Ancient Yellow River Ecological Folk Culture Park

Ancient Yellow River Ecological Folk Culture Park

Ancient Yellow River Ecological Folk Culture Park

The Ancient Yellow River Ecological Folk Culture Park in Huai'an City is situated in the northwest of the city, on the southern bank of the old Yellow River course. It extends 2,800 meters from east to west and 480 meters from north to south, with a current land area of 1,716 mu. The landscape is marked by crisscrossing gullies and wooded areas, boasting distinctive natural ecology and pristine terrain. There are 56.8 hectares (over 20,000 trees) of productive fruit trees such as pear, peach, and plum, along with more than 100,000 other types of trees. When spring arrives and flowers bloom, the park is a riot of colors with lush green grass; in golden autumn, branches are laden with ripe fruits—peaches, plums, and pears all vying for attention. The old course of the Yellow River bends here, like a mother’s arm, with the ecological park resting peacefully in her embrace. "In the fifth year of the Jin Dynasty's Mingchang era (1194), the river burst through Yangwu, flowed south to join the Si River, passed through Yutai, traveled via Xuzhou and Pizhou to Qingkou where it joined the Huai, and then entered the sea through the Tikou of Andong." Since then, the ancient Yellow River has flowed through Huai'an for 800 years, creating a profound cultural heritage and many beautiful legends.

In 1995, with the aim of reflecting Yellow River folk culture and showcasing the ecology of the Yellow River basin, and upon approval by the provincial government, the former Qingjiang Orchard was transferred in its entirety from Qinghe District to the management of the Municipal Construction Bureau by the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. Its land was incorporated into the city’s public green space, and plans were made to develop it into a large comprehensive park within 3–5 years. The plan was to build, based on the former Qingjiang Orchard and against the backdrop of the old Yellow River course, a modern open ecological folk culture park integrating ecological sightseeing and folk tourism, designed to be "walkable, visitable, and livable." The park was planned to have four major scenic areas: the first, the "Peach Blossom Cove Scenic Area," themed around China’s popular peach culture; the second, the "Ecological Sightseeing Garden," leveraging abundant trees and diverse terrain to highlight the themes of "ecology" and "primitiveness"; the third, the "Plant and Flower Garden Scenic Area," themed around various plants and flowers; and the fourth, the "Wildlife Scenic Area," centered on animals that coexist with humans. After several years of preparation, the ecological folk culture park has initially been completed and opened to the public, including the 270-mu Peach Blossom Cove Scenic Area and the 400-mu Ecological Sightseeing Garden Scenic Area. The Plant and Flower Garden Scenic Area and the Wildlife Park Scenic Area are also under planning and construction. Once supporting facilities and projects are further improved, these four functional scenic areas will become a uniquely distinctive and fully equipped scenic destination and gateway of Huai'an.

The Ancient Yellow River Ecological Folk Culture Park currently employs 501 staff members (292 full-time employees and 209 retired employees). It oversees several economic entities, including Peach Blossom Cove Park, Ecological Sightseeing Garden, Dadi Horticulture Company, Landscape Gardening Engineering Company, Times Flowers Co., Ltd., and Huaiyin Poultry Breeding Farm.