Green Island Park

Green Island Park

Green Island Park is located on the south side of North Huancheng Road, surrounded by water on three sides. To the east is the canal sluice, to the west are the Yao River and Yao River Sluice, and to the south it faces the Ningbo Grand Theatre across the water. Covering a total area of approximately 5.4 hectares, it resembles a peninsula suspended in water. After much deliberation, the former Yaojiang Zoo ultimately chose to take the path of "returning to nature."

Upon entering Green Island Park, one can immediately notice that the original zoo layout remains largely unchanged. At the entrance, the small sculptures built alongside the zoo are still preserved; the Mandarin Duck Bridge and Mandarin Duck Lake also look much the same as before. The 35-meter Ferris wheel still stands tall, though it no longer rotates. But when night falls, the landscape lights installed on the Ferris wheel illuminate, twinkling like a peacock spreading its tail. The canal sluice, the grand theatre, the Yao River, along with the lights, water reflections, and the silhouettes of visitors, together compose a beautiful "nocturne" for the harbor city.

Of course, there have been plenty of changes as well: the previously dilapidated paths, buildings, and service facilities have all been renovated. The peacock enclosure has been modified, the mushroom house is gone, the bear pavilion has been turned into a dance plaza, the monkey mountain has become a rockery feature, and the pool where the sea lions once lived now houses fish.

Walking through Green Island Park, what leaves the deepest impression is the expanse of green—a rare "waterfront oasis" within the urban area.

The renovation of Green Island Park commenced last November. The landscaping department first conducted an inventory and numbering of all trees, ensuring the effective preservation of the original plant communities. It is understood that there are over two thousand trees here, all planted when the zoo was established in 1984, and they have now grown into towering giants. These trees include camphor, magnolia, red maple, pittosporum, and plane trees, with some large specimens having trunk diameters of 40 to 50 centimeters.

On the basis of preserving the original plant communities, the landscaping department also newly planted more than ten types of ground cover plants such as Veronica, Mediterranean honeysuckle, golden leaf spirea, and red tip photinia, creating a series of "herbal green gardens" with varying floral displays and blooming periods. It is reported that the green coverage rate of Green Island Park is around 80%.

The park’s excellent ecological environment has made it an ideal habitat for birds. Reporters observed that on two large deciduous trees, there were nests belonging to birds, and many sparrows were flying back and forth among the woods. According to the landscaping staff, egrets are often seen flying and resting here. During the construction process, the staff also discovered a large group of wild ducks that had settled in Dicui Lake.

Dicui Lake is the former Mandarin Duck Lake, divided into upper and lower sections. At the end of the two lakes is a tidal pool connected to the Yao River, where the water level rises and falls with the tides of the Yao River. When the tide rises, the water submerges the aquatic plants in the tidal pool and flows into Dicui Lake; when the tide recedes, the plants in the tidal pool emerge again.

Location of the Attraction

North Huancheng Road, Jiangbei District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province