Dushu Lake was formed in an earthquake in the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), according to historical records. There is a park, a library and a church named after it and a white egrets park on its east bank, and the Grand Canal of China brushes past it in the south.

The water appears to stretch endlessly to the horizon, and when it rains, the lake is covered in mist and the high-rises on the opposite bank get faintly visible. Sometimes, there are several white egrets, foraging or just resting.

There is a dawn redwood (Metasequoia) forest north of the Gothic Dushu Lake Church. The trees’ leaves turn completely yellow in late November or December, about one month after the gingko trees nearby change into their golden-yellow “autumn dress”.