Huanghua Wetland

Huanghua Wetland

In the local area of Huanghua, the wetland is called "Dawa" (Great Depression). Broadly speaking, Dawa refers to the low-lying areas along the coast from southern Tianjin to northern Shandong; narrowly defined, it specifically refers to the northeastern part of Cangzhou. Historically, this region was adjacent to the Bohai Sea, at the mouths of nine major rivers, densely overgrown with reeds and cattails, with interconnected marshes and vast, desolate landscapes. It is a masterpiece of dramatic sea-to-land transformation and a stroke of nature’s whimsical design. This vast depression features swaying reeds and lush vegetation—spring blankets it in emerald carpets, summer brings surging green waves, autumn turns reeds white as snow, and winter dyes cattails golden. Across the vast expanse of marshlands, colorful fish leap through the waves while countless birds gather. Dawa not only expanded into millions of acres of fertile farmland but also preserved this pristine wetland. Through its will, Dawa created this raw, untouched beauty. Historically, the people here made a living by cultivating reeds, fishing, hunting wild geese, and harvesting salt. They were rugged, straightforward, hardworking, and resilient—simple yet determined, bold yet honorable. Like the ever-thriving reeds that cover the land, they wrote the weighty history of Dawa with their unyielding stems and resilient characters. Dawa, by its very will, shaped the simple beauty of its people. The unique geography and culture have given rise to a distinctive Dawa culture.

Overview: Huanghua is located on a coastal plain, crisscrossed by numerous rivers, with over 20 rivers converging 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 many depressions and 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 geography students and a research site for graduate students at Hebei Normal University.

The highest elevation of the wetland is 5.4 meters, and the lowest is 2.9 meters. It is divided into lagoon depressions, shallow trough depressions, uplands, and high flatlands. Reeds account for 90% of the vegetation. A 10-meter-wide, 30-kilometer-long belt of trees, totaling over 60,000 trees, surrounds the harbor. This area is where the north-south and east-west migratory routes of birds intersect. According to observations, 168 bird species have been identified, including first-class nationally protected species such as red-crowned cranes, white cranes, white-naped cranes, white storks, Siberian cranes, and great bustards. Large numbers of white swans can be seen here every year. To protect the reed vegetation, fish, birds, and harbor slope wildlife, a 6-meter-wide, 4-meter-deep circular water channel has been dug around the harbor 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 landscape is lush and green, and the air is fresh and invigorating.

Travel Guide: 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 the state of Concepción, Chile). Its scale of development, time span, and the geological and 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, are a key cultural heritage site under the protection of Hebei Province and a must-pass destination on the way to the wetland reserve.

Source: People's Government of Cangzhou City