Daqing National Forest Park

Daqing National Forest Park

Daqing National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Daqing National Forest Park is located in the central-western part of the Songnen Plain in Heilongjiang Province, within the Hongqi Forest Farm in Datong District, Daqing City. Covering an area of 5,400 hectares, it is the only national-level forest park in Daqing. The park boasts rich forest vegetation dominated by planted forests, including three nationally renowned hardwood species (yellow birch, Manchurian walnut, and Amur cork tree); evergreen Korean pines, as well as aesthetically shaped junipers, dragon spruces, and white pines; lush and upright larches and Xinjiang poplars; gracefully swaying elm trees and elegant weeping willows. Additionally, there are vibrant flowering shrubs such as lilacs, peach blossoms, and roses in spring, as well as fruit-bearing economic trees like crabapples, apples, and grapes in autumn. The park also features over 50 types of medicinal herbs such as saposhnikovia, astragalus, platycodon, gentiana, and bupleurum. Rows of well-aligned, lush Korean pines and poplars resemble terraced fields, creating a spectacular sight. The forest floor is dotted with soft, green lawns that feel like warm, comfortable natural carpets. The park has a high biodiversity index, making it suitable for various wild animals. Major mammals include wolves, roe deer, foxes, and hares. Bird species include state-protected birds such as red-crowned cranes, swans, and pheasants. It is an excellent habitat for wildlife. Such a natural landscape is unique in Daqing, a city predominantly covered by marshes, saline-alkali land, and meadows, and serves as a beautiful tourist attraction in this oil-industry city, providing an ideal eco-leisure destination for residents of Daqing and nearby cities.

Daqing National Forest Park is 60 kilometers from downtown Daqing and can be reached by car in just one hour. It is connected to the urban road network via asphalt roads leading to Sadal Road, Xigan Line, and Donggan Line. The railway line from Ranghulu to Tongliao runs through the park area. It is 5 kilometers from Bacun Railway Station and 10 kilometers from Linyuan Railway Station. Additionally, the park is situated between Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, and Qiqihar, the province’s second-largest city, giving it a superior location and excellent transportation access.

Guided by the concept of scientific development, and based on theories of ecological and tourism economics as well as sustainable development, Daqing National Forest Park leverages the favorable geographical environment, beautiful natural scenery, abundant forestry resources, and convenient transportation of the Hongqi Forest Farm. With a focus on sightseeing, leisure, and vacation tourism, the park highlights the characteristics of forestry and reflects humanistic care, offering a comprehensive outdoor space integrating leisure, entertainment, agricultural sightseeing, and forest education.

Daqing National Forest Park currently has 14 management staff and 58 employees. It offers good dining and accommodation facilities, as well as recreational venues and amenities. The park can accommodate up to 300 people for large conferences, tours, and visits. It has signed tourism cooperation agreements with several travel agencies, including Daqing Tiantian Travel Agency, Longyun Travel Agency, and Foreign Trade Travel Agency.

Adhering to the principles of fully utilizing forest resources, protecting the ecological environment, and promoting sustainable development, the park is divided into five tourist zones based on location, resource characteristics, and tourism themes: the Visitor Service Center Zone, Forest Recreation Zone, Forest Science Education Zone, Farming Culture Zone, and Romantic Lovers' Valley.

The Visitor Service Center Zone features an ecological parking lot paved with grass bricks of various shapes, surrounded by trees and flowers that blend harmoniously with the forest environment. The Visitor Service Center provides comprehensive services including visitor distribution, information consultation, tour guide services, dining, conference reception, rest halls, bars, convenience stores, and recreational wooden cabins.

The Forest Recreation Zone offers a range of recreational facilities for visitors of all ages and interests, including electric carts, single and double bicycles, mountain off-road motorcycles, swimming pools, tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, billiards, table tennis rooms, and children's play equipment such as merry-go-rounds, seesaws, climbing frames, and swings in the Forest Playground. There is also a Green Maze World with evergreen grounds that offers endless fun. The Ancient-Themed Forest Treasure Hunt allows visitors to explore in a historically inspired setting. The open and grassy Kite Paradise provides vast skies for kite flying. The Carnival Square, covered with soft, comfortable fine sand, is perfect for evening bonfire parties. The 40-meter-high Observation Tower offers panoramic views of the entire park and a chance for stargazing at night, allowing visitors to "look down upon all the mountains" and enjoy the beauty of the starry sky. The Multi-functional Lawn Mini Sports Field accommodates activities such as grass soccer, frisbee, jump rope, and various ball games. The Forest Therapy Trail, with its hanging hammocks and tents, lets visitors immerse themselves in the forest, breathe in the aromatic phytochemicals released by plants, stimulate their autonomic nervous system, enhance endocrine function, improve physical condition, boost athletic ability, and promote health. The Seasonal Flower Garden showcases plants that can be admired in different seasons. The Wild Harvest Garden allows visitors to pick various mushrooms and daylilies themselves. The Green Fishing Pond offers opportunities for fishing, walking by the pond, sightseeing, and relaxation.

The Forest Science Education Zone cultivates over 100 species of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous flowers suitable for the northeastern region, including those valued for their flowers, leaves, or fruits—such as larches, Korean pines, spruces, Korean pines, various poplars, birches, Manchurian birches, forsythias, flowering almonds, wild cherries, various lilacs, yellow roses, bird cherries, Amur maples, Tatarian maples, purpleblow maples, sugar maples, and various fruit trees. The zone uses the growth process of trees of different ages as a main thread and guides visitors to learn about forest science knowledge through signs and information boards. It also supports activities such as scientific research, ecological observation, vegetation surveys, and landscape photography. The park also features a Herbal Medicine Garden where visitors can observe and identify various medicinal plants.

The Farming Culture Zone is known for its uniquely sandy soil, which produces especially sweet watermelons and muskmelons, fragrant peanuts, and allows visitors to taste delicious millet porridge and mixed rice cooked in big iron pots. The area also offers a variety of green, pollution-free fruits, sticky corn, and colorful vegetables that visitors can pick and taste during harvest season.

In the Romantic Lovers' Valley, nestled within dense Korean pine forests, there are European-style log cabins such as the "Liang Zhu Love Garden," equipped with coffee tables, chairs, and drinking water for visitors to rest. The dense woods also feature various outdoor chessboards for couples to play, as well as cooperative or competitive games and events designed to create more shared recreational opportunities for couples.

Today, Daqing National Forest Park is actively developing its forest tourism resources in accordance with the requirements of scientific development. It has been transformed into an urban backyard garden for Daqing, providing residents and those from nearby cities with an original ecological leisure tourism resort that integrates functions such as leisure, entertainment, agricultural sightseeing, and forest education.