遗爱湖者，天赐黄冈城中自然湖也。因北宋大文豪苏东坡在黄州作《遗爱亭记》，取“遗爱”之意以名之。

　　曩昔，遗爱湖荒草丛生、藏污纳垢、无人问津。2006年8月，市委、市政府决定实施遗爱湖综合保护治理工程，启动治污、护岸、修路、架桥等项目。同年11月，为统筹规划、科学施工，决定将工程扩展延伸为集生态保护、文化传承、休闲娱乐于一体的市民生态文化主题公园，并命名为“遗爱湖公园”。次年初，遗爱湖公园概念规划和总体规划的编制工作正式启动，2011年6月获市人民政府批准。

　　遗爱湖公园占地面积5.03平方公里，其中水面2.94平方公里，环湖岸线29公里。湖面纵深开阔、波光粼粼；湖岸蜿蜒曲折、浑然天成。公园规划建设十二大景区，集苏东坡诗、词、赋之佳句，采遗爱湖形、景、物之灵气，分别命名为遗爱清风、临皋春晓、东坡问稼、一蓑烟雨、琴岛望月、红梅傲雪、江柳摇村、幽兰芳径、水韵荷香、大洲竹影、霜叶松风、平湖归雁。景名包含了春夏秋冬、松竹梅兰、风花雪月等中国传统文化元素，景点集中展现了苏东坡文化，诠释了“苏东坡成全了黄州，黄州也成全了苏东坡”的真谛。

　　遗爱湖公园规模宏伟、工程浩大，雨雪风霜、历时十二载。工程总投资约25亿元人民币。通过公开招标，选择了国内优秀的设计单位和施工企业参与设计和施工。整个工程铺设排污管道12公里，封堵排污口48处，清挖湖底淤泥50余万方，铺设游步道56公里，修建桥梁21座，建立用料上乘、雕刻精美的全石牌坊3座、全木牌坊2座、全砖牌坊1座，建设亭、台、楼、阁 、馆、舍、苑、榭100余座，总建筑面积6.04万平方米，置石13万余吨。公园种植各类植物360余种，各类乔木、亚乔木近40余万株,吸引栖息鸟类100余种。

　　遗爱湖公园建成后，每当清晨日出、夕阳西下、双休节假，市民和游客从四面八方集聚公园，或慢跑散步，或球垒对弈，或翩翩起舞，或吟诗作画，或引吭高歌，其景悠悠，其乐融融，体验幸福快乐之真意，此诚今日之遗爱。

　　Yiai Lake is a natural lake of Huanggang. Su Dongpo, a great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty,wrote an article about a Pavilion named Yiai in Huangzhou. The lake was named because of his article.And the meaning of “Yiai”is to spread love.

　　In the past, the Yiai Lake was overgrown with grass and full of dirt, no visitors at all. In August 2006, the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government decided to implement a series protection  activities for Yiai Lake, started pollution control, bank repairing, road  and bridge building, and other projects. In November of the same year, for overall plan and scientifically construction, it was decided to extend the project, aiming at building a public theme park which is also environment friendly and has the function of cultural inheritance as well as entertainment. It was named as "Yiai Lake Park". At the beginning of the next year, the compilation of the concept plan and master plan of the park was formally launched, and was approved by the Municipal People's Government in June 2011.

　　Yiai Lake Park covers an area of 5.03 square kilometers, including 2.94 square kilometers of water surface and 29 kilometers of coastline around the lake. The lake surface is wide and sparkling, and the lakeshore is winding and looks like a nice coherent entity.

　　The park would be constructed to twelve major scenic spots, was inspired  by the best sentences of Su Dongpo's poems, ci, fu, those spots were named as “the wind on Yiai Lake”,“Spring dawn of Lingao”,“Dongpo asked about the crops”,“Alone in the rain”,“Watching the moon on Qing island”,“red plum in snow”,“River willow”,“Orchid path”,“Lotus incense”,“The shadow of bamboo”,“Antumn maple leaves and the pines”,“The return of the wild goose ”.

　　The name of the scene includes Chinese traditional cultural elements such as the four seasons, pine, bamboo, plum orchid, wind flower, snow and moon. The scenic spot mainly displays the legacy of Su Dongpo, and interprets the true meaning of “Su Dongpo made his achievement in Huangzhou and Huangzhou had Su Dongpo completed”.

　　Yiai Lake Park is grand in scale, huge in engineering, across the rainy and snowy days, the work lasted for twelve years. The total investment of the project is about 2.5 billion yuan. Through open tendering, the best domestic designing units and construction companies were selected to participate the project. The whole project has 12 kilometers of sewage pipelines, 48 sewage outlets, more than 500,000 square meters of mud at the bottom of the lake, 56 kilometers of paved roads,21 bridges, 3 stone archways, 2 wooden archways and 1 brick archway with excellent materials and exquisite carving, built more than 100 pavilions, platforms, buildings, pavilions, halls, houses, gardens and pavilions. The total construction area is 60,400 square meters and more than 130,000 tons of stones were used. There are more than 360 kinds of plants in the park, more than 400,000 trees and sub-arbor, attracting more than 100 species of inhabited birds.

　　After the completion of Yiai Lake Park, in sunrise or sunset, especially in holidays, the citizens and tourists gather in the park from all sides, jogging for a walk, playing against the ball, or dancing, singing, even writing poems and painting. Joy is overflowing. Everyone experience the true meaning of happiness, the sincere love of today.