Mochou Lake (Untroubled Lake)

Mochou Lake — Untroubled Lake — is named after a legendary 6th-century young woman, Mochou ("not worried"), who in folk tradition was a bride from the nearby village whose family refused to allow her marriage; she drowned herself in the lake rather than accept a forced match. The lake has been a Nanjing literary and landscape destination ever since, with the most extensive cultural references in late-imperial poetry.

The Ming Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang), in the late 14th century, used the lake as a private retreat. The Shengqi Loulou (Triumph in Chess Pavilion) is named for an episode in which Zhu played chess with his founding general Xu Da; tradition says Xu deliberately lost, and Zhu, recognising the sycophancy, gave him the lake itself — Xu Da's family thereafter held the surrounding land for several generations.

The current Mochou Lake Park was redeveloped in stages from the 1950s onwards, integrating surviving Ming and Qing pavilions with new construction in classical revival style. The lake's lotus displays — peaking in mid-July — are the largest in inner Nanjing.

The park is a working public park rather than a curated tourist attraction. Local residents fill the morning paths; tai chi practice, opera-singing groups, and the occasional fan-dance group occupy the lake-edge plazas. The atmosphere is local-residential rather than visitor-focused, which is part of its appeal.