Shali River Scenic Area

Shali River Scenic Area

The Shali River Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national water conservancy scenic area.

The Shali River Scenic Area in Luohe City is built along the Shaying and Li Rivers, covering a total area of 622 hectares (including water bodies). The two rivers converge within the city, running through its entire length, with clear waters and lush green banks—forming an exceptional natural ecological resource.

Oriented towards emerging tourism formats such as typical urban leisure tourism, water sightseeing, and water recreation, the scenic area continues to increase investment in infrastructure, develop urban leisure tourism projects, and enhance management standards, earning widespread acclaim from all sectors of society and visitors. In June 2010, it was rated as a national AAA-level tourist attraction, in August it was designated as an Ecological Civilization Education Base of Henan Province, and in April 2011, it was named one of Henan Province’s Top Ten Urban Riverside Landscapes. It is currently a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The scenic area is designed based on principles of integrity, ecology, enjoyment, and water proximity, with emphasis on showcasing local culture and historical stories. Stretching from west to east across Luohe City, the Shali River Scenic Area is mainly divided into five sections: from the Li River Bridge on National Highway 107 to the Li River Bridge on Songshan Road, featuring five carefully designed landscape nodes—Dancing Waters of Luo, Autumn Insects by the Reed, Emerald Islets, Birdsong on All Sides, and Sky Garden; from the Shaying River Bridge on National Highway 107 to the Shaying River Bridge on Songshan Road, highlighting two main scenic spots—Morning Glow at West Bay and Elegant Verse of Breezes; from the Shaying and Li River Bridges on Songshan Road to the Shaying River Bridge on Jinshan Road, including seven themed parks—Lawn Square, Pear Garden Spring, Food Square, Wenlan Garden, River Confluence, Luowan Ferry, and Tiger Beach; from the Shaying River Bridge on Jinshan Road to the Shaying River Bridge on Songjiang Road, composed of four major scenic areas—Xianglong Island, Phoenix Mountain, Golden Sand Bathing Beach, and Milky Way Bay; and from the Shaying River Bridge on Songjiang Road to the Shaying River Control Gate, which leverages the area’s superior river resources, pastoral scenery, forest oxygen bars, and transportation advantages to plan water drifting at the Shaying River Control Gate and a sightseeing hydroelectric power station.

The entire scenic area fully embodies a people-oriented philosophy, emphasizing thematic and artistic elements. Alongside extensive landscape construction, it prioritizes humanized design and the development of urban leisure tourism projects to offer visitors more leisure options. Examples include: the scenic area’s main loop—a 36-kilometer inner circuit with colored asphalt concrete pavement, equipped with sightseeing battery vehicles and leisure cycling routes; tree-lined roads planted entirely with ginkgo trees, providing varying seasonal views throughout the year. Water sightseeing routes—18 kilometers along the two rivers feature water tour lines, with over 20 luxury yachts available for visitors to enjoy the scenic views. Nighttime lighting—all illuminated with energy-saving LED lights, using noble yellows and natural greens and blues as the main tones to outline shapes and layers, creating a layered, vibrant, and multi-dimensional lighting effect that presents a dreamlike, poetic nightscape. Festival events—the scenic area hosts the Central Plains Beach Music Festival at Golden Sand Bathing Beach around late August in collaboration with the provincial tourism bureau, and organizes leisure fitness and water sports activities with sports authorities during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Scenic Spot Location

National Highway 107, Yuanhui District, Luohe City, Henan Province