Xuanwu Lake is situated in the north of Nanjing. The city is said to be guarded by four divine animals in each of the four directions: Qinglong in the east, Baihu in the west, Zhuque in the south and Xuanwu in the north. Xuanwu Lake is composed of five oases, each of which becomes a distinctive scenic spot, exhibiting spectacular landscapes in correspondence to different seasons.

The branches of willows sway in the breeze above the blue ripples, and dance gracefully with little wafts of wind like beautiful maids of Southern China. Yingzhou is a special oasis embedded in an even larger oasis. There are cheery blossoms in the early spring, when people hemmed in by a sea of flowers. Clouds and mists in the mountains of Lingzhou convey to people a sense of sublimity and magnificence. Liangzhou, the earliest oasis yet developed, holds a grand display of chrysanthemums every year; this tradition has been carried forward here without interruption. Cuizhou, picturesque as its name indicates, is dotted with trees of various kinds, such as pines, cypress trees, willows, and bamboos, contributing to perfect verdant surroundings.

Xuanwu Lake is free to tourists nowadays. People take their cameras here whose happiness know no bounds -- there are children laughing and jesting, old couples sitting together enjoying the amazing sceneries, and lovers exchanging kisses and loving whispers. Xuanwu Lake has in itself a distinctive charm in summer. People come to the lake in the evening after exposing themselves to the scorching sun in the daytime. The reflections of colorful lights are long and floating in the lake. The laughter of people sweeps away the stifling heat in the day; some of them dance on the square to relieve themselves from the burden and fatigue in their work.

Nature and history have worked together to create so many dynasties and cities, which in turn contribute to picturesque landscapes of unequalled beauty year after year.

My friend always quotes the poem “A Nanjing Landscape” to sing his praises of Xuanwu Lake – “Though a shower bends the river-grass, a bird is singing，/ While ghosts of the Six Dynasties pass like a dream / Around the Forbidden City, under weeping willows / Which loom still for three miles along the misty moat.”

Xuanwu Lake is a beautiful palce for you to visit.

Key words
1玄武xuánwǔ： tortoise ; seven constellations of northern sky; God of the Northern Sky
2湖hú：lake
3南京Nánjīng：a city in China