The Ink Lake is a shallow-water lake. It belongs to the Eastern Lake water syatem. It covers an area of 34,000 square kilometers. The depth of the lake is commonly not more than 3 meters. It's fed by dozens of large or small lakes, such as, the Longyang Lake and the Taizi Lake. It has ever been one of ten views in Hanyang in ancient time. It was called" Flat Lake and Ancient Ferry" at that time. The surface is broad. The lakeshore is zigzag. The maximal area has even reached 30 square kilometers. It's teeming with freshwater fish.

The scenery here is very beautiful. There are many old trees and flowers on the flat shore. In the distance, a lot of cranes take off from the Green Island in the distance; many fishing boats scatter about the surface of the lake; the water and the sky are of one hue. Fish leap on the green lake. Trees are flourishing. There are two small islands in the middle of the lake. One is the Clam Shell Island. The other is the Sandalwood Island. They cover an area of over 20 Mu in total. There are a large number of green trees on the islands. Hence, they are two shadowy islands. The scenery is distinctive. It's said that these two islands will rise when the water rises. Besides them, there are the Macang Lake, the Carp Island, the Yellow Dragon Mouth, the Small Melon Mouth, the large Melon Mouth, the Crab Clamp and some other scenic spots around the Ink Lake. The terrain here is undulating. It's surrounded on three sides by water. It's a typical peninsular terrain. There are not only mountains and brushwood where ferocious beasts like lion and tiger perch, but also grassland and hillside where antelopes, zebras and elephants gallop. There are not only the natural water body where all kinds of waterfowls and sea beasts play, but also quiet jungle where birds soar and leap. With the beautiful natural scenery, the Ink Lake is fit for various animals to inhabit. Because it's close to the urban area, the traffic is convenient. This guarantees the number of tourists. Because of its own advantages in tourism, enjoying and scientific research, the Wuhan Zoo is situated here. The undulant terrain, dense woods as well as the blend of human landscape and natural landscape make it become a distinctive amusement zoo in modern style.

According to statistics, there are more than 200 legends in this area, such as, YU Boya Visiting Friend, Liubei Storing Soldiers, Libai Inditing A Poem, Yuefei Grazing Horses, etc.

Related legend

There was a mandarin scholar living by the lake. He often washed his writing brushes in the lake. Hence, here got the name of " Ink Lake". There is another legend about the lake. It's said that Prince Zhaoming washed his writing brushed here after he finished editing his book Zhaoming Analecta. The water of the lake was dyed black. So, it was called " Ink Lake". There is the third version, that is, it is because the water here is darker than other lakes in color.

Tips: If you want enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Ink Lake, you can go to the Wuhan Zoo because the zoo is located in the Ink Lake. If you don't want to buy ticket, you can take Bus58. It will take you journey around the lake for half a circle.