Beihai Mingzhu Wetland Park

Beihai Mingzhu Wetland Park

Beihai Mingzhu Wetland Park is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Located within the newly planned Beihai Ecological Forest Farm in Binzhou’s Beihai Economic Development Zone, the Beihai Mingzhu Wetland Park is bordered to the north by the Xin Haojia River and separated from the ecological forest farm by drainage ditches on the east, west, and south sides.

The main entrance area of the wetland park is set up on its northern side. From north to south, the main entrance area includes: an eco parking lot, the main entrance square, a thematic sculpture, a visitor center, a commercial street, a landscape bridge, a gate, an inner square, a rockery waterfall, and more.

(1) Main Entrance Gate

The main entrance gate is constructed at the southern intersection of the planned road and Yanhe Road, on the north side of the Haojia River. It includes the gate, a ticket office, and a visitor center commercial street, all designed in a modern architectural style with anti-corrosion wood cladding, covering a construction area of approximately 2,800 m². Both inside and outside the gate are equipped with inner and outer squares for tourist gathering and dispersal. The outer square spans 8,000 m², while the inner square covers 2,000 m². A circular sculptural flower bed is located in the center of the outer square, and the inner square features rental points for electric carts and bicycles.

1. Landscape Bridge

A five-arch landscape bridge is built over the Haojia River channel, serving as a connection between the inner and outer squares.

2. Rockery Waterfall

A three-story hexagonal pavilion (–) is constructed on an artificial earthen mound with stacked stones (approximately 10 m high, known as Qingshu Peak) opposite the main entrance gate, along with an artificial waterfall, forming a focal view for the main entrance. Below the artificial waterfall, a wetland pool is created, mainly planted with water lilies and lotuses.

3. Parking Lot

An arc-shaped shaded eco parking lot with an area of 10,000 m² is built on the north side of the outer square. The parking lot is shaded by bamboo willows and enclosed by weeping willows, with grass-paved bricks on the ground.

4. Visitor Center

An auxiliary building of the main gate, covering an area of 1,000 m², providing tourists with travel consultation, travel information, tour guide services, and handling travel complaints.

5. Park Management Center

An auxiliary building of the main gate, with a construction area of 1,200 m², serving as the administrative office for the entire park.

(2) Secondary Entrance and Management Service Area

The secondary entrance and management service area is planned on the south side of the Haojia River, at the northwest corner of the wetland park, surrounded by water on all sides.

This area can be subdivided into several sections: the gate and square area, the inner square area, the greenhouse restaurant and catering service area, and the parking lot.

1. Park Gate

The surrounding drainage channels are widened to form isolation river channels 5–8 m wide. On the inner side of the isolation river channel at the northwest corner of the park, the park gate is constructed. The northern building serves as the visitor center, while the southern building houses the ticket office, a small shop, etc., forming an integrated structure with the park gate. The gate is about 10 m high and 80 m wide, with a construction area of 800 m². The architectural style is a modern design with anti-corrosion wood cladding.

2. Mingzhu Flower Bed

The park gate features a semi-circular flower bed with green lawns dotted with stainless steel balls of various sizes, symbolizing the "Pearl of Beihai."

3. Jade Belt Bridge

The entrance square and the gate are separated by the isolation river channel, across which three arched bridges are built — the middle one for pedestrians, and the two sides for vehicles. Decorated with anti-corrosion wooden railings, they enhance the ecological ambiance.

4. Outer Square

To the west of the main entrance is the entrance square, a shared space for the park's main entrance and catering service area, approximately 220 m long from east to west and 160 m wide from north to south. A decorative archway-style sign gate made of anti-corrosion wood is placed in the center of the entrance square, divided into inner and outer squares by landscaping, with vehicles prohibited from entering the inner square. An eco-restaurant is designed on the north side of the outer square.

5. Inner Square

A 3,000 m² inner plaza is set up to the east of the secondary gate, with a square flower bed in the center planted with 3–5 artistically shaped trees to serve as a "welcoming" feature and a scenic barrier. The inner plaza serves as a hub connecting walking trails and includes facilities such as a tourist map, an electric cart rental station, and a bicycle rental station.

6. Eco Restaurant

A 6,000 m² rectangular glass greenhouse eco restaurant is constructed on the north side of the secondary entrance area. The building facade is decorated with wooden and stone materials, while the interior is adorned with tropical and subtropical plants, creating an eco restaurant that combines local characteristics with exotic charm, serving as the park’s dining service center.

7. Parking Lot

A large shaded ecological parking lot covering 10,000 m² is built on the west side of the plaza. The parking lot is shaded by ash trees and enclosed by bamboo and willow plantings, with grass-paved bricks on the ground.

8. Smart Greenhouse

Four connected smart greenhouses, covering a total area of 20,000 m², are constructed on the west side of the parking lot. They are mainly used for seedling cultivation and the nurturing of festival flowers for the ecological forest farm and wetland park, and can also supply urban beautification flowers for the Beihai Economic Development Zone.

9. Welcome Avenue

A 100-meter-long welcome avenue extends eastward from the secondary entrance toward the lakeside viewing platform. The avenue is 14 m wide in total, with a 2 m-wide central flower bed featuring a flower trellis in the middle, flanked by 4 m-wide vehicle lanes on both sides. Outside the vehicle lanes are 2 m-wide pedestrian walkways, which are lined with pergolas and forest science education signs on the outer edges. The avenue is lined with koelreuteria trees on both sides, forming a distinctive koelreuteria avenue.

(3) The main scenic spots in this area include: Lusnow Viewing Platform, Fishermen’s Wharf, Xu Fu’s Sea-Crossing Site, Waterwheel Cloud-Reaching, Lotus Fragrance Island, Bird-Watching Island, Fishing Bay, Reed Maze, Reed Mat Path, and Lilyturf Mat Path.

1. Lusnow Viewing Platform

Directly opposite the welcome avenue east of the main entrance is a semicircular anti-corrosion wood lakeside viewing platform, with a standalone scenic rock in the center inscribed with "Lusnow Lake." The viewing platform is connected on both sides by a lakeside wooden boardwalk, lined with reeds on either side to evoke the ambiance of Lusnow.

2. Fishermen’s Wharf

To the south of the Lusnow Viewing Platform is the main cruise dock—the Fishermen’s Wharf—which includes a ticket booth, rest pavilions, and a fisherman sculpture, along with informational signs introducing local fishing village culture. The cruise boats are uniformly designed electric vessels, which visitors can rent for self-guided tours.

3. Lusnow Lake

In the ancient river channel area on the southeastern side of the wetland park, an open water surface—Lusnow Lake—is created as part of the wetland restoration project. The lakeshore is planted with various water-adapted plants such as reeds, cattails, and reedmace, forming a "lilyturf snow flying" landscape.

4. Xu Fu’s Sea-Crossing Site

On the lakeside dock southeast of Lusnow Lake, traditionally believed to be the departure point where Qin Dynasty’s Xu Fu set sail eastward in search of the elixir of life, there is a natural ecological rest plaza adorned with a group sculpture of Xu Fu and young boys and girls. A stone is inscribed with "Xu Fu’s Sea-Crossing Site," reflecting traditional culture.

5. Waterwheel Cloud-Reaching

To the west of Xu Fu’s Sea-Crossing Site is a set of waterwheel attractions, featuring a massive 28 m-diameter waterwheel—the largest in China—which enhances the park’s vertical landscape and dynamic scenery while also showcasing the Yellow River irrigation culture.

6. Lotus Fragrance Island

A small island is reserved in the eastern part of Lusnow Lake, with its shallow surrounding waters entirely planted with lotuses, forming "Lotus Fragrance Island." The island features a "Lotus Fragrance Pavilion" as a scenic highlight and an ecological plaza used as a red-crowned crane release site—a unique eco-tourism attraction. A lakeside boardwalk is provided around the island for visitors to get close to the lotuses and take photos.

7. Willow Embankment Spring Dawn

The southeastern section of the lakeside driving loop passes through the narrow Willow Embankment Island, densely planted with bamboo willows, drought-tolerant willows, and weeping willows that are particularly enchanting in early spring, creating the "Willow Embankment Spring Dawn" landscape. Forsythia is planted under the willows, making the early spring scenery of green willows and yellow flowers even more picturesque.

8. Lilyturf Mat Path

To the north of the Willow Embankment Spring Dawn attraction, a wooden boardwalk extends from the main trail toward the Lusnow Lake shoreline, winding through the reed marshes to allow visitors to experience the reed wetland landscape.

9. Reed Maze

The fishpond wetland in the southwestern corner of the park is transformed into several wetland islands of varying heights, forming a "reef" covered with reeds. The waterways between the islands naturally form a maze, where visitors can paddle and observe wild birds for endless enjoyment.

10. Reed Mat Path

To the southwest of the Willow Embankment Spring Dawn attraction, a wooden boardwalk extends from the main trail toward the reed maze, combined with a bird-watching platform and bird feeding stations to attract cranes, herons, and gulls, forming a distinctive wetland park tourism attraction.

11. Fishing Bay

Fishing Bay is located in the northern part of Lüxue Lake. It features a semi-circular island and wooden boardwalks that enclose an independent area, with fishing spots set up along the shoreline for visitors to enjoy wetland fishing, making it a distinctive tourism activity. Fishing here also becomes a scenic sight in itself.

12. Bird-Watching Platform

On the southeast side of the Liuti Chunxiao (Willows at Dawn) scenic spot, wooden boardwalks are planned from the self-guided trail leading into the reed maze, where a bird-watching platform and viewing pavilion will be constructed.

13. Scenic Bridge

The park has four arched vehicle bridges with eco-friendly and unique designs, creating a beautiful landscape. Boats can pass beneath these arched bridges.

Visitor Volume Forecast

Beihai Mingzhu Wetland Park is a leisure and educational destination characterized mainly by nature and tranquility. In line with the principle of protecting the survival of wetland flora and fauna and appropriately controlling visitor numbers through traffic flow guidance, the expected reasonable daily visitor capacity is 1,000 people on regular days and 2,000 people on Saturdays and Sundays, based on the park’s planned content and scale, with an average visit duration of 3 to 5 hours per person, considering the park’s area and pathway length. During peak holiday periods such as Labor Day, Children’s Day, and National Day, visitor numbers are controlled to around 8,000.

Wetland Culture Exhibition Area

1. Ancient Yellow River Lighthouse

In the central-western part of the island, a landmark structure of the wetland park—the Ancient Yellow River Lighthouse—is planned. This 7–9 story steel structure building is clad with stone to convey an ancient, weathered feel, standing approximately 30 meters tall. The first and second floors house a small wetland exhibition hall, with a sightseeing elevator and spiral staircase in the center, and the top floor features an observation deck equipped with coin-operated telescopes, offering panoramic views of the park, as well as glimpses of Beihai New Town and the Bohai Sea.

2. Sunflower Isle

A sandbar reserved within the navigable waterway north of the Ancient Yellow River Lighthouse will be fully planted with sunflowers, creating a wetland flower isle landscape.

3. Folk Culture Square

The square surrounding the Ancient Yellow River Lighthouse can be used for folk performances during holidays, promoting local traditional culture.

Route Organization

The project area offers both land and water routes for visitors.

1. Land Route

The land tour route within the wetland park forms a loop, connecting the main entrance, leisure and fitness area, wetland culture exhibition area, wetland experience area, and secondary entrance with service facilities.

2. Water Route

A water tour route is also designed within the wetland park, forming a circular path that links the wetland experience area and wetland culture exhibition area from within the wetlands. A main tourist dock is located at the secondary entrance, and fixed boat docks are planned along the waterways. Through the water route, visitors can experience the charm of the wetlands up close.