Lake Póyáng

Lake Poyang gathers the waters of Jiangxi before they flow north into the Yangtze. Its shores, islands and channels change with the seasons: rising waters spread across the lowlands, while shallows emerge as the lake falls. The lake links the river towns of the interior with the great east-west route of the Yangtze.

In 1363 it became the scene of a decisive struggle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang. Chen withdrew from his siege of Hongdu as Zhu's fleet approached, and the two forces met on the lake. Zhu's men used fire against Chen's large ships and guarded the outlets to cut off retreat. Chen was killed, leaving Zhu free to consolidate his power in the south before founding the Ming dynasty.