The ice city: Changchun

Looking over the South Lake Park at a higher place, a panoramic view can be gained. It shapes like a dumbbell that is narrow from east to west and long south to north. The water area is 96 hectares which is similar in size as that of Summer Palace in Beijing. The South Lake Park is the largest one in the downtown area of Changchun. The design related to South Lake Park was started by the Japanese in the Great New Capital City Plan. It was just made so by making use of the water source from Xinglong Channel of Yitong River and piling up a dam of 10 meters in height and 800 meters in length along today’s Gongnong Road. There is a bridge separating the lake into two parts. More than 60 years ago, there was also a bridge named Chuihong over the lake which was not structured by reinforced concrete but wooden material. In August 1948, the Kuomintang army burned it down in order to block hinder the liberation army. The bridge we see today was built in 1979 and its name originated from South Lake, and thus was named South Lake Bridge. The water area of South Lake is the largest, which serves as a park and meanwhile functions as a storage source of water of the city.