Lilac Lake, Shenyang, Liaoning | Story of Time.

Dingxiang Lake is located in the areas of Yingshou, Dafangshi, Xiaofangshi, Xiaozhuanwanqiao, Dazhuanwanqiao, and Houdingxiang villages in Zaohua Township, Yuhong District, northwest of Shenyang City, and Heping Village in Beiling Township. Behind this poetic name, Dingxiang Lake, lies a story spanning 300 years. Legend has it that in 1651, the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, a declining nobleman named Xian migrated north from his hometown of Huangxian County, Shandong Province, to the northwest of Shengjing City, near Dingxiang Lake. In Dingxiang Village, on the shores of Dingxiang Lake, a reporter from "New North" found the tenth-generation descendant of the Xian family, 68-year-old Mr. Xian Yunling. The origins of Dingxiang Lake are inextricably linked to this family's migration. From that time on, this village, primarily populated by two families with the surnames Ding and Xian, continued to bear the name Dingxiantun. It wasn't until the early years of the Republic of China, when a villager named Xu Henian changed the name of Dingxiantun to Dingxiangtun. In the history of Dingxiangtun, one road is particularly noteworthy: Dayu Road. Once, this route was the only way for Qing Dynasty royal families to return home to pay homage to their ancestors. The vast imperial processions departed from the capital, crossed Yong'an Bridge, and entered Shengjing, where they journeyed to pay homage to their ancestors at Fuling, Zhaoling, and Yongling. Today, the beautiful Dingxiang Lake lies along this imperial road, Dayu Road. While Dingxiangtun shares this royal avenue, few people know that it was once the ancient channel of the Hunhe River, Shenyang's mother river.