Heshui River National Wetland Park

Heshui River National Wetland Park

Heshui River National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Heshui River National Wetland Park in Helong, Jilin is situated in the southwestern part of Helong City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. The park is managed by the Guangping Forest Farm under the Helong Forestry Bureau of Jilin Province. It has geographic coordinates of 128°38′20″–128°47′11″ east longitude and 42°01′03″–42°06′56″ north latitude, covering an area of 4,791.4 hectares. The park is divided into five functional zones: a conservation zone of 4,172 hectares, a restoration and rehabilitation zone of 248.8 hectares, an environmental education and exhibition zone of 172 hectares, a rational use zone of 120.4 hectares, and a management and service zone of 78.2 hectares.

On December 31, 2013, Heshui River National Wetland Park in Helong, Jilin was officially approved for establishment by the State Forestry Administration. Located at the headwaters of the Tumen River in Changbai Mountain, the park is an important water conservation area in Jilin Province. It is the largest and most well-preserved forest swamp wetland in the Changbai Mountain region, serving not only as a typical representation of temperate forest swamp wetlands in China but also holding significant importance in global temperate forest swamp wetland research. The park boasts high naturalness and pristine ecological conditions.

The wetland park falls within the mid-latitude, mid-temperate monsoon semi-humid climate zone. It features distinct continental monsoon characteristics and clear seasonal variations: spring is unpredictable with fluctuating temperatures, dryness, and humidity; summer is short and not very hot; autumn is mild, cool, and mostly sunny; winter is long and cold. The annual average temperature is 4.8°C, with an active accumulated temperature of 2,200°C. The annual average minimum temperature is 1.1°C, and the average maximum is 11.5°C. The extreme maximum temperature reaches 36.7°C, while the extreme minimum is -33.2°C. January is the coldest month, and July the hottest. Annual precipitation is 800 mm, with over 500 mm falling between May and September. The annual average sunshine duration is less than 2,400 hours, and the frost-free period lasts 125 days. Snow accumulation exceeds 30 cm, and the maximum depth of permafrost reaches 150 cm. The terrain of the wetland park is undulating, with diverse habitats and rich vegetation types. The main vegetation types within the park include coniferous forest vegetation, broad-leaved forest vegetation, and swamp vegetation. The total planned land area is 4,791.4 hectares, with relatively simple current land use types. Various wetland areas cover 2,045.9 hectares, accounting for 42.70% of the total area; forested land spans 2,745.5 hectares, making up 57.15%; road areas total 7.6 hectares, or 0.15%. The wetland park lies along the valleys and alluvial fans at the mouths of tributary valleys in a low mountain and hilly region. Influenced by slope runoff and seepage from hillside groundwater, it enjoys abundant water recharge, forming rich swamp wetland landscapes. These include four types: forested swamp wetlands, shrub swamp wetlands, herbaceous swamp wetlands, and riverine wetlands. There are three Class I nationally protected wild animal species: sable, forest musk deer, and golden eagle; and 30 Class II protected species, including six mammals and 24 birds, totaling 33 nationally protected wildlife species. Seven Class II nationally protected plant species are also present: Korean pine, Dahurian alder, Manchurian ash, Amur cork tree, Manchurian linden, wild soybean, and lotus.

The wetland park is situated at the junction of the eastern foothills of the Changbai Mountains, the complex east-west structural belt of the Yin Mountains, and the NE-SW trending Xiaoxing'an uplift zone in eastern China. The bedrock in the park is mainly basalt, with loose sediments consisting of loess and fluvial alluvium. The soil types in the wetland park include dark brown forest soil, meadow soil, and peat swamp soil. Vertically, dark brown forest soil is mainly found in mid-mountain areas at elevations of 800–1,400 m; meadow soil predominates alongside rivers at 700–800 m; and peat swamp soil occurs on slopes between 700–1,000 m.

Located on the China-North Korea border, the wetland park boasts abundant tourism resources. Both riverbanks offer picturesque scenery where visitors can admire the Tumen River Grand Canyon, Virgin Waterfall, Battleship Mountain, the source of the Tumen River, the China-North Korea tripoint boundary marker, swamp wetland landscapes, alpine garden views, Kim Il-sung’s fishing spot, and the site where Kim Il-sung crossed the river. Additionally, tourists can view the Musan County iron ore base—the largest open-pit iron mine in Asia—situated in North Korea. In 2014, the Helong Forestry Bureau integrated nearby tourism resources and vigorously developed the tourism industry. Using self-raised funds, they constructed a park entrance gate, wooden observation boardwalks, viewing platforms, and various informational signs. From the viewing platforms, visitors can enjoy nearly 200 hectares of swamp wetland landscapes and gaze upon the distant Changbai Mountains. Carefully crafted educational display boards and tree information plaques help enhance visitors’ understanding of wetlands, thereby raising ecological awareness. Currently, all aspects of the wetland park’s development are progressing smoothly, gradually moving toward a scientific, legal, and standardized track.

Source: Jilin Provincial Forestry Department