The Xuanwu Lake is in the northeast portion of Nanjing City near the railway station. The lake covers an area of 444 ha. with a coastline of 15km in circumferences. According to the legend, in the Southern Dynasty a black dragon was seen in the lake. Chinese Daoists believed that the black dragon was a water god appeared as the uniform of a turtle and snake, called Xuanwu. Hence the lake was called Xuwu Lake. Another legend said stated that when Sun Quan, the King of the Eastern Wu Kingdom settled down in the region, he brought water in and made this lake. 

In the long history of China, the lake had been used by many dynasties as an ideal place to train their waterborne troops. Many military demonstrations had been held here and a lot of battles were fought here. Therefore, the lake was also called 'Military Rehearsal Lake' or 'Kunming Lake'. At the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), it was turned into a park. The lake today is much more beautiful with its water and colorful mountains.

The lake itself is surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. In the middle of the lake there are five islands, each of them stands for one great continent in the world and is connected by bridges and dams. In addition, each island has its own name and distinctive characteristic. While Huan Island is famous for its willow trees in the mist, Ying Island is popular for its vast varieties of flowers known as the 'Sea of Flowers' and cherry blossom, while Ling Island is sought after for its rolling hills in the fog with the purple and golden clouds. Liang and Cui Islands are respectively famous for autumn chrysanthemums and cloud trees.