It is 9.5 kilometers in length and 551 thousand sq. m. in overall area. The area covered by greenery is 482 thousand sq. m. Along the scenic belt around the lake, you can enjoy the morning glory in Xuanwu, visit Wumiao Sluice Gate, stroll by the ancient city wall and walk on the Ten-Mile-Dyke. You can also have a good time in the Water Paradise or relax yourself in the natural Metasequoia Oxygen Bar.

Xuanwu Gate
It was opened in 1910 by Liangjiang governor Zhang Renjun of the Qing Dynasty. Since Zhang Renjun was from Fengrun County, Hebei province, therefore the gate was initially called “Fengrun Gate”. In April 1928, the Republic government changed it as “Xuanwu Gate”. In 1929, Mr. Cai Yuanpei was invited to write the three characters “Xuan Wu Gate”.

Jiefang Gate
In 1952, a new gate was opened so as to satisfy the need of air-raid evacuation and to facilitate the traffic in and out of the city. JiefangGate was completed in 1954 and formally opened on the first of May that year.

Taiping Gate
Taiping Gate is one of the thirteen city gates of the Ming city wall. Prior to the opening of Xuanwu Gate, people in the city must go through Taiping Gate when they went to visit Xuanwu Lake.

Heping Gate
Located in the north of Xuanwu Lake, near Shence Gate ---- one of the thirteen city gates of the Ming city wall, it was renamed as Heping Gate in 1928. The entrance of Xuanwu Lake here retains that name.

Wumiao Sluice Gate
Wumiao Sluice Gate, as the main drainage exit of the Xuanwu Lake and the earliest sluice gate in Nanjing, it was designed and constructed as a part of the city design when the 1st Emperor of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang planned the city of Nanjing. At the time of its construction, both the engineering and the design were of the world’s first-class level. In 1986, a series of new scenic spots were added to the gate: a winding passage, a sightseeing veranda, a square pavilion and a Bixi carrying a tablet etc. Now it is a state-leveled historical and cultural relic.

Morning Glory in Xuanwu
Located in the southern side of the Xuanwu Gate entrance, it goes between Xuanwu Lake and the Ming city wall with a metasequoia wood in the south. With an integration of recreation with sightseeing, it is here that tourists can have a good sight of the beauty of the lake, the woods, the city and the mountains.

Ten-Mile Dyke
In early spring, the 2.1-km-long dyke is lined with red peach flowers and green willows while the mists in the drizzle often suggest a poetic charm. No wonder that Wei Zhuang( 836-910 ), a famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty, couldn’t help admiring that “ The most merciless are the willows in Taicheng, the mist remains unchanged along the ten-mile dyke.” Among the most famous 48 attractions in Jinling, this is noted as the “Xuanwu Mists and Willows”.

Secluded Ming City Wall
The 1300-meter-long area stretches from Jiefang Gate to Taiping Gate. On one side stands the ancient winding city wall of the Ming Dynasty. On the other is Xuanwu Lake with its vast expanse of blue dancing water. This quiet and tastefully laid-out place is covered with shade-resistant plants like iris, evergreen, blue plantainlily, bulbus lycoridis radiatae and pink reineckia etc.

The ancient walls and the mirror
shallow waters, cobbles, artificial hills, reeds and metasequoia near the waters and ancient walls make the best scenic spot of “water outside the lake.” In the pond there are fishes for the entertainment of children.