Gangbei Forest Park

Gangbei Forest Park

Gangbei Forest Park is located in the triangular area where the towns of Xiawuqi, Daliang, and Nancaicun in Wuqing District meet. The park covers a total area of 12,000 mu, with nearly 8,000 mu afforested, making it the largest artificial forest park in North China. Before liberation, due to the slightly higher terrain in the northwest and lower in the southeast of Gangbei Forest Park, floods were frequent. The North Canal and Qinglongwan River often breached their banks, and erosion and wind-blown sand caused severe soil desertification in the area. “During the day, you had to light lamps indoors,” and “sheep climbed trees, cattle got on rooftops.” To effectively combat sandstorms, in the 1950s, the Wuqing District Party Committee and District Government organized local residents to start planting windbreak and sand-fixation forests, mainly using poplar, willow, and black locust trees. In the 1970s, project-based afforestation began, including leveling sand dunes, building irrigation channels, and planting over 4,000 mu of Populus tomentosa, Populus × euramericana, and fast-growing timber forests, as well as establishing more than 2,600 mu of orchards. This shifted the focus of sand control from purely protective measures to those with economic benefits.

Currently, the park is home to over 300,000 trees of more than 20 species, including Populus tomentosa, Populus × euramericana, small-leaved poplar, evergreen ornamental trees, and fruit trees. This achieves a combination of sand control and beautification, with a rational layout of trees, shrubs, fruit trees, and flowers. It has not only improved the quality of the forest but also enhanced its visual appeal. In recent years, to effectively protect, develop, and utilize this ecological resource, Wuqing District has actively invited Beijing Forestry University to formulate a detailed plan, aiming to transform Gangbei Forest Park into an ecological tourism area centered around a forest environment and integrated with vacation and leisure activities. The park plans to include 14 first-class, uniquely scenic venues domestically, such as holiday villages, racetracks, forest amusement parks, premium orchards, hunting zones, and observation areas. This ecological environment management project is currently under intensive implementation. In the near future, with the completion of various development and renovation projects in the forest park, it will surely become a popular tourist destination for citizens to relax and unwind, adding another beautiful landmark to Tianjin.

The natural zones of Gangbei Forest Park are functionally divided into active zones, quiet zones, and sightseeing zones, with 14 scenic areas constructed respectively, including a 150-mu holiday village, a 300-mu forest amusement park, a racetrack, a 2,000-mu premium orchard, a 100-mu wildlife breeding area, a 100-mu hunting zone, a 300-mu red leaf viewing area, and a 100-mu ginkgo garden. The construction of this project will adopt a “build the nest to attract the phoenix” strategy, with Wuqing District providing infrastructure and other services to attract domestic and international businesses to invest in construction. Once completed, the forest park will transform the large sandy wastelands in northern Wuqing, playing a vital role in windbreak and sand fixation as well as farmland protection.