Egret Island Wildlife Reserve

Egret Island Wildlife Reserve

The Egret Island Tourist Resort is located in Zengjiazhai Village, Huangqizhai Town, about 50 kilometers southeast of Kaiyuan City, adjacent to Tieling County and Qingyuan County of Fushun City. It is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a provincial egret nature reserve, as well as the only wildlife reserve in northern Liaoning and one of the first ecological culture education demonstration bases in Liaoning Province.

Egret Island has a long history and numerous historical sites. Emperor Kangxi once stayed here during his eastern tour and even took a concubine here, leaving behind historical relics such as the Kangxi Imperial Well, Anle Temple, and Crucian Carp Terrace, as well as beautiful legends like the Bearded Elder. The area boasts a simple and honest folk culture with strong Manchu characteristics, clean and tidy farmhouses, and fluttering Manchu Eight Banners. The air is fresh, the waters are clear, and the mountains are beautiful, with Fengshan and Longshan facing each other across the river, attracting visitors to stop and enjoy the natural oxygen bar. It is a paradise for egrets, serving as the “northern home” for the nationally protected second-class rare bird species, the little egret and the grey heron. Starting from the Waking of Insects solar term every year, flocks of grey herons and little egrets rush here from the south one after another to build nests and breed. Over 5,000 little egrets and grey herons leave at sunrise and return at sunset, incubating eggs, fishing, flying, and playing, coexisting harmoniously with humans to build a beautiful home together. When the weather turns cold and the young egrets have grown, the flocks fly south in great numbers.

As an important tourist attraction in Kaiyuan City, in addition to fully developing the egret habitat and improving farmhouse tourism facilities, Egret Island also integrates various elements such as winter ice and snow tourism and folk culture tourism in the northeast, continuously enriching its cultural content and creating a culturally distinctive brand with local and regional characteristics.

Currently, the Egret Island scenic area has established 31 tourism reception households, including the “Youth Point,” “Imperial Kitchen,” and “Egret Family Homes,” which can accommodate 120 guests for lodging and serve 200 diners at the same time. The “Youth Point” condenses the historical culture of a special period in China, fully restoring the living environment, production tools, daily necessities, and historical artifacts of the time through interior and courtyard decorations, making it a typical small historical museum and a highlight of the scenic area. The “Imperial Kitchen” features Manchu-style decorations and creates a culinary brand through historical stories, offering dishes such as “Empress Ma’s Imperial Sticky Cake,” “Special Sticky Mice,” “Kangxi’s Frozen Pears,” as well as distinctive farmhouse flavors, which are very popular with tourists.

Egret Island hosts continuous festivals and joyous events. Four major festival activities are held each year, including the “Egret Island Welcoming Birds Festival” in March, the “Egret Island Bird Watching Festival” in June, the “Voice of Egrets Music Festival” in August, and the “Egret Island Lively New Year” during winter. Through these series of large-scale festival events, Egret Island’s visibility and reputation continue to grow, people’s awareness and appreciation of egrets are further enhanced, and their consciousness of loving and protecting birds is strengthened.

Egret Island actively promotes intangible cultural heritage by bringing in two Tieling City intangible cultural heritage projects: “Tieling Paper-cutting” and “Children’s Games of the Manchus in Northern Liaoning.” The heritage base is located in Zengjiazhai, not only enriching the cultural life of local farmers but also allowing visitors to closely experience the exquisite paper-cutting art of Tieling’s intangible cultural heritage inheritors and to participate in distinctive experiences such as “Children’s Games of the Manchus in Northern Liaoning.”

The scenic area offers a variety of activities. Different seasonal events are held throughout the year, including climbing Longshan Mountain, exploring Tiger Cave, playing Manchu games, enjoying bonfire entertainment parties, ice-based recreation, as well as locally distinctive performances like Shaman dances and Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese comedic dialogue performance) mini-theaters that are popular with visitors.