Chongqing Xiuhu National Wetland Park

Chongqing Xiuhu National Wetland Park

Chongqing Xiuhu National Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Xiuhu Park is located at the junction of the old urban area and the new Green Island District of Bishan, Chongqing. It is adjacent to Bishan’s new commercial center and the district government. The park is named after Guo Moruo’s praise for Bishan as having “majestic mountains and beautiful lakes.” Covering an area of 1,500 mu, the park includes a water surface of 500 mu. It is planned to feature around 800 plant species, including 300 flowering plants. Once completed, the park will have blooming plants every day of the year.

The park will also feature 20 kilometers of waterfront trails, forest trails, lake-spanning corridors, aerial boardwalks, as well as electric cart lanes and vehicle roads, designed in accordance with the original terrain. On the Wuyin Suspension Bridge, hundreds of ancient bells will be hung, producing pleasant melodies as visitors walk across. The park will also house Chongqing’s tallest musical fountain with a water-spout light show. All park buildings are designed in traditional Chinese architectural style, covering an area of 43,000 square meters, and will recreate the cultural landscapes, historic sites, folk customs, and notable figures from Bishan’s 1,255-year history.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the eminent writer Guo Moruo gave lectures in Bishan and highly praised the mountain ranges here as “majestic mountains and beautiful lakes,” hence the name “Xiuhu Park” (Beautiful Lake Park). Surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by waterways, the park features winding streams and terraced mounds, with picturesque lakeside revetments and extensive shallow wetland areas.

The normal water level of the lake in this park will be raised by 3 meters above the original 283.6 meters above sea level, increasing the water surface area to one-third of the total park area — that is, 500 mu. A large laser music fountain will be installed in the center of the lake. By integrating water, light, and color, the fountain will create a seamless fusion of spraying water, lighting, and music. The water jets will vary with the rhythm of the music, with the highest jet exceeding 100 meters, making it the tallest musical fountain in Chongqing.

Covering 1,500 mu, Xiuhu Park centers on the theme of “enjoying flowers in all four seasons,” and also incorporates elements such as “the joy of flowers,” “the joy of music,” “the joy of forests,” “the joy of stones,” and “the joy of water.” The “joy of flowers” element involves planting 150 types of flowers, 150 types of trees, over 200 types of drought-resistant plants, and more than 300 types of aquatic plants to create landscapes such as “flower seas” and “flower islands,” allowing visitors and residents to enjoy blossoms all year round and experience the breathtaking sight of being surrounded by “seas of flowers.” The “joy of music” includes the construction of themed squares, bell towers, and music forests. Meanwhile, the “joy of forests” makes full use of...

Xiuhu Park has officially been designated as a “National Wetland Park” after passing the on-site evaluation and assessment by a team of experts from the National Forestry Administration.

Chongqing Xiuhu National Wetland Park consists of two parts. One part is located at Fenghu Xianshan, namely in Dalu Subdistrict and Qitang Town, including parts of Gaogong Village in Dalu Subdistrict, Yandian Village and Sihe Village in Qitang Town. The other part is primarily centered around Xiuhu Park and includes urban wetlands such as Xiuhu, Yuhu, Dongyue Reservoir, and Yangyu Reservoir, along with a 20-meter green buffer zone above the normal water level of Yuhu.

After a year of establishment efforts, the Bishan District Forestry Bureau implemented various measures to strengthen the protection and restoration within the wetland park, enhance the ecological service functions of the wetland system, and fully leverage the park’s role in public education to raise awareness of wetland conservation across society. The successful establishment of Chongqing Xiuhu National Wetland Park marks a major achievement in our district’s urban wetland protection and development under the vision of “one river, three lakes, and nine wetlands.” As a sponge city wetland project, Xiuhu National Wetland Park provides vital ecological services to the residents of Bishan District. It serves as a key showcase for urban beautification, an important component of the Beautiful Bishan initiative, and an integral part of the regional wetland system in Bishan. It lays the foundation for improving landscape ecology and the quality of the urban living environment in the district.