The word "Xuanwu Lake" means the god of the north, and there is not much difference between the two words. Xuanwu is one of the four gods in China's fairy tales. Its concrete image is a tortoise-snake complex. Xuanwu, Qinglong, White Tiger and Suzaku jointly represent the four directions of southeast and northwest, among which Xuanwu Lake actually means North Lake.
According to He, a professor of history at Nanjing White University, the area around the ancient Xuanwu Lake is the earliest place suitable for human habitation in the main city of Nanjing today. As early as about 6500~4000 years ago, Xuanwu Lake was associated with the life of Nanjing people. At the end of Jian 'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang sent an envoy to Jiangdong to pass by Nanjing, and made a feng shui evaluation of "the mountain is long and flat, and the stone tiger is also the emperor's residence". In the Six Dynasties, Xuanwu Lake was as big as it is today, and it was directly connected with the Yangtze River, so the lake could be a training ground for the water army.
Xuanwu Lake was destroyed twice, once during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty and once during the reign of Song Shenzong. After Emperor Wendi destroyed Chen Nan, he ordered Nanjing to be leveled, and Xuanwu Lake disappeared for the first time in more than 200 years under this policy.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the status of Nanjing declined, and Xuanwu Lake was also left out in the cold. Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher, changed Xuanwu Lake to "release pond" when he was appointed as the secretariat of Shengzhou. Many famous poets, such as Li Bai, Du Mu, Wei Zhuang and Li Shangyin, were deeply moved by the vicissitudes of Xuanwu Lake.
After 1840, with the west wind spreading eastward, a modern "park" opened to the public appeared in China, which originated in Shanghai, not far from Nanjing. The concept of commonweal "garden" entered China, which promoted the transformation of closed and exclusive royal gardens and private gardens into "parks".
19401June13rd, the Japanese Embassy in China held the "triple alliance Celebration of Japan, Germany and Italy" in Cuizhou. On that day, Xuanwu Lake stopped all activities. No tourists or vehicles are allowed to enter the park except participants with special certificates. All the boats on the lake are docked on the shore. Outside the venue, Japanese gendarmes with live ammunition stood everywhere. Xuanwu Lake is a white terror. Although China people complained bitterly, in that era when mountains and rivers were broken, they would only remember the national humiliation in their hearts and wait for the day of revenge.
1945, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression entered the stage of counterattack. /kloc-in August of 0/5, Japanese imperialism announced its unconditional surrender. 1946 In May, Chiang Kai-shek's government was still the capital of Nanjing, and Xuanwu Lake once again became the center of political and cultural activities of the Kuomintang Central Government and the Nanjing Municipal Government. The municipal government also allocated funds for large-scale renovation of the park's architectural facilities and landscape. The fortress built by Japanese invaders in Xuanwu Gate was demolished, the road from Cuihongdi to Liangzhou was widened, and 50 street lamps were installed from Xuanwu Gate to Liangzhou.
1April 23, 949, Nanjing was liberated. On May 7, the people's government took over the personnel stationed in Xuanwu Lake. Under the guidance of the receiver, Xuanwu Lake staff mobilized residents to investigate, register and update all the facilities and greening in the park, so that Xuanwu Lake was full of youthful vitality in a short time. In the sunshine of new China, Xuanwu Lake has become a beautiful place in Jinling, and it is the famous "Pearl of Jinling".
So Xuanwu Lake is a historical witness to Nanjing people. Witnessed the rise and fall of history, for China people, he is our wake-up call, let us not forget the national humiliation and forge ahead.