How many stunning scenery are hidden at the northernmost tip of Taihu Lake?

My impression of Taihu Lake is that of blooming cherry blossoms, the legend of Xi Shi, and the infinite scenery that attracts a large number of tourists.

Cherry blossoms at Yuantouzhu, Taihu Lake | Photographer @刘颖媛

However, when the crowds dispersed and the stars lit up, "Moving the boat away in the moonlight, returning in the quiet night" (from "Autumn Evening at Taihu Lake" by Wang Changling of the Tang Dynasty)

Does Taihu Lake ever remember the first tribe leader who visited it 3,000 years ago?

Have you ever remembered the patriots who supported the Chinese nation's industry more than 100 years ago?

Have you ever remembered that nearly 10 years ago, the "Struggler" manned submersible, which was nurtured by it, set a record of 10,909 meters for Chinese manned deep diving, making China the second country after the United States to achieve a 10,000-meter manned deep diving...

Stage photo of "Struggler" | Image from @Wuxi Song and Dance Theater Dance Drama 10909

All these stories actually took place at the northernmost end of Taihu Lake, within the jurisdiction of today's Binhu District of Wuxi City .

Location of Binhu District, Wuxi City | Map by @Zhang Songnan/Planet Research Institute

What is the charm of this land that attracts so many "heroes" and "miracles" to gather here?

01

Years of glory

If we want to understand the beginning of all causes and conditions, we need to travel through time and come to the shore of Taihu Lake thousands of years ago.

Taihu Lake | Photographer @大胖子

More than 3,000 years ago, Taihu Lake had been waiting silently, waiting for someone to come.

His name was Taibo, and he was the eldest son of the leader of the Zhou tribe in the Central Plains at that time.

With his arrival, the Central Plains culture began to spread in the Jiangnan region, and a new regional culture was born in Chinese civilization - Wu culture .

Yuantouzhu, Taihu Lake | Photographer @Martin Yang

Water is the soul of lakeside. Taibo and his descendants, who lived by the water, could not do without aquatic products and water transportation, and casting nets and sailing were very common.

The white fish, white shrimp, silver fish and other fish that are abundant in Taihu Lake feed them.

Taihu Lake fishing show, Taihu Lake, which has nurtured the people along the coast for thousands of years , is currently in a fishing ban period, resting and recuperating | Photographer @黄兆勇

Eating fish and shrimps in Binhu Lake is not only for filling your stomach, but also for savoring them carefully and slowly according to the four seasons. There are different expectations at every hour and every month:

In the first month of the lunar calendar, bream is tender and fat, and in the second month, frozen fish is eaten as minnows.

In March, the meat of the earthworm is thick, and in summer, the white shrimps are delicious.

The eel in Lesser Heat is as delicious as ginseng, and the whitebait in June is tender and delicious.

In July, the anchovies are dried, and in August, the mandarin fish are prepared to be presented to the son-in-law.

In September, crucian carp should be stewed, and in October, the navel of hairy crab should be filled with roe.

In the depths of winter, carp celebrate the harvest, and in the twelfth lunar month, herring’s tails become fat.

Taihu Aquatic Products | Image from @Visual China

The close relationship between people and Taihu Lake has a profound influence on the language and character of the Wu culture people.

The words from the Central Plains came to Binhu and transformed into new expressions:

Very little, just a drop

Using small to win big is like " using small fish to catch white fish "

You are the wind and I am the sand, which means " He is the water of Taihu Lake and I am the fish in the water "

Boats on Lake Tai | Photographer @黑毛不压力

After more than 1,000 years of experience and integration, water nourishes people, and people embrace water, and water and people are interdependent.

The water of Taihu Lake gradually gave birth to a great country with "Wu culture" that could compete with the Central Plains, namely the " Wu State ".

During the Spring and Autumn Period, famous generals Wu Zixu and Sun Wu defected to the State of Wu, and Wu's monarch Helu saw the dawn of rise and hegemony.

Soon after Wu Zixu entered the State of Wu, King Helu of Wu ordered him to oversee the construction of a new capital, namely Helu City .

Helu King City, a contemporary replica | Photographer @Yingwei

According to legend, Wu Zixu dug Zhihugang and other waterways to facilitate the navy's entry and exit of Taihu Lake , and used the soil from the dug waterways to build Helu City.

The city's neat official roads, majestic palaces, prosperous streets and mighty army herald the rise of a powerful country.

Stories such as Fan Li and Xi Shi, Yu Chang and Zhuan Zhu were staged here, and the inner lake of Taihu Lake, "Li Lake", got its name from this.

Li Lake | Photographer @Bashan Night Rain

Taihu Lake has mountains and water, and can be used for both attack and defense, making it a natural military base for the Wu Kingdom's navy. In Helu City, Wu Zixu's command platform, training ground and armory were the foundation for the Wu Kingdom to gain a foothold in the world.

The sharp blades of Wu Gou and Wu Sword point directly to the Central Plains.

Cultural relics related to King Helu of Wu ｜Photographer @路客看看, Map @汉青/星球研究院

When we walk through Helu City again today, all the glory is now just a pile of desolate tombs and earth.

We all know the end of the Wu Kingdom. However, this does not mean the end of culture.

Helu City Ruins Museum | Photographer @Ying Wei

Although the State of Wu did not win the chaos during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the artificial waterways it left behind, such as Zhihu Port in Binhu and other places, set the trend of building canals in China.

Wuxi, including Binhu, not only became one of the earliest cities in ancient times to dig and use canals, but also became the only city in ancient times with a canal passing through the city.

The lakeside area between the Grand Canal and Taihu Lake | Photographer @LHG, tagged @Hanqing & Zhangqi/Planet Research Institute

As Du Mu, a great Tang Dynasty poet who passed by here more than 1,000 years ago, lamented:

People have gone, but the water keeps flowing .

The flowing water brings endless prosperity of the Jiangnan region to the lakeside land of Wuxi.

The Grand Canal is full of flowing water | Photographer @郭春亮

There are 250 rivers and streams in Binhu District, and the river network is like a longitude and latitude, filling all directions of the urban area.

When Su Shi came here to go boating and tour Taihu Lake, the main means of shipping was the Grand Canal .

Schematic diagram of the water system in Binhu District, Wuxi City | Map by @Zhang Songnan/Planet Research Institute

During the same period, Song Huizong, who was obsessed with Taihu stones , even spent a huge amount of money to dismantle bridges to allow ships to pass in order to transport huge stones from Taihu Lake to the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng).

At that time, there was an endless stream of ships carrying Taihu stones on the Grand Canal along the lake.

The Taihu stone painted by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty looks like a tumbling dragon, which was regarded by Emperor Huizong as a good omen for the destiny of the Song Dynasty . Image from @ChinesePaintings.net

The unique shipping conditions also laid a solid foundation for a generation of lakeside merchants to become unique in the world.

By the Ming and Qing dynasties, Wuxi, to which Binhu belonged, had become a famous grain distribution center in the south of the Yangtze River and one of the four largest rice markets in the country .

Relying on the prosperity of Wuxi, a family named Rong moved from Jinling. The place where they lived was called " Rong Lane ", and gradually formed various industries such as farming, weaving, fishing, shipping, and commerce.

Rongxiang | Photographer @李雨甜

As time entered modern times and with the intensification of foreign capital invasion, Binhu merchants bravely took their first steps in the difficult times.

In the 13th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1887), 14-year-old Rong Zongjing boarded a small boat, set out from Rong Lane in Wuxi, and arrived in Shanghai along the Suzhou River, embarking on his own journey of life.

Taihu Lake Sailing ｜Photographer @Martin Yang

"Brothers fight tigers together." After a few years, Rong Zongjing, who had gained a firm foothold, brought his younger brother Rong Desheng to Shanghai to work together.

Once (in 1898), when Rong Desheng was passing by the dock, he saw a piece of white ground. It turned out to be the dust from the flour carried by a British ship.

The people at the dock told him that such a huge amount of foreign goods were being dumped into China without paying taxes, and our own products had nowhere to go under the pressure of foreign capital.

The Rong brothers' industrial ideals were activated from then on, and they believed that " self-help is the only way to save the country from danger ."

1****Color restoration photo of Shanghai Port in 1913 | Image from @Visual China

At that time, the Rong brothers' hometown, Wuxi, on the shore of Taihu Lake, had already built the first large chimney in Jiangsu and the first industrial plant in Jiangsu.

The Rong brothers also chose to return to their hometown to start a business, opening their first flour mill and first spinning mill, laying the foundation for China's industry and commerce.

In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Rong Zongjing wrote the "Plan for Revitalizing Industry, Developing the Economy, and Benefiting the People's Livelihood" with a sincere heart:

"Take the textile industry for example. Our country has a population of 400 million, but only 2 million spindles. Compared with the population-to-spindle ratio in Europe and America, this cannot meet the needs of the people. Therefore, other countries set up factories in our country to pursue their ambitions of economic aggression, which has dealt a heavy blow to our textile industry. Yarn and cloth are necessities of life, and even others rely on them. There is nothing more heartbreaking than this."

No one could have expected at that time that starting from these small factories, the Rong brothers, who were determined to save the country, would gradually build China's largest national capital industrial group .

Rong House in Shanghai | Photographer @EVN STUDIO Enwan Architectural Photography

The cotton yarn they produced was sold well throughout the country, surpassing not only other national textile mills, but also Japanese yarn mills in China.

The two brothers even bought the spinning mills that originally belonged to the Japanese, and quickly occupied the market after the Japanese yarn disappeared. Chinese businessmen bought the spinning mills built by Japanese capital and became the protagonists of sniping Japanese yarn. This is a rare event in the modern Chinese business history.

Wuxi captured by the lens of 20th century French photographer Paolo Koch | Image from @Visual China, map by @Hanqing & Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute

In the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922), the Rong brothers owned 12 flour mills, and their daily flour output accounted for about one-third of the total output of flour mills with national capital in the country. They were known as the " Flour Kings of China ."

In 1931, the Rong brothers owned 9 spinning mills, and their gauze output accounted for about one-fifth of the total output of national capital cotton textile mills. They were known as the " Chinese Gauze Kings ".

Schematic diagram of some Rong’s factories ｜Picture from @Wuxi Archives and History Museum, drawn by @Hanqing/Planet Research Institute

Under the leadership of the Rong brothers, Rong Lane also gave birth to a large number of patriotic Rong industrialists. Wuxi's total industrial output value soared to the second place in the country, second only to Shanghai.

The factories scattered across this Jiangnan water town allow them to " provide food and clothing for half of China ."

Illustration of some of the patriotic industrialists of the Rong family | Image from @Wikimedia Commons & Visual China, drawn by @Hanqing/Planet Research Institute

The rise of the Rong family in the national industrial and commercial circles has brought unprecedented prosperity to Rongxiang . There are more than 100 groups of modern buildings and nearly 200 complete buildings in Rongxiang Old Street, which are not only of different shapes but also quite spectacular.

There are gable-roofed bungalows, arched buildings, bridge buildings, small Western-style buildings, small villas, and Jiangnan classical gardens, forming a complex of buildings that combines Chinese and Western styles.

The pink walls and black tiles, horse-head walls of Huizhou, the European-style gatehouses, fireplaces and colorful stained glass windows, as well as the Shanghai-style Shikumen, mosaic brick walls and cast iron flower railings are all gathered here.

Rongxiang Architecture | Photographer @高翔

In addition to building their own homes, the Rong brothers never forgot the public infrastructure of their hometown.

As early as the first year of the Republic of China (1912), when Rong Desheng was elected as a representative of the National Conference of Industry and Commerce, he wrote and published " The Future of Wuxi ", proposing a grand blueprint for how to carry out urban development.

Afterwards, the Rong brothers founded Jiangnan College (now Jiangnan University) in Binhu to cultivate China's top talents.

Ginkgo trees in Jiangnan University | Photographer @桔子心

In order to improve the water and land transportation in their hometown, they raised funds to build 57 bridges of various sizes, including Li Bridge, Hong Bridge, and Da Gong Bridge.

Among them, the most famous is the Baojie Bridge built on Li Lake on Rong Desheng’s 60th birthday. With more than 60 bridge arches spanning the water, it looks like a long dragon lying on the waves and was the largest bridge in Jiangnan at that time.

Baojie Bridge is divided into two parts, one was built by Rong Desheng and his grandson Rong Zhijian, and it is a legend | Photographer @Wuxi Corridor Bridge

Rong Desheng's son Rong Yiren , under the influence of his surroundings and through teaching by example, also became a giant in China's modern national industry and commerce.

He experienced the Beiyang government, the Nanjing Nationalist government, the founding of the People's Republic of China, and reform and opening up... He witnessed almost the entire 20th century China. Rong Yiren's most outstanding position was Vice President of the People's Republic of China.

Old photo of Rong Yiren ｜Image from @Wikimedia Commons

Whether it was the Rong brothers, the "flour king" and the "textile king", or Rong Yiren who was later elected as Vice President of the Republic, they all practiced the dream of "saving the country through industry" with their sincere feelings.

Among the six major industrial and commercial cities in China at that time, Wuxi, supported by the Rong family, was the only city that rose entirely due to the wisdom and diligence of the Chinese people.

Only their industry, without the participation of foreign capital, is completely national capital. This is an unparalleled pride, enough to make any city admire.

Rongxiang ｜Photographer @Zhao Gaoxiang

Looking back over the past 3,000 years of Binhu, from Taibo, King Helu of Wu, Wu Zixu, to the Rong brothers and Rong Yiren, the waves have washed away all the heroes.

The chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period and the commercial wars of the Republic of China were all submerged in the water of Taihu Lake, and the glory of time shone in the vast blue waves.

The pioneering spirit of Helu City and the dream and responsibility of "saving the country through industry" in Rong Xiang have also been passed down to today's Binhu District of Wuxi City.

02

The light of technology

People living on the shores of Taihu Lake have relied on the water for their livelihood for thousands of years, and in modern times, aquatic products and water transportation should be their main business.

However, what is surprising is that around 2000, the tertiary industry, including information transmission, software and information technology services, scientific research, etc., had already accounted for about half of the industrial structure here.

Schematic diagram of the industrial structure of Wuxi suburbs from 1986 to 2000. Binhu District of Wuxi was established in early 2001. This data is the statistical data of the predecessor of Binhu District, namely the suburbs of Wuxi. | Map by @Hanqing & Zhangqi/Planet Research Institute

In 2016, on the shores of Taihu Lake, a supercomputer with the world's " most powerful brain " was running at high speed in a room of about 1,000 square meters.

The year it started operating, it became the fastest supercomputer in the world. This is Sunway TaihuLight .

Shenwei·Light of Taihu Lake | Photographer @李雨甜

Sunway TaihuLight is China's most powerful supercomputer built entirely with "Chinese chips" for the first time, and is also the world's first supercomputer with a computing speed of more than one exascale.

But its birth was full of twists and turns. In the 1980s, my country had already embarked on the road of developing supercomputers, but the extremely critical CPU (central processing unit) could only be imported.

Thanks to the day and night efforts of scientific research talents, a supercomputer named Taihu was born in the National Supercomputing Wuxi Center located in Binhu. Its appearance broke the technological barriers that had lasted for 30 years.

National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi | Photographer @李雨甜

Whether it is space exploration, human gene sequencing, medical research and development, or taking a taxi, shopping, ordering takeout, etc., computing power facilities are required to process massive amounts of data.

Computing facilities have become an essential modern infrastructure like water, electricity and gas. With the support of Sunway TaihuLight, China is now on the road to the "supercomputing universe".

By 2020, with the help of Taihu Lake, researchers simulated the underwater environment, and the Jiaolong and Fendouzhe manned submersibles came into being.

Struggler model ｜Photographer @Ying Wei

Among them, the "Fendouzhe" manned submersible set a new record for China's manned deep-sea diving of "10,000 meters under the sea", which is equivalent to the altitude of Mount Everest combined with Mount Hua.

Endeavour goes out on a mission ｜Image from @Wikimedia Commons

World-class research institutions such as the Taihu Laboratory of Deep Sea Technology and Science and the National Supercomputing Wuxi Center are integrated into the mountains and waters of Taihu Lake, but the story of this land and water goes far beyond that.

In recent years, within the jurisdiction of Binhu District, Luou Road, which is only 600 meters long, has attracted nine listed companies in the smart manufacturing sector, with a total market value of over 100 billion yuan. Luou Road is also known as the "road to listing."

In 2024, the first photonic chip pilot line in China jointly built by Binhu District and Shanghai Jiaotong University was put into use. Binhu District also further proposed the planning of the Shanshui East Road Science and Technology Innovation Valley .

Schematic diagram of the Shanshui East Road Science and Technology Innovation Valley | Map by Zhang Songnan/Planet Research Institute

The northernmost end of Taihu Lake is a gathering place: Jiangnan University, Southeast University Wuxi Campus, China Shipbuilding 702 Institute, Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Aviation Industry Leihua Electronics Research Institute... and many other double first-class universities and provincial and ministerial research institutes are concentrated in the Shanshui East Road Science and Technology Innovation Valley.

The dense science and technology industries in Binhu District are like a " technological field" in the new era | Photographer @Ying Wei

The role of the Science and Technology Innovation Valley lies in the deep influence and integration of scientific research and application, which can enable a scientific research result to move from the laboratory to the market more conveniently.

Changguangxi Intelligent Manufacturing | Photographer @Yingwei

Let’s take the Wuxi Campus of Southeast University and Beiwei Sensor as an example. Beiwei Sensor is a national high-tech enterprise focusing on the research and development, manufacturing and sales of sensors.

With the platform of the Science and Technology Innovation Valley, in January 2024, Beiwei donated a batch of high-precision advanced intelligent sensor equipment to the Wuxi campus of Southeast University and signed a postgraduate practice base agreement. Beiwei's sensors can be innovatively developed at the Wuxi campus of Southeast University, which is separated by a stream.

With the help of the "think tank" of university professors, Beiwei's new project will promote breakthroughs in key technologies and form domestic chips with independent brands and intellectual property rights.

Instruments on the first photonic chip pilot line in China | Photographer @Ying Wei

In the future, the two sides will jointly carry out research on key issues in the field of intelligent driving. There are thousands of projects similar to Beiwei in the Science and Technology Innovation Valley.

So far, there have been more than 1,000 industry-university-research cooperation projects between large research institutes and enterprises in Binhu District of Wuxi City, with a cumulative transaction volume of nearly 100 million yuan.

Please watch horizontally, Binhu District Industrial Park | Photographer @孙若钧

The local GDP has also increased rapidly and climbed year after year.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Binhu District, Wuxi City from 2004 to 2023 is shown. During this period, the area of ​​the district was greatly reduced after the district adjustment, but the GDP of Binhu District reached the "hundred billion level" twice | Map @Han Qing & Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute

Looking back at the development of Binhu District, 90% of Wuxi’s provincial and ministerial scientific research institutes are located here.

Many " national heavy equipment " have emerged here, including the "Shenwei TaihuLight" supercomputer, the "Jiaolong" and "Fendouzhe" manned submersibles, and so on.

Here, the Science and Technology Innovation Valley drives the lakeside industrial system and increases production capacity. Future industries such as the metaverse, quantum technology, and artificial intelligence are also being planned and laid out on the shores of Taihu Lake... The rippling water reflects the light of technology .

2024 Taihu Yuantouzhu National Day International Water Music Fireworks Festival | Photographer @Ying Wei

03

Mountain and Lake

When time returns to this moment, the story of the light of science and technology disappears into the mortal world, and the vicissitudes of the years return to calm.

People refocused their eyes on their feet. The vast expanse of Taihu Lake was still as blue as ever. The answer to the future and the fate of the city have always been in this lake and mountain, and have never changed.

The land in Binhu District belongs to the Taihu alluvial plain , with low mountains and gentle hills surrounding the lake.

Please watch in horizontal mode, looking at the hills and mountains on the shore from Taihu Lake ｜Photographer @吴启凡

Looking out from Taihu Lake, the most distant and the most upright mountain is called Huishan , which is also the boundary mountain of Binhu District. Emperor Qianlong praised it as " the first mountain in Jiangnan ".

Huishan Mountain looks like a dragon dancing in the plains, so it is commonly known as "Jiulong Mountain". The first peak is Toumao Peak (229 meters above sea level), followed by Ermao Peak (301 meters above sea level), Sanmao Peak (328 meters above sea level) and nine other peaks.

Su Shi , a scholar from the Song Dynasty, who climbed to the top and looked out over Taihu Lake, wrote:

The stone road winds around the Nine Dragon Ridge, and the water reflects off the sky of the Five Lakes (Taihu Lake).

(From Su Shi's "Visiting Taoist Qian at Huishan, Cooking Little Dragon Balls, Climbing to the Top and Looking at Taihu Lake", which means: The stone path up the mountain is winding like a dragon's spine; the rippling water reflects the sky reflected by Taihu Lake.)

Overlooking Huishan ｜Photographer @Wu Yidan

Overlooking the Taihu Lake from a high altitude is just the beginning. The inexhaustible water source on the top of the mountain nourishes the gardens at the foot of the mountain from north to south .

In the Qingshan Park, which is known as "a garden surrounded by mountains and a garden with beautiful peaks", the " Jiulong Villa " was built in response to the mountain scenery. An ancient well over 400 years old and a ginkgo tree over 300 years old decorate the place.

Jiulong Villa Ginkgo ｜Photographer@Songhuajiang

From the mountains down to the plains is the plum garden built by the Rong family.

The plum garden is not called "plum", but " Fragrant Snow Sea ". The water gushing out of such a noble place is called " Xixin Spring ". The most ancient peak among the Taihu stone peaks in Wuxi, " Mi Xiangyang (Mi Fu) Worship Stone " is located here.

In the eyes of those who care, every flower, tree, spring and stone in the Plum Garden are poetic.

Plum Garden ｜Photographer @豆芽草

Next to the Plum Garden, the Liangxi River , originating from Huishan Mountain, is formed by mountain springs and connects the Grand Canal and Taihu Lake.

Binhu District is the only place in Wuxi that has both a restrained lake and an unrestrained river. You can see Taihu Lake and reach out to the canal. Perhaps because of this, this place has a temperament that is both internal and external, and can be controlled freely.

Tang Xianzu, a famous Ming Dynasty playwright, wrote this beautiful work while sailing on the Liangxi River:

The misty rain and the plains are the most majestic. At dusk, the flower stream floats on the peach water... (from Tang Xianzu's Liangxi)

Appreciating this poem, everything seems to be right before your eyes:

In late spring, Tang Xianzu sailed westward. The mist and rain covered the peach blossoms above the water, and the whole Liangxi River was like a river of flowing petals...

Liangxi River ｜Photographer@Wuxi Bridge

Further south, Liyuan and Lihu Lake are named after the legend of Xi Shi and Fan Li. As an inner lake of Taihu Lake, Lihu Lake is similar in size to West Lake in Hangzhou.

The Changguangxi Wetland , which connects Lihu Lake and Taihu Lake, serves as an ecological corridor, scattered like pearls in between.

Every evening, strolling along the Changguangxi wetland to Li Lake, with fireflies flying on both sides, water birds dancing, the lake breeze being pleasant, and the sunset shining, is a perfect travel route.

Changguangxi Wetland ｜Image from @Visual China

Finally, we arrived at the shores of Taihu Lake. Binhu District owns 90% of Wuxi's Taihu Lake coastline, a total of 108 kilometers.

The most famous one among them is Yuantouzhu , where Guo Moruo could not help but exclaim " The most beautiful place in Taihu Lake is Yuantou after all ".

Yuantouzhu ｜Photographer @Vimcau

The beauty of Yuantouzhu's mountains and rivers is comparable to that of a beautiful woman, which is further refined into many ultimate scenery such as the hidden beauty of Chongshan, the welcoming sunshine at Luding, the spring waves of Yuanzhu, Hengyun Villa, the waves rolling in the snow, the true meaning of lake and mountain, the ten-mile fragrant path, the fairy island of Taihu Lake, the orchid garden of Jiangnan, and the cherry blossom valley.

Tang Bohu, a talented scholar in the Ming Dynasty, also longed for and envied the living environment by the Taihu Lake:

The water east of the Yangtze River is the country, and the huge lake in between is called Zhenze.

It asked me to draw the scenery where he lived, with smoke and trees all over the place like muddy ink.

(From Tang Bohu's "Zhenze Smoke and Trees", Taihu Lake was called Zhenze in ancient times)

Zhenze Smoke and Trees ｜Image from @Taipei National Palace Museum

Men of letters and scholars flocked to these "beautiful days and beautiful scenery".

Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Ni Zan, a great painter from Wuxi in the Yuan Dynasty, painted here, laying the foundation for the formation of the "Taihu School of Painting" in later generations.

In modern times, Yu Dafu, Guo Moruo, Tian Han, Tao Xingzhi and others have visited this place and written travel notes.

Li Lake in the snow is like a light-colored Chinese painting | Photographer @Wuxi Gallery Bridge

Rowing on Taihu Lake is the most romantic thing I can think of in the world.

By the Taihu Lake after the spring rain, cherry blossom trees arrive as promised. They bloom season after season, telling the story of the ancient Jiangnan region.

In a trance, beauty traveled through thousands of years, as if Xi Shi and Fan Li appeared before my eyes while boating.

Taihu Lake Cherry Blossoms and Cruise Ships ｜Photographer@Wuxi Gallery Bridge

This emerging ancient spirit provides artistic nourishment for contemporary creations and interpretations.

Tang City, where the CCTV versions of "Yang Guifei" (1992) and "Tang Minghuang" (1993) were filmed, Three Kingdoms City, where the CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (1994) was filmed, and Water Margin City, where the CCTV version of "Water Margin" (1998) was filmed, are all gathered here.

Water Margin City ｜Photographer @POP

The Taihu Lake scenery of "being both civil and martial, brave and resourceful" can accommodate Emperor Tang Minghuang, Yang Guifei and Li Bai in the Chenxiang Pavilion, "Three Heroes Fighting Lü Bu" and "Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats", "Lu Zhishen Pulling Down a Weeping Willow" and "Wu Song Drunkenly Beating Jiang Menshen"...

It is a wonder that the same lake and mountains can have such diverse and different styles.

Ancient Taihu Lake | Image from @Visual China

However, these beautiful mountains and lakes are by no means unearned. For Binhu, which has deep industrial genes, the infinite scenery hides the courage for change and the determination to take drastic measures.

The world's first ecological dredging intelligent integrated platform ship "Taihu Star" with completely independent intellectual property rights has been put into use ｜Picture from @Wuxi Binhu Release

Since 2002, Binhu District has comprehensively restored and improved the water quality of Lihu Lake and its surrounding environment through five major projects, including ecological dredging, sewage interception, returning fisheries to the lake, ecological restoration, lakeshore improvement and construction of a forest belt around the lake.

According to recent monitoring of Li Lake, the number of aquatic species here has increased by nearly 200% compared with 2012, benthic organisms have increased by more than 3 times, and fish species have increased by nearly 70%. The ecological stability of the lake has been greatly improved.

The lake and mountains have a good ecology, and kingfishers live there ｜Photographer @黄兆勇

In order to protect Taihu Lake, Wuxi's largest steel rolling mill, Xuelang Primary Rolling Mill, was also transformed into the Wuxi National Digital Film Industry Park.

Today, it ranks among the top three digital film production bases in China. Behind the scenes of many popular TV series and movies in recent years, there is the presence of this film industry park by the Taihu Lake.

Wuxi National Digital Film Industry Park | Photographer @Ying Wei

The increasingly fresh Li Lake and Tai Lake hold people's beautiful imaginations of a pleasant lakeside, and have become an ideal place for people to relax and enjoy life.

Every year when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, " the most beautiful marathon track in the country " also becomes a hot search.

Brand events such as the Taihu International Road Cycling Race and the China Sailing City Super League have also injected vitality into this place.

The 12th Taihu International Road Cycling Race in 2024 | Photographer @豆芽草

Modern and classical coexist, civilization and nature coexist. The enchanting water is the background of Binhu.

This pool of Jiangnan water ripples with the beauty of the lake, the glory of time, and the light of technology and the future.

The Binhu District is like flowing water, always moving forward and endless.

Please watch horizontally, panoramic view of Taihu Lake shoreline in Binhu District | Photographer @梁溪飞家

This article was created by

Written by : Qiqi

Image : Xia Xue

Map : Zhang Songnan

Reviewer : Wu Xintian

Design : Han Qing & Zhang Qi

Cover Photographer : Heimao is not nervous

【Main references】

[1] Wuxi Binhu District Local Chronicles Compilation Committee. Wuxi Suburban Chronicles 1986-2000. Beijing: Fangzhi Publishing House, 2014.07.

[2] Wuxi Binhu District CPPCC Study, History, Social and Legal Affairs Committee, Wuxi Binhu District Archives and History Museum. Binhu Old Stories. Yangzhou: Guangling Bookstore, December 2022.

[3] Wuxi Lihu District Planning and Construction Leading Group Office. Lihu is better than before. Nanjing: Phoenix Publishing House, 2007.1