Located in Xinyang, Nanwan Lake, otherwise known as South Lake, is a famous scenic area. It enjoys the fine reputation as “a gem in the south of He'nan”. Surrounding the lake are green mountains. The wonderful blending of mountains and water brings enormous beauty to this place.

The attraction includes Nanwan Lake and Nanwan National Forest Park. Around the lake is a water area of 75m2, on which are decked 61 isles. A lake trip takes tourists to the main growing area of Xinyang Maojian Tea, Heilong Pool and Bailong Pool. As the No.1 Lake in He'nan, the beautiful sceneries here have won the lake a series of honors such as the state Forest Park, the State Scenic Spot of Flood Control, the Provincial Scenic Spot and so on. Among its main sightseeing sites and routes are the Reservoir Dam, the Bird Island, the Monkey Island, Mountain West, the Aquarium, Fish Angling Terrace, the lake tour and so on.

The lake is also a place abundant with sites of historical interests. There are Mountain Siwang and Mountain Xianuin where Li Xiannian, a revolutionary pioneer had worked. The Ruins of Liangwanglei, a royal enclosure of an emperor in Kingdom Liang in the Period of Southern and Northern Dynasties, could be dated back to over 1,400 years ago. Xianyin Temple, an equal with other noted temples such as Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, Baima Temple in Luoyang, Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng, Xuanguan temple in Nanyang, boasts of its legends of pine trees and magic objects like a bed where immortals once laid on and a rock which is as high as 3m. Having a look from the top of Mountain Xianyin, one can see Xinyang urban area to the east and Nanwan Lake to the west. It is really a spectacular view.

Lying in the transitional area between subtropical zone and warm moderate zone, the attraction has an annual average temperature of 15℃. The maximum temperature in summer is only 29℃. The air quality here surpasses the first grade of national standards and therefore it is a real natural oxygen bar. The forests cover an area of 7,146.2 hectares with a stock volume of 0.49 million m3 and the forest coverage rate amounts to 96%, forming the forest plantation featuring Chinese red pines and the natural forest featuring oak trees. Seed plants here cover 116 colonies and 526 kinds, among which TCM herbs occupies 76% of medicinal plants of the country. The animal species reaches over 700, of which there are 200 kinds of vertebrate animals. The state protected plants and animals here include wild eucommia, wingceltis, macaques, giant salamanders and so on. Owing to its diverse forest resources, the place gets its name——the National Forest Park.