Xuanwu Lake
- Riley Smith
- Sep 25, 2019
- 6 min read
Xuanwu Lake is a 15 km (9.3 mile) Lake that has five islands in the middle of it that have been connected by bridges. Filled with temples, entertainment venues and resteraunts, Xuanwu lake is the perfect place to take a stroll with a loved one. Take a stroll through one of there many gardens or rent a "character electric boat" and ride around the lake. No matter what, you are destined for a glorious afternoon.
The first thing I notice, of course, is the vending carts. There are tons of carts selling cold and hot meats on sticks, frosty drinks, ice creams, McDonalds, and KFC. One incredibly surprising cart sold scoops of ice cream in little toilet bowls, I guess so you can imagine you are eating shit.
The next thing I noticed was the squawking. At first, I thought they were birds, (the sounds were coming form the trees) but there were no birds to be seen. The squawking was also constant, without breaks, which is not how birds squawk. There was also a high pitched tone playing constantly underneath, almost like someone holding the highest note on the piano into eternity, never losing any volume. I assume their must be sort of hidden speakers in the trees and they play these noises as a bird deterrent. I wouldn't have minded seeing more birds, but maybe I'd feel differently if I kept getting shit on. Either way, I hated this high pitched fake squawking thing. It reminded me of my toilet in Gaochun.
I walked through the first island (I don't remember any of their names), past a shitty little rose garden (maybe it's better in spring) and veered right to head onto my second island. This island held Zinc Land, a theme park for young children that holds a train roller coaster, a log ride, and lets of jellyfish type swing things for little kids. Zinc Land was also closed because it was Monday, which was a bit of a bummer because I was in the mood for a log ride. Also, Zinc Land? Might as well call it Vitamin E Park or Fish Oil World.
I walked through my third island, the smallest island in Xuanwu Lake, which seemed to only have a few food vendors, all of whom were asleep. Never in my life have I seen so many people both asleep and working at the same time. These vendors slept with their mouths open, slouching over tables, propped their head up with an arm or someone else's foot. No one looked comfortable or happy, this looked like the sleep of the defeated (a sleep I am very familiar with.) I walked on quietly, so as not to disturb them.
I walked off the third island and back on to the perimeter of the lake. I decided to walk the perimeter back towards the main gate, and the head left on the first island so I could explore the fourth and fifth islands.
On my walk around the perimeter, I noticed a man throw a lit cigarette into a flower bed. He didn't even put it out, he just threw it in. So dangerous. It's a good thing I don't speak Chinese because I might of tried to bum one. But I'm quit and don't speak Chinese, so I went on my merry way.
Some men were watering some trees with a giant hose that was attached to a large motor and then the lake. The motor was sucking the water out of the lake and using that to water the plants. The motor engine seemed wasteful, but definitely easier than setting up an irrigation system.
As I'm walking, I notice many couples or single people just sitting and staring in the lake, peacefully. They all seem relaxed and so zen. There is a part of me that is jealous of them, and another that feels sorry for them. I am not the sitter. I am the explorer. While they all enjoy their little pleasant afternoons, I am on a mission to see every little bit of this lake. I don't want to have to come back, so I'm walking as much and as fast as I can over this 9.3 mile lake paradise. I won't stop moving, I can't stop moving. It sounds nice, but it's not me.
I'm also noticing a fondness for bridges and docks. Whenever I see one, I want to stand on it or walk over it. I think the world would be a better place if there were more bridges and docks in it (maybe not for fish though.)
I come to an area where the tree squawking machines aren't working and there are a tons of birds. They aren't like american park birds, they have a hint of blue on them and are much bigger. I tried to take a photo of some, but they were to fast. Here is a picture of a pretty cafe instead.
I was planning on heading back to the first island, but as I came closer I notice there seemed to be some sort of a forest on the perimeter so I kept walking forward to see the trees. In this area, there were people playing cards, horrible singers singing into amplifiers while music played, and fathers sitting on benches, staring at their phones while their daughter/son looked around, bored out of their mind.
I walked through this forest area for quite some time. I saw a small little scenic tower which I walked over to to get a better view. You couldn't really see much through the trees but at the top of the tower, two men slept on a blanket, surrounded by meats, cheeses, playing cards and loose cigarettes. I don't think the men were always there, but I found it a pleasant touch to the experience.
A man limping backwards passed me while walking down the road. If he was limping, why was he walking backwards? He had a large speaker blasting traditional Chinese music with him, so whatever he was doing was intentional. This is a question I could, and may, ponder for the rest of my life.
In 2010, many statues and buildings were added to the park to honor great Chinese men. This is some philosopher looking at the moon. There were others, but looking at the moon is cooler than stroking your beard, which most of the statues are doing. How can the Chinese worship so many ancestors with beards and hate them so much now? This statues also had a swarm of bees nearby, which scared the crap out of me. I have found myself incredibly jumpy recently, the smallest sound can freak me out. But maybe that's always been true.
It's around this point I start to get tired. I've been walking for a few hours and its time for me to, erm, deficate again. I walk into the nearest bathroom, which of course, doesn't have toilet paper. A solid piece of advice for if you travel in China which I will be doing from now on, have toilet paper in your day pack. When there is only one roll of toilet paper left at the front of the bathrooms for all six stalls and you have to pre tear toilet paper in anticipation of how much you think you are going to shit, the paper runs out fast. Keep a roll in your pack, and you won't have to worry and search for toilet paper at every restroom you go to.
As I mentioned, the park was quite large and I have started walking the perimeter. Aside from being tired and needing to crap, I start getting pretty hungry to. But I am at the far end of the lake, it might be a little while before I find anything. Everyone around me is sleeping on benches, old women, young men, I even see a police sleeping on a bench (I would have taken a picture, but I'm scared of the Chinese police). I see one old man awake with a start and sort of stumble of a bench, which made me happy. I felt like I shared a brief, intimate moment with him.
Finally, at around 3:00, I reach the fourth island in my quest. I've already done a lot of walking, these dogs are barking, but I've still got a lot of walking left. I just got to keep going, one step after the other. I can't stop. I'm the explorer.
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