HNC admissions coordinator and 2012 Certificate alum Lauren Szymanski talks about her visits to Xuanwu Lake Park during her year in Nanjing:
One of the things I loved about the Hopkins-Nanjing
Center was its close proximity to Xuanwu Lake Park (玄武湖公园). Nanjing is a large city
with a population of over 3.5 million people, so finding a bit of solitude in a
visit to the lake and its surrounding park area can be a welcome reprieve from
the hustle and bustle of the city. The City of Nanjing has even
identified it as one of the top five parks in the city!
The main entrance to the Xuanwu Lake
Park is through Xuanwu Gate, which is part of the Nanjing City Wall. For years,
Hopkins-Nanjing Center students, faculty and staff have been participating in an
annual Wall Walk, with beautiful views of the lake being a definite highlight
of the day.
Entrance to the lake and park is free, and you can definitely spend an entire day there. The park consists of five different
islands which are all interconnected by arch bridges. Within the park
are pagodas, pavilions, tea houses and restaurants. One of my favorite things about going
to the lake and park area was that every visit was always different. There are
a variety of trails through the park, so you never seem to walk the same path
twice. The scenery also changed depending on the season, with beautiful foliage
in the fall, people renting boats or ferries in the spring, and emerald lotus
leaves fully open in the summer.
Whether you want to go for a run through the park, have a
picnic, or simply sit by the lake with a good book or your Chinese readings for
class, Xuanwu Lake Park appeals to everyone. Being only a 15 minute walk from
the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, it was one of my favorite places to visit in the
city of Nanjing, so if you’re in the area I definitely recommend that you check
it out!
