A boundless stretch of clear water. Hongze Lake has a vast surface. There are not only fishes, turtles, shrimps and crabs, but also chickens, ducks, geese, birds, and a variety of aquatic plants in the lake. Shipping fleets travelling back and forth come and go in a steady stream. The fishing boats shuttle around, which are of very high ornamental value.

The 100-li embankment. There is an arched artificial rock dam in Hongze Lake in the northeast-southwest direction, and the remaining is a natural floodwall along the lake. It has a history of 1,800 years and the building is very magnificent. 

Sail wall at the dock. In flood season, the deep water, strong wind and furious waves of Hongze Lake directly threaten the safety of fishing boats and fishermen passing by the lake. On the east bank of the lake, there used to be two havens, Jiang Dam and Gaoliang Ravine. With the development of water transportation, when Hongze Lake Embankment was reinforced in 1966, three havens were added, that is, Jiulong Bay, Xiajia Bridge and Zhou Bridge. In 1994, another haven was built in the middle of Hongze Lake, and three ship locks were added. There were nine places for fishermen to take shelter from the wind. These havens were surrounded by walls built by means of masonry, with a high safety coefficient. 

Rhinoceros stabilizing the Huaihe River. In the 40th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1701), Zhang Penghe, Governor of the River, and Zhang Bi’an, the treasurer, had them cast and placed in a dangerous section of Hongze Lake Embankment, to pacify the water. The body of rhinoceros is slightly smaller than that of a real one, with inscription on its abdomen. They date back to more than 300 years ago. Originally, there were 9, but only 5 remain now. They are placed on the dykes of Sanhe Sluice and Gaoliang Ravine, etc.

Flood discharge sluices. Sanhe Sluice, Erhe Sluice and Gaoliang Ravine Intake Sluice on the east bank of Hongze Lake were built after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The architecture of the sluice are grand and magnificent.

Hongze Lake Wetland Scenic Spot is located in the National Nature Reserve Experimental Area of Hongze Lake Wetland in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province. The National Nature Reserve of Hongze Lake Wetland is the largest freshwater wetland nature reserve in Jiangsu Province, ranking 11th in the inland freshwater wetland in China and 1st in East China. The main objects of protection in the reserve include: inland freshwater wetland ecosystems, national key protected birds and other wildlife, spawning grounds for fish, and standard stratigraphic section of Xiacao Bay. There are more than 200 kinds of birds within the reserve, including national first-class protected birds, such as great bustard, oriental white stork, black stork, red-crowned crane, etc., and 26 kinds of national second-class protected birds. Hongze Lake Wetland Scenic Spot is a national AAAA tourist attraction and Top 10 ecological leisure base in China. 

Linhuaie for watching sunrise. Linhuai is a peninsula on the west bank of Hongze Lake, surrounded by waters on three sides. In ancient times, it was known as Linhuai Prefecture. During the Three Kingdoms, Lu Su, a minister in Dongwu, was born here. And during the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, it was the premise of Hongze Lake Administration and Hongze County People’s Government. Later it became an aquaculture base and is suitable for watch the sunrise.

Cemetery in spring dawn. Located in Bancheng Town on the west bank of Hongze Lake, there is a Xuefeng Cemetery, where the body of General Peng Xuefeng, the commander of the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army and commander of Huaibei Military Region, was buried. On both sides of the gate of the cemetery are couplets inscribed by Li Yimang, the then Chairman of the People’s Government of the Jiangsu-Anhui Border Region. On the east side of the cemetery is a memorial tower for martyrs killed during the Anti-Japanese War in the Huaibei Jiangsu-Anhui Liberated Region, inscribed by Deng Zihui. There are 13 stone tablets around the tower, engraved with the names of 4,079 martyrs killed during the Anti-Japanese War. Inside the cemetery, there is a memorial hall, displaying martyr legacies and revolutionary relics. It has become a revolutionary base for educating future generations. 

Relics of Laozi. Laozi Mountain, located on the south bank of Hongze Lake and where Huaihe River enters the lake, was known as Danshan in ancient times. Legend has it that Laozi (Li Er) once practiced alchemy here, hence the name. On the mountain, there are scenic spots and historic sites, like Alchemy Table, Green Cattle Hoof and Phoenix Mound.

Overlooking from the Turtle Hill. Located on the south side of Laozi Mountain, the Turtle Hill just looks like a turtle. It is a place where military forces were used in past dynasties and known as Turtle Hill Town in ancient times. It has been a famous historical town since Qin and Han Dynasties, leaving relics about Xia Yu’s flood control. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were still 12 temples and a magnificent building, that is, the administrative office of Hongze Dusi (an upper fourth rank officer in the Qing Dynasty). In the Qing Dynasty, it was an important town in the southern border of Qinghe County. Standing at the estuary of the Huaihe River, it is a natural fish mouth that diverts the Huai River. There are many historic sites on the mountain, such as Anhuai Temple, Shuimu Well, Ancient Ginkgo, Huaidu Table, Celebrities’ Stone Carvings, etc.

Stone Carvings in Ming Mausoleum. Ming Ancestors Mausoleum, located on the south bank of Hongze Lake, is the mausoleum of Zhu Bailiu, the great-great-grandfather of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, his great grandfather, Zhu Sijiu, and his grandfather, Zhu Chuyi. It was first built in the 18th year of Hongwu’s Reign (1385) and took 28 years to complete. In the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1680), it was flooded by water. In 1966, the water level of Hongze Lake decline almost to the dead water level, and the main hall and deity road of the Mausoleum surfaced one after another. After maintenance, the stone carvings were restored to their original look.