The many lives of East Lake①

Aerial views of the East Lake Greenway in Wuhan, Hubei province, in different seasons. 

If you ask someone in Wuhan what East Lake is, the question usually elicits a pause.

Not because people do not know the answer, but because there are too many.

The lake on the eastern side of the provincial capital of Hubei province is one of China's largest urban lakes, spanning about 33 square kilometers — roughly five times the size of the famed West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. It is home to a 105-kilometer greenway system linking forests, wetlands, hills, villages, and lakeside parks.

The greenway project has collected an impressive list of awards, including the China Construction Engineering Luban Prize, one of the country's top honors in construction projects.

Poets once wandered here. Mao Zedong stayed here dozens of times. Chinese military leader Zhu De predicted that East Lake would one day surpass West Lake. The lake has won international urban-planning awards. On major holidays, it has never failed to pack in residents and travelers alike.

Editor：Zhilan Hu