Written by 初恋99
记忆里的玄武湖
玄武湖，是南京人成长记忆里不可缺少的一部分。
玄武湖名气很大。它位于江苏省南京市玄武区东北，钟山以西，六朝前称桑泊，曾名秣陵湖、昆明湖、后湖等，是中国古代最大的皇家湖泊园林，也是当代仅存的江南皇家园林。
玄武湖历史悠久。它的历史最早可追溯到距今2220多年前的先秦时期。在朝代的更迭中，玄武湖也经历了多次兴衰。解放以后，人民政府对玄武湖进行了大规模的扩建改造，迁出湖民，广植花草，多增景点，面貌全新。玄武湖现在是国家级风景区、江南三大名湖之一（另外两个是杭州西湖和嘉兴南湖），是江南最大的城内公园。
玄武湖景色优美。湖面辽阔，西临玄武门，东邻紫金山，水面约368公顷，湖内多鱼，广植荷花。玄武湖以前曾爆发过蓝藻，政府花了很大的力气进行治理。现在是一番波光粼粼的优美景致。湖岸呈菱形，湖周有长10公里环湖公路，湖上有五个洲，环洲、樱洲、菱洲、梁洲和翠洲，相互间以堤桥相接，其中以梁洲景色最美，上有览胜楼、陶然亭等建筑。
翻开儿时的相册，以前中小学的春游秋游最喜欢安排在玄武湖。还记得和同学们在童子拜观音那里的假山里上下穿梭（现在不允许了，据说是为了保证游客安全）；还记得在大水池那里拍的集体照，一张张稚嫩的脸庞；还记得第一次站在武庙闸那里看开闸换水，水声轰鸣，印象深刻；还记得有一次在湖边散步，突然从城墙的小洞里钻出三只小猫，原来是猫妈妈带着孩子出来觅食；还记得有一次在南京站左动车去外地，透过玻璃窗一眼就看见了外面清波荡漾的玄武湖。你来的时候，它陪伴着你，你走的时候，它还是默默陪伴着你……
从太平门出去，夏天的时候一路都有盛开的荷花在微风里轻轻摆动，让人心旷神怡。在太平门附近，还有一家鸡鸣汤包。走累了，刚好来这里吃一碗鸭血粉丝汤，点一笼鸡汁汤包，再来一杯冰镇杨梅汁，所有的烦恼在这一刻都会烟消云散。春夏秋冬，每个季节的玄武湖都有属于自己的美。每次去走一走都会想着再去鸡鸣汤包点几份小吃。这仿佛已经变成了一种仪式。
南京人的记忆里总有玄武湖的身影。
Xuanwu Lake in Memory
Xuanwu Lake is an inseparable part of the growing-up memories of Nanjing people.
The lake is well-known. Located in the northeast of Xuanwu District, Nanjing, west of Zhongshan Mountain, it was called Sangbo during the Six Dynasties, and later known as Moling Lake, Kunming Lake, and Hou Lake. It is the largest royal lake garden of ancient China, and today the only surviving royal garden in the Jiangnan region.
Xuanwu Lake has a long history. Its origins can be traced back more than 2,220 years to the pre-Qin period. Over successive dynasties, the lake experienced rises and falls. After Liberation, the people’s government carried out large-scale expansion and renovation: relocating the lake residents, planting flowers and trees, and adding scenic spots. The lake took on a new look. Today, it is a national-level scenic area, one of the three great lakes south of the Yangtze (alongside West Lake in Hangzhou and South Lake in Jiaxing), and the largest urban park in Jiangnan.
Xuanwu Lake is beautiful. Its surface is vast, with Xuanwu Gate to the west and Purple Mountain to the east, covering about 368 hectares. The lake is rich in fish and filled with lotus flowers. In the past, blue-green algae broke out here, but the government invested great effort in restoration. Now it gleams with sparkling waves. The shoreline is diamond-shaped, encircled by a 10-kilometer road. Five islets—Huan Islet, Cherry Blossom Islet, Lotus Islet, Liang Islet, and Cui Islet—are linked by causeways and bridges. Of these, Liang Islet is the most scenic, home to pavilions such as Lansheng Tower and Taoran Pavilion.
Flipping through childhood photo albums, one finds that spring and autumn outings in primary and middle school often took place at Xuanwu Lake. I remember dashing up and down the artificial rockery at Tongzi Bai Guanyin with my classmates (something no longer allowed, reportedly for safety); I remember the group photos taken by the large pond, with rows of youthful faces; I remember standing at Wumiao Sluice for the first time watching the gates open to change the water, the roar unforgettable; I remember once strolling along the lakeshore when suddenly three kittens popped out of a small hole in the city wall, led by their mother in search of food; I remember once, departing Nanjing Station on a train, looking through the window to see the rippling surface of Xuanwu Lake outside. When you arrive, it welcomes you; when you leave, it silently accompanies you still…
Leaving through Taiping Gate in summer, rows of blooming lotuses sway gently in the breeze, delighting the heart. Nearby is the famous Jiming Soup Dumpling shop. After walking, one can stop for a bowl of duck-blood vermicelli soup, a basket of chicken-soup dumplings, and a chilled glass of bayberry juice. All troubles dissolve in that moment. In spring, summer, autumn, and winter, each season brings its own beauty to Xuanwu Lake. Each visit ends with the thought of returning again to Jiming for a few small dishes, as if it has become a ritual.
In the memory of Nanjing people, the figure of Xuanwu Lake is always there.
