Located in the Daming Lake in the north of the old city of Jinan, Daming Lake has a long history and beautiful scenery. In ancient times, it was known as the 'Lotus Lake', 'Lishuipo' and 'West Lake', and  since the Kin Dynasty, it has been called Daming Lake. The lake is watered by numerous natural springs such as Pearl Spring, Zhuoying Spring and Wangfu Pond. An old saying goes that 'the water level will not go up in the flood season, and the lake will not dry up during a long-lasting drought.'
The Daming Park consists of a lake, pavilions, gardens and towers. Lixia Pavilion in the middle of Daming Lake was named Haiyou Pavilion in ancient China. Li Yong, a famed calligraphist of the Tang Dynasty, gave a dinner in honor of Du Fu, a famous poet, at the pavilion in 745, the latter composed a poem during the banquet: 'Haiyou Pavilion is ancient/Jinan has many celebrities.' Since then, Lixia Pavilion has become well known. Lesser Canglang Pavilion, which stands by the lake, is surrounded by lotus ponds on three sides and faces a hill on one side, with lake water running into the countyard. Standing at the pavilion, visitors can have a panoramic view of Daming Lake. If it is a fine day, visitors can see the reflection of the One Thousand Buddha Hill ini the lake as described in the Travels by Lao Can. |
