The lake covers 54 hectares, at the center of which is an islet.

The lake has many beautiful stories. One tells that in the Northern and Southern dynasties(420-589), a beautiful and intelligent girl named Mochou was married to her husband in Nanjing at 15. When she was 16 she had a baby and a happy family. However, her husband was conscripted and marched to battlefield, never sending message back. She missed him so much that she turned into a pool of water trying to flow to where her husband stationed. In order to commemorate the lady, the pool was named Mochou Lake after her.

The lake was turned into a park in 1952. Behind the threshold, visitors will see rockeries, pools and fountains. Lying behind is the famous Shengqi Pavilion (Pavilion of Winning I-go). On the ancient two-story-pavilion, there are paintings and calligraphy works being displayed. A legend says that at the beginning of the Ming dynasty(1368-1644), Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang often summoned Xu Da, his general to play Chinese I-go with him on the pavilion. Xu always pretended to lose, although he was more skillful in the game than his lord. Later the emperor perceived the truth and ordered him to play fair, Xu not only won the game and but also arrayed his chessman into Chinese characters "Wan Sui" which means Yours Majesty. Then the emperor was deeply impressed and granted the pavilion and the lake to Xu. That is the origin of the name of the pavilion.

There is a water lily pool in the garden. At the center of the pool, there stands a statue of Mochou, sculptured out of white marble. The sad expression tells people how sad her life was.

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