City of Penglai: Baoding Ancient Lotus Pond

The Ancient Lotus Pond is located in the center of the old city of Baoding and is one of the 'Eight Views of Shanggu', known as 'Ripples of Summer Beauty'. The Ancient Lotus Pond is a national-level cultural heritage site and one of the top ten famous gardens in China. It is not only famous for its 'secluded forests and springs, and the vastness of clouds and things' but also widely known because it shares the same site with the Lotus Pond Academy. The Ancient Lotus Pond is centered around two ponds, north and south, with pavilions, platforms, buildings, and towers built around the pond. Passing through the Lotus Pond Archway, on the left is the Zhili Library, and on the right is the Zhuojin Pavilion. The abundance of lotus leaves in the pond is astonishing but also within reason; otherwise, why would it be called 'Lotus Pond'? On the north bank of the pond, from east to west, there are sequentially the Hua Nan Yan Bei Thatched Cottage, Wanjuan Building, Gaofen Pavilion, Kuihua Building, and Sairan Pavilion. This historical garden, with a history of over a thousand years, has maintained its unique style of 'rippling green and encompassing emptiness' after several rises and falls. Today, it not only wins with the charming scenery of 'Ripples of Summer Beauty' but also displays numerous cultural relics and treasures through the historical mists that loom in the garden. The different experiences of private gardens, official gardens, academy gardens, royal gardens, and public gardens have endowed it with a rich cultural heritage. Ancient Lotus Pond