People's Park locates in Xingning District, northern part of Nanning. It is also known as Bailong Park, covering an area of more than 500,000 square meters. The Bailong Lake in the park covers an area of about 70,000 square meters in the park, which is clear and blue. It is the first comprehensive entertainment park in Nanning, which was built in 1951. The park was officially opened to the public for free since May 1, 2008 and it receives approximately 10 million visitors annually.
Main attractions in People’s Park
Bailong Lake is located at the southern part of the park, which is as green as a jade. The lake originally was a small pool. According to historical records, during the Northern Song Dynasty, when the General Di Qing and his army pursued the enemy, they once encamped near the pool. Di Qing observed something like a white dragon moving in the pool. In fact, it was a sheep drinking water by the pool. Hence, Di Qing named the pool as Bailong Pool or White Dragon Pool. In 1954, the pool was expanded to 5.16 hectares and a pavilion was added on the island in the middle of the lake later. A zigzag bridge and a three-hole bridge connect the island and the bank.
Revolutionary Martyrs Monument is located on the northeast of the park, which is in memory of those revolutionary martyrs sacrificed in Guangxi during the Great Revolution, Anti-Japanese War and Liberation War.
Botanical Garden is divided into the shade plants area, flowering marsh plants area and succulent plants area. The garden exhibits over 80 000 plants in more than 300 varieties. The well-known species including rubine, emerald, dragon tree, chamaemelum nobile, sago cycas, Borassus flabillifer, washington sabal, kinds of orchids are exhibited in the garden. It has the largest ball cactus in Guangxi with a diameter of 52 centimeters. It also has the subtropical rain forests and unique desert plants.
Wangxian Slope has the mythical colors. According to legend, Luoxiu of Jin Dynasty had reached to heaven and become immortal on the Luoxiu Mountain so the slope just got its name Wangxian Slope or Fairy Slope.
On the top of the mountain, there was an Ancestral Hall to memorize the historical celebrities which had contributed a lot to Nanning, namely Di Qing, Sun Miao, Yu Jing, Su Jian, Wang Yangming and Mang Yitu. The Ancestral Hall was built in Northern Song Dynasty and rebuilt in modern China.