Black Dragon Pool

Spring-fed pool in Lijiang with a five-arch white bridge and a clear-day view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in the water.

The Black Dragon Pool — Heilongtan — is a spring-fed pool at the northern edge of Lijiang, set within the Heilongtan Park. The pool is fed by underground springs from the surrounding mountains; the water is unusually clear and remains at a near-constant low temperature year-round. On clear mornings — most likely in the dry months of October through April — the snowy summit of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (5,596 metres, approximately 15 kilometres to the north) reflects in the still surface of the pool. This reflected-mountain image is one of the most reproduced photographs of Yunnan, and the viewpoint from the southern bank of the pool looking north toward the mountain is where every visitor attempts to replicate it.

The five-arch Suocui Bridge crosses the pool, a white marble structure that frames the mountain-and-water composition. On the western bank, the Wenchanggong (Temple of the God of Literature) complex dates from the Ming dynasty and contains several halls arranged up a hillside above the water. The Naxi Music Academy — one of the institutions preserving Naxi Dongba-tradition orchestral music — has its rehearsal hall in the park compound; performances are sometimes audible from outside.

The pool and park are included in the Lijiang maintenance fee paid at the Old Town's main entrance — no separate ticket is required if you have already paid the area fee. The walk from the northern edge of Lijiang Old Town takes about 15 minutes. The pool is most atmospheric in the early morning before tour groups arrive from their hotels around 9am. On the rare cloudy days when the mountain is obscured, the park's willows and the historical temple halls still merit the short detour.