Nandagang Wetland

Nandagang Wetland

Nandagang Wetland is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Locally in Huanghua, Nandagang Wetland is known as Dawa. Broadly speaking, Dawa refers to the low-lying coastal areas stretching from southern Tianjin to northern Shandong; narrowly defined, it refers to the northeastern part of Cangzhou. Historically, this region bordered the Bohai Sea, where nine rivers converged, thick with reeds and bulrushes, dotted with widespread marshes — vast, desolate, and shaped by dramatic geological transformations from sea to land. It is a masterpiece of nature’s ever-changing forces, an unintentional creation of the earth’s wondrous hand. This great expanse of lowlands features lush reeds and thriving vegetation, transforming with the seasons: a green carpet in spring, emerald waves in summer, snow-like reeds in autumn, and golden reeds in winter. Within its vast marshlands teem colorful fish and countless birds. Dawa has not only expanded into millions of acres of fertile farmland but also preserved this pristine wetland. It is a place where raw beauty was forged by sheer will. Historically, locals made a living by cultivating reeds, fishing, hunting wild geese, and harvesting salt. They were rugged, honest, hardworking, and resilient — simple yet determined, fierce yet loyal. Like the endless reeds that cover the land, they have written the weighty history of Dawa with their unyielding spirit. The unique geography and culture here have given rise to a distinctive Dawa culture.

Huanghua is located on a coastal plain with numerous rivers. Over 20 rivers converge at nine outlets to the sea. The total water storage capacity of rivers, reservoirs, ponds, and main and branch canals reaches 480 million cubic meters. There are multiple low-lying wetlands, among which Nandagang Wetland is the most prominent. To the northeast of the Nandagang Farm headquarters lies the Nandagang Farm Reservoir, built in 1972. Located at the top of the Bohai Bay, it is a typical coastal wetland. It is a nature reserve in Hebei Province and also serves as a fieldwork base for undergraduate students and a research base for graduate students of the Geography Department at Hebei Normal University.

The highest elevation in Nandagang Wetland is 5.4 meters, and the lowest is 2.9 meters. It is divided into lagoon-type depressions, shallow trough depressions, uplands, and high flatlands. About 90% of the vegetation consists of reeds. A 10-meter-wide, 30-kilometer-long belt of trees, totaling over 60,000 trees, surrounds the wetland. This area is a convergence point for both north-south and east-west migratory bird routes. According to observations, 168 bird species have been identified here, including first-class nationally protected species such as red-crowned cranes, white cranes, Siberian cranes, white storks, the yellow-billed egret, and the great bustard. Every year, large flocks of white swans can be seen resting here. To protect the reed vegetation, fish, birds, and other wildlife along the shores, a 6-meter-wide, 4-meter-deep perimeter canal has been dug around the wetland to ensure seasonal water storage and regulate regional water levels. Within the wetland nature reserve, the views are expansive. In the height of summer, the area is lush and green, with fresh air that refreshes the mind and lifts the spirit.

The wetland connects to the western coast of the Bohai Sea, where you can see one of the world’s three remaining ancient shell banks (the other two are located on the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean in Louisiana, USA, and in Concepción, Chile). Its scale of development, time span, and the wealth of paleoenvironmental information it contains are rare in the world and hold significant importance in international Quaternary geological research. The Fudi City Ruins, located north of Huanghua City, is a key cultural heritage site under the protection of Hebei Province and a must-pass destination on the way to the wetland reserve.