Leave your worries behind if you venture out to Mochou Hu, literally "Worry Free Lake". That's what Chinese have done since the Six Dynasties period (AD 222-589) when the lake first formed here outside the city's western walls.
Mochou Hu received its name during the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) when, according to local lore, a girl by the name of Mochou lived by the lake with her parents. Her father died unexpectedly and the poor family had no way to finance his burial. But young Mochou chose to sell herself--the sale of girls not an uncommon practice at the time--to raise the necessary funds and thereby fulfill her filial duty. A wealthy man from Jinling (the ancient name of Nanjing) bought her in order to marry his son, but soon after the marriage, Mochou's husband was forced into the army as a conscript and subsequently killed in battle. Mochou, anguished by the deaths of the men in her life, chose to devote herself to a life of welfare work to help others beset by similar misfortunes. Upon her death, the grateful townspeople named the local lake for her. Today, a statue of the Mochou Woman rests in the pond of a Chinese garden next to the Shengqi (Victory-at-Chess) Pavilion.
The Shengqi Pavilion and other classical Chinese buildings in the park were originally constructed under the rule of Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang to serve as his guest quarters. There is a story behind the Shengqi Pavilion's name too: The Emperor often played Go (or weiqi, a type of Chinese chess) with his advisor Xu Da in a room overlooking the lake. As all good sycophantic imperial advisors should, Xu Da lost every game. Finally, Emperor Zhu asked Xu Da to reveal his true talents and try to win. Just when the Emperor thought that he had trapped his adversary, Xu Da asked the Emperor to take a look at the board from his point of view. To his amazement, Emperor Zhu saw that Xu Da had manipulated the pieces to form the Chinese characters "wan sui" (or "long life") in a tribute to his ruler. Emperor Zhu awarded the grounds of Mochou Hu to Xu Da for his loyalty.
What is left from these stories? The Shengqi Pavilion (which has an extra ?2 entrance fee) has a tacky exhibit of characters reenacting the famous chess game, but the garden outside with the Mochou Woman statue contains a very worthwhile example of Chinese garden architecture and requires no extra fee. Mochou Hu is one of the cleanest public grounds you'll find in China and a peaceful place on weekdays. If you're looking for serenity, though, avoid the weekends.
On weekends, Chinese parks take on a vibrant feel, when families venture out in droves toting their precious one child along. Mochou Hu is no exception as entertainment options-- including a few old amusement park rides, a sizeable outdoor go-kart course (?20 per round), and bumper cars--have sprung up around the lake to cater to their desires. A day at a Chinese park isn't complete without a lazy trip around the lake via pedal boat, which are available for rent. During the week when school is in session, an older crowd of retirees relax in the landscaped groves and pavilions on the southern side of Mochou Hu performing tai chi, playing cards, and caring for little ones too young for school.
Mochou Hu has two entrances: the northern one on Han Zhong Xi Lu and to the south on Shui Xi Men Wai Da Jie. A short ride west from the center of town, buses 5 and 18 go to the northern gate, 7, 13 and 41 to the south. Buses 5 and 41 go straight to Xinjiekou. Mochou Hu is inbetween the Memorial to the Nanjing Massacre and the center of town, making it a good stopover in either direction.
How to Get There: Take bus No.5 from Xinjeikou and get off at Mochou Hu.
Open Time: 5:00 ? 21:00
Tel: 025 -- 6651047 (then dial "0" for information)
Ticket: 8 yuan (US$1)
(china.org.cn February 26, 2003)
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