghai Lake
Qionghai Lake is the second largest fresh lake in Sichuan. It is a sink-down lake. Qionghai is located in the upper reaches of Jinshanjiang River branch-An’ning River. It is 5 km away from Xichang City south, adjacent to grand Daliangshan Mountain in east, and close to green Lushan Mountain in south. The lake is 1,510 meters above sea level; the total area is 31.2 square kilometers, which is 4.5 times of that of West Lake in Hangzhou Zhejiang Province. The average depth is 14 meters. Qionghai looks like a pearl from air.

The beauty at Qionghai and bright, round moon in Xichang make up of the charms of Xichang which attracts a lot of tourists from everywhere. Many historical celebrities appreciated the lake scene in night and left many poems and verses. Six hundred years ago, Marco Polo, the famous Italian traveler, was greatly impressed by the unique beauty and style in this area. He wrote in Travel Notes of Marco Polo: “Green lake, flourishing grass, abundant fish and big pearls. The beautiful scenes and mild climate is better than that in Mediterranean Sea. It is really the orient pearl.”

Legend
Long long ago, there is a kind and hardworking woodman. One day, when he cut trees, his fingers were cut by axes, and his blood fell into a spring. Suddenly, the blood turned into a small yellow eel, and called the woodman "father" to ask something to eat. The Woodman quickly fed some food to the eel. Later, the eel became long and strong, and no food can be enough for it. 

One day, the woodman dreamed that the eel will bring food to him. When he waked up, he found that the millet was filled with the courtyard. The news spread so quickly that a rich man knew about it. In order to have these millet, the rich man bribed the County magistrate to catch the woodsman, tortured him and forced him to admit to have stolen the millet from the rich man. 

Suddenly, three bamboo shoots appeared in the lobby, and the woodman stepped up and kick off two of the bamboo shoots and closely clung to the only good one shoots as the eel had said to him. With a lightning thunder, a flood of water rushed to the county from the two broken shoots and turned the county into a vast lake in a moment. That is the Qionghai Lake today. the description of the story is very like land subsidence, actually. It is believed that at the sunset, through the clear water, an outline of an undersea town can be seen and that is the site of thousand years ago.

Information
Address: Qionghai Lushan Scenic Area, Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Opening Time: All day
Ticket Price: Free
How to get there: You can take city bus No.6,11 from Xichang train station, get off at Mingdian Street Station, then transfer to No. 14, 105, 106 to reach Qionghai Lake Scenic Area.