[1] The main landscape feature is the lake with moon bridges, rock gardens, dragon boats, tea houses and restaurants.

[2] Some other attractions are also located in the park, such as a temple dedicated to Yuan Chonghuan, a collection of tablets, a series of hills, a waterfall and the "Gardens of Chinese Dragons".

[citation needed] Longtan Lake is located on an earth and mud quarry created during the Jiajing Emperor's reign of the Ming Dynasty; the material was used to make bricks for the outer city's wall.

Architect Liang Sicheng was invited to re-design the area as a public park.

The wastewater was diverted and removed, and replaced with freshwater to create the current lake.