Cuihu Park

With a nickname of "Jade of Kunming", Cuihu Park is found on the western side of the Yuhua Mountain in central district of Kunming, facing the gate of Yunnan University. This scenically beautiful park now covers an area of fifteen hectares: emerald lake, green trees, comfortable environment and clear reflection of building decorate this park as a previous jade.

By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was still a swampy field for growing vegetables, lotuses and rice, hence the name "Vegetable Lake". The water-level of Dianchi Lake was then so high that it was connected with the Green Lake. That is why we have the couplet: "Dianchi Lake spreads five hundred li; the Vegetable Lake merges with it." As there were nine mouths of springs beyond the Bamboo Island in the northeast, the lake was also called "The Nine-Dragon Pond".

There are gracefully green willows on the embankment, fresh and beautiful lotus in the lake. The long embankment divides the lake into several sections:
The Haixinting Pavilion, in which where all kinds of shows are held throughout the four seasons: flower shows, lantern shows, fish shows and picture show, is at the centre of the Lake. On the west of the pavilion are buildings for fish-watching. There is a two-storey pavilion on which hangs a horizontal board inscribed with four characters meaning "Drunk in spring in the abode of immortals" and facing north is a fish-watching pavilion. East of the pavilion there is a big tree-surrounded garden consisting of three tiny peninsulas which form a garden within the garden.

On the Gourd Island in the southwest, there are rows of palm trees dotted with groves of banana herbs, under which is a carpet of green grass. On the northern shore stand the Laifeng (Rising Wind) Pavilion and the Fish-Watching Pavilion. On the northeastern corner is the Bamboo-Groves Island. Along the banks are bamboos and azaleas intertwined with vines. Around the Nine-Dragon Pond is a big garden, where people enjoy the potted landscape and celebrate the Spring Festival.

It's worth mentioning that: every winter, thousands of red-beaked sea gulls from the north migrate to the scenically beautiful Green Lake Park. These sea gulls swooping over the water and scrambling with one another for crumbs of food make the park even more glamorous.

Here's a superb description for the scenery of Cuihu Park: Fishes teem in the ten-mu lotus pond; over half the city poplars and willows are caressing pavilions.