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Liuzhou's Dragon Pool Park

Although barely known, Guangxi's City of Liuzhou is one of my favorite places to get away from Guilin for a couple of days. When I first visited the city, I hated it. It was four years ago and the city was dirty, dingy, and the air was brown. It was really bad! In the last few years, the city has been working to clean itself up, and what it has been doing has worked! The city moved the airport and major industrial areas away from the city proper, the parks have all been redone, a huge comprehensive museum has just been opened, and the downtown area has received a major facelift. I think in the future, Liuzhou will become a major destination for visitors to Guangxi.


I now love the city. The city's parks are unbelievable. They are huge, beautiful, and most of them are free. The largest park, and my personal favorite is the Dragon Pool Park. The park was built around a large lake that was fed by a natural spring. It is said that in the ancient past, a dragon lived in the lake and guaranteed that the area had rain. Half of the lake is cold and the other half is warm.


The park has so much to offer. First is the landscape. The park is extremely beautiful! It is filled with mountains, meandering paths, ponds, lakes, and gardens. There are exhibitions on Guangxi's many ethnic minority groups, and the different architectural styles of these different groups are represented. There are villages scattered throughout the park for visitors to explore. Each one reflects a different minority group. The largest representation is the Dong ethnic minority group. The Dong minority is famous for their bridges, and a large full sized one has been built in the park, along with Dong drum towers, and a village. There is also a restaurant in the park which offers cuisine from these minority groups. The mountains in the park are amazing. They are Karst mountains which means that they are not large, and that they can be walked around. Each mountain has its own unique shape, and many of them are covered with ancient carvings. They are covered with lush trees, and the area around their bases are dotted with bamboo groves. I know that in my photos, the vegetation doesn't look as wonderful as I say it is. The reason is because I took the photos in the dead of winter when most of the plants were hibernating. Trust me, the rest of the year this park is so lush and luxuriant and filled with flowers.


There are gardens scattered throughout the park. Many of them are hidden, and probably do not receive many visitors, but they are meticulously maintained none the less. They are filled with the seasonal flowers, and their stone paved paths lined with small bamboo fences are extremely beautiful. I really love this park.

There is a Daoist temple located in the park as well. It was just recently repainted, and looks splendid with its bright colors. It is hidden in the mountains and is very quiet and peaceful. The incense smoke that twists and curls in the air adds a real sense of mystery to the temple.

The park also offers boat rides for visitors. Small paddle boats can be rented and visitors can paddle around the park's lakes. Ther is also a children's area in the park which have many rides, a maze for children to get lost in, different games, and a haunted house. They place is alway filled with children.


The park truly has something for everybody. I always stop by when I am in the city. Parts of the park are so peaceful and I feel like I am walking through a living traditional Chinese painting when I am there and others are popular with many elderly chatting, practising martial arts, or strolling. I cannot recommend this park highly enough. If you get the chance, you gotta check it out.

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Photos

Dragon Spring
Looking across Dragon Spring at one of the park's many mountains.

Pavilions on the top of the mountain
the mountains in the park have many pavilions on them. They offer spetacular views of the park and its gardens.

A bicycle built for three
There are many bicycles for rent in the park. The park is big enough that bikes can be quite useful.

Dong Minority Drum Tower
This is me standing in front of a drum tower. The towers are used as meeting places, and as the name suggests, there is a large drum inside. Because of the building's architecture the drum can be heard for miles which can be used as a warning.

Fish garbage can
This is a cast iron fish garbage can. I just like these themed garbage cans and can't resist taking photos of them.

A mountain surrounded by bamboo groves
The mountains in the park are so beautiful. They look like a Chinese painting come to life.

A pavilion located on a mountainside
This is one of the many mountainside pavilions in the park. They are perfect places to relax, and just enjoy the beautiful park.

A view from the pavilion
This is a view from the pavilion. Sadly on the day I took this photo, it was hazy, but on a clear day the view is amazing!

Meandering path
This is one of the paths that go through the park's many gardens.

A worker heading home
I just liked this view of the woman heading home with her bike. I'll bet she doesn't even notice how beautiful the surrounding scenery is.

Another mountain pavilion
This is another mountain pavilion. It is located on the highest point of the park.

A view looking up at the highest pavilion in the park
This is a view of the pavilion in the previous photo from a different angle.