Luyang Xinghua Park

Luyang Xinghua Park

Covering an area of 400 acres, Xinghua Park is a park with pastoral scenery and historical-cultural characteristics. The park is home to 130 species of trees, including the Baipi Pine from Beijing, the Large Cherry Tree from the Dabie Mountain area, Japanese Cherry Blossoms, as well as Italian varieties such as Bado Apricot, Tie Apricot, and Honey Peach Apricot.

The main paths follow the natural contours of the park, while the secondary paths meander through serene spots. The Yangyi Pavilion, Yixiu Pavilion, and Youyou Pavilion feature classic Chinese charm. The Western Area’s Happy Island is novel and unique, offering a range of large amusement facilities, including a Ferris wheel. The rockeries and small bridges are exquisitely crafted, and the open-air stage is first-class. The pigeon coops and fields are delightful and playful. The park boasts a total of 70,418 plants of various flowers, trees, and shrubs. With adjustments in urban planning and the park’s development, a forest ecological-style park has emerged for citizens and visitors to enjoy.

Approved for construction by the State Council in 1982, Xinghua Park began preparation in 1992 under the special policy support of the Hefei Municipal Government. Green space accounts for 68% of the land area, including 6,666 evergreen trees, 8,075 deciduous trees, 55,677 flowering shrubs, and 142,604 square meters of various types of lawns.

The park is designed primarily with plant landscaping, combining water features, and highlights forest ecology and environmental protection. It offers flowers in spring, shade in summer, fruit in autumn, and greenery in winter, reflecting a design philosophy that integrates humans with nature.

Xinghua Amusement Park is located on the artificial island in the western part of the park, surrounded by water and offering pleasant scenery. Construction of Xinghua Amusement Park began in 2004, with plans to build around twenty amusement projects. The selected attractions are mainly medium and small-sized, combining fun, entertainment, and modern elements, with high safety standards and environmentally friendly features.

The total investment in the amusement projects is about 11 million yuan. Additionally, Xinghua Park invested in building Anhui Province’s first large-scale amusement ride—a roller coaster. The roller coaster combines rises, drops, spins, and loops, offering strong entertainment and thrills.

Xinghua Park is located in the northwest corner of the old city, in the area around Shuimen Gate, serving as a pastoral scenic spot of the Ring City Park. It stretches from Mengcheng Road in the east to the northern section of Huancheng West Road in the west, from the western section of Huaihe Road in the south to the western section of Fu South Road in the north. During the Qing Dynasty, Li Guodong, the grandnephew of statesman Li Hongzhang, built two pavilions here for leisure and planted many apricot trees around. When the apricot blossoms bloomed in spring, the fragrant and splendid scenery made the area pleasant, hence it was collectively referred to as Xinghua Village.

Legend has it that this area was densely wooded in the past, with two large chestnut trees so thick that it took two people to encircle them, and many magpie nests in the branches. On the west city wall, there used to be a General’s Temple, and near the north city wall, there was a Jiang Gong Shrine, beside which stood a White Bone Pagoda. According to the *Hefei County Annals*: Inside Shuimen Gate, there was once a West Water Gate connected to the Jindou River, which ran through Zhengdi Pu and Cangzhou Pu to the East Water Gate. In June 1987, the municipal government decided to establish the park. In the second half of 2002, the ponds were desilted, and new recreational facilities such as a children’s playground and sports activities were added.