Tongling Baiji Dolphin Conservation Center

Tongling Baiji Dolphin Conservation Center

The Tongling Baiji Dolphin Conservation Center is a national A-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Introduction

The Tongling Baiji Dolphin Conservation Center is the world's first facility utilizing semi-natural conditions for the translocation and conservation of baiji dolphins. It is situated on the interconnecting river between Heyuezhou and Tiebanzhou in Datong Town, Tongling City, Anhui Province. The interconnecting river stretches 1,620 meters in length and 220 meters in width, with weeping willows dotting the islands, under light clouds and gentle breezes; waterfowl play on the waves, tree shadows dance along the riverbanks, the water is pristine, and the scenery is delightful — making it an ideal habitat for baiji dolphins.

The Tongling Baiji Dolphin Conservation Center was established in September 1985, covering an area of 409 mu. The protected area extends from Sanjiangkou in Zongyang County to Diguang Town in Fanchang County, spanning a total of 110 kilometers of river. This protected zone primarily safeguards nationally first- and second-class protected animal species in the Yangtze River basin, such as the baiji dolphin, Chinese sturgeon, finless porpoise, and Chinese high-fin banded shark.

On June 24, 2003, the State Environmental Protection Administration approved the conservation area as the National Environmental Protection Key Yangtze River Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center, with the protected waters covering the entire 800-li stretch of the Yangtze River in Anhui.

It also serves as a teaching and research base for life sciences at Anhui University, a youth science education base, and a national AA-level tourist attraction. With its high technological content, strong educational and entertaining value — especially the vivid and interesting “aquarium,” the diverse exhibits in the “specimen museum,” the world-renowned “baiji dolphins,” and the adorable “finless porpoises” — it offers visitors an excellent destination for tourism, sightseeing, and leisure.

Anhui Tongling City

Datong Town: Datong is a historic town in southern China with a thousand years of history. Located southwest of Tongling City, it sits on the southern bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. To the northwest, it faces Zongyang across the river, and to the south, it borders Guichi and Qingyang via the Qingtong River. It is only 180 kilometers from Huangshan, known as the “World Park,” and 90 kilometers from Jiuhua Mountain, one of China’s Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains. The Tongqing Highway, Tonggui Highway, the Yangtze River Expressway, and the Hefei–Tongling–Huangshan Expressway all run through the town. It serves as a key hub and thoroughfare for accessing the southern Anhui tourism region, the northern gateway to Anhui’s “Two Mountains and One Lake” (Jiuhua Mountain, Huangshan, and Taihu Lake), and the location of the first gate of Jiuhua Mountain.

… Datong Town detailed information++