Mahu Lake 马湖

About Mahu Lake

Mahu Lake (马湖) is a deep freshwater lake in the mountains of Leibo County (雷波县), Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, about 47 km northeast of the county seat. Its Yi name is Hala Shuhuo (哈琅署火).

Mountains close in on three sides. To the east, Wuma Guichao Mountain (五马归巢山) is likened to five horses rearing and neighing; the Qinglong range (青龙山) lies to the south and Laojun Mountain (老君山) to the northwest. The northern shore is a natural dam of piled-up basalt, and Wikipedia classes the lake as one formed where glacial action blocked an old river course. The water covers about 7.3 km², and in 1982 an ultrasound sounding by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' geography institute in Nanjing found 134 m at the deepest point. The Leibo County local-chronicles office lists Mahu as the third-largest deep alpine lake in China.

Local legend explains the name, which means "Horse Lake": a sturdy stallion tethered on the shore was visited by a dragon from the lake, and the pair produced a wondrous horse. The name was also carried by the area's administrations: a Mahu County under the Shu Han kingdom, a Yuan-dynasty Mahu circuit set up after local Yi submitted to the court in 1276, and Mahu Prefecture (马湖府), created in 1371 under the Ming.

Tradition places Zhuge Liang's (诸葛亮) seven captures of the Yi leader Meng Huo (孟获) in the country around the lake, and later generations built Hailong Temple (海龙寺) on Golden Turtle Island (金龟岛) in the lake to remember it. Its front hall, the Meng Huo Hall (孟获殿), is framed with round timbers and has no walls between the posts; inside sit statues of Meng Huo in a red Yi cape, with his adviser Meng You (孟优) holding documents and his general Meng Tie (孟铁) in armour. The Leibo County local-chronicles office describes it as the only temple in China commemorating Meng Huo, and the hall is a Sichuan provincial heritage protection unit. The same office names the Great Candle Festival (大烛会), held on the 18th and 19th days of the sixth lunar month, as a highlight of a visit to the lake. The scenic area is a national AAAA-rated attraction, a national wetland park and a provincial geopark.

What to look for

• Hailong Temple (海龙寺) on Golden Turtle Island (金龟岛), with the wall-less Meng Huo Hall (孟获殿) in front and a Guanyin hall behind
• Statues of Meng Huo, Meng You and Meng Tie inside the Meng Huo Hall
• The Great Candle Festival (大烛会), 18th-19th days of the sixth lunar month
• Wuma Guichao Mountain (五马归巢山) east of the lake, likened to five rearing horses
• The basalt natural dam on the northern shore
• Three Kingdoms sites around the lake such as Kongming Fort (孔明堡) and the Dianjiang Terrace (点将台)

Location & getting there

Getting to Mahu Lake

• Search for 马湖 with 凉山彝族自治州 and 雷波县.