Ningyang Guanghe Wetland Scenic Area

Ningyang Guanghe Wetland Scenic Area

The Ningyang Guanghe Wetland Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Guanghe River is located in the western part of Ningyang County and is a major waterway in the western plain area. It belongs to the canal water system of the Huai River Basin. Originating from the northern slope of Hubei Ridge in Quantou Village, Gangcheng Town, it flows westward through the south of Nanluoxing Village, the south of Gangchengli Village, the north of Sujialou Village, and between QianGuanghéyá Village and HouGuanghéyá Village, passing under the Jiwei Highway before turning southward at Xilijiavillage to the west. It then flows southward through the west of the county seat and exits to the south of Hucun Village in Sidian Town, entering the Guangfu River in Yanzhou City, which then flows into the Nansihu Lakes and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The main river course within the county is 28.7 kilometers long, with a drainage area of 183 square kilometers. Major tributaries in the upper reaches include the Yueya River, Guozhuang River, and Shiji River, while the main tributary in the lower reaches is the Majia Gully.

During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Guanghe River served as a water diversion channel from the Wen River to the Grand Canal, undergoing continuous dredging and deepening. In the Yuan Dynasty, a sluice was built on the Wen River to divert water into the Guanghe, which then flowed into the Grand Canal. The "Ningyang County Annals" from the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty recorded: “The Guanghe River is also known as the Chan Shui, a famous river in the Lu region. The point where the Wen and Guang rivers diverge is slightly east of the ancient Gangcheng, atop the Shilai rapids. During the Yuan Dynasty, dams and sluices were constructed to divert the Wen River’s flow into the Guanghe and subsequently into the canal.” In the second year of the Zhi Zheng era (1342) under Emperor Huizong of Yuan, over ten thousand laborers were mobilized to dredge the Guanghe River. This construction endowed the river with navigational capacity, making it an important waterway and creating highly favorable conditions for the prosperity along its banks. It was also designated as an official waterborne postal route. With the increasing prosperity of north-south trade and the blending of cultures, unique cultural landscapes such as fishing on the Guanghe, sunset over the Guanghe, and ferry crossings on the Guanghe gradually emerged. The Ming scholar Xue Xuan once composed a poem titled “Evening Rise of the Guanghe,” praising the enchanting scenery of the river. The poem reads:

The cart turns as A-Xiang passes distant hills,

The Guanghe swells mightily in a single night.

Dragons emerge and vanish in the vast blue,

While gulls drift up and down in hazy light.

I sigh at the sight of waters flowing by,

And recall great minds that tamed fierce tides.

The Dragon Gate once saw waves rise so high—