Nanjing City, Jiangsu, China

15. A Statue of Care-Free Girl in the Mochou Lake

In the western suburbs of Nanjing, outside the Shuxi Gate, is the Mochou (Light-Hearted) Lake. Named after a heroine of the Liang Dynasty (502-557), it is one of the famous scenic spots in the city. Lake Mochou is situated outside the Gate Shuixi in the southwest of Nanjing City. According to legend, in the period of Nanqi of the Six Dynasties a Shuiyang girl named Mo Chou who was good at singing and dancing came from afar and got married here: hence the name of Lake Mouchou. At the lake are Shengqi Building, Yujin Building, the mid-lake pavilion, Guanghua Pavilion, Hexiang Waterside Pavilion, etc. Legend has it that Shengqi Building was the place where Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and the senior official Xu Da played chess. On the wall of Yujin Hall is a portrait of Mo Chou.