In ancient times the Xuanwu Lake was known as Sangpo, Moling Lake, Hou Lake or Kunming Lake. It was said that there emerged a black dragon during the Liusong Period of the South Dynasty, so the lake was named Xuanwu Lake. In the North Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi initiated a new law to replace lakes with fields. In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang erected high walls and recovered the lakes from fields, so that the Xuanwu Lake became a natural city moat. The Xuanwu Lake Park was officially opened to visitors in 1911.

The Xuanhu Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is adjacent to the city on one side. The park covers an area of 476 hectares, seventy percent of which is water surface. The lake is dotted with the five green islets of Huanzhou, Yingzhou, Liangzhou, Cuizhou and Lingzhou.

There is a structured setup of pavilions, platforms, buildings, halls and corridors in the park, with fisheds swimming and boats running, forming a splendid picture. The willows on the Huanzhou islet, the flowers on the Yingzhou islet, the trees on the Cuizhou islet, the Chrysanthemum flowers on the Liangzhou islet and the mountain haze on the Lingzhou islet show their respective features and make the park one of the most favorite attractions of Nanjing citizens.