Jingbo Lake


Jingbo Lake, also known as Jingpo Lake, is situated inNing'an, a county-level city in the southwest of Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province. It features magnificent natural scenery of lakes, waterfalls and volcanic landforms as well as some profound historical and cultural attractions. It was recognized as one of the most important national-level scenic and historic interest areas in 1982 and was awarded the title of Jingpo Lake Global Geopark in 2006.

According to legends, Jingpo Lake is a mirror of a fairy that fell from heaven. Geographically, the lake is located in the upper reaches of Mudan River. About 4,700 to 8,300 years ago, five volcanic eruptions occurred in Ning'an City because of frequent crustal movements. As a result, the magma turned into a huge dam after cooling and uplifted the upper reaches of Mudan River. Therefore, this dammed lake was formed. Unlike normal lakes, it's not round or oval. The lake retains the shape of a watercourse, long and narrow, like a jade ribbon embedded in mountains.

Jingpo Lake has another name, '100-Li Long Lake'. The S-shaped winding lake is divided into four parts, Upper Lake, North Lake, Middle Lake and South Lake, stretching for a total distance of about 100 li (30 miles). Hence its name. The lake occupies an area of around 79 square kilometers. No wonder it is the largest lava-dammed lake in the world.

Diaoshuilou Waterfall
Located at the northern end of Jingpo Lake, Diaoshuilou Waterfall is a must-see of the whole scenic area. The 130 feet (40 meters) wide water fall has a drop of more than 66 feet (20 meters). During the flood period, its width extends to 330 feet (100 meters). The water eventually falls into a 200 feet (60 meters) deep pool with a diameter of 230 feet (70 meters). According to some researches, the waterfall is formed on a collapsed lava cave. Known as the widest waterfall in Asia, Diaoshuilou Water resembles the world-famous Niagara Falls very much. There visitors can enjoy a breathtaking waterfall jumping performance at 10:00 and 14:00. A man called Di Huanran will jump from the waterfall and then climb the cliff to reach the top bare-handed.

Volcanic Landform
With a diameter of about 70 to 550 meters and a depth of around 30 to 132 meters, 12 volcano craters are scattered in the northwest part of the scenic area. Today, these craters are covered with dense woods. The volcano craters and the forest form a spectacular landscape called ‘Underground Forest’. Besides, large lava tunnels in various shapes can be found on the volcanic plateaus, among which the longest one is more than 10,000 meters long. It is the largest and most intact lava tunnel found in China.

Sites of Bohai Regime
Jingpo Lake Scenic Area also includes many historical sites of Bohai Regime. Two most famous ones are Shangjing Longquanfu and Xinglong Temple.

Shangjing Longquanfu is an imperial city patterned on Chang’an City, the capital of Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) and today’s Xi'an City. It comprises outer city, inner city and imperial palaces. So far, the city walls and the main buildings of the imperial palaces have been preserved intact. Dae Jo-yeong, the leader of the Sumo-Mohe Tribe, established the Jin State in Dunhua City of Jilin Province in 698. In 755, his successor moved the capital to Shangjing Longquanfu.

Standing to the northeast of the lake, Xinglong Temple houses several valuable cultural relics of Bohai Regime. The most famous one is the Stone Lamp Tower, a Buddhist stone carving that embodies the architectural styles and stone carving techniques of Tang Dynasty and Bohai Regime.

Every year, a winter fishing festival will be held from December to the next March. There will be a worship ceremony for the Lake Lord and fishing nets. Tourists can not only participate in ice fishing activities, but also can taste authentic local fish dishes.



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