Wanzhou Xishan Park

Wanzhou Xishan Park

Wanzhou Xishan Park is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Wanzhou Xishan Park is situated at the southwestern end of Wanzhou’s old urban area. Its north gate is adjacent to Wanzhong Road, the area east of the north gate connects with the southern wall of Wanzhou People’s Hospital, the park’s northeastern slope meets Guoyuan Road, and the eastern part of the park lies close to Binjiang Avenue along the Yangtze River and the newly built Wanzhou District Stadium. The western section, including Jingyuan and staff residences, neighbors the urban residential and commercial buildings south of Wanzhong Road.

The park features ancient trees towering above dense foliage, with a rich variety of notable old trees, making it a renowned natural landscape garden in an urban setting where forest vegetation and ancient trees are exceptionally well-preserved. According to survey data, the park is home to over 320 species of ornamental plants from 160 genera and 95 families (see the Xishan Park plant list for details). Among these, 913 ancient and notable trees have been documented and registered, belonging to 39 families, 54 genera, and 97 species. The overall plant community in the park is dominated by subtropical evergreen broad-leaved mixed forests, with major plantings including camellia groves, osmanthus groves, wintersweet groves, camphor tree groves, and nanmu groves. Throughout the park, tall ancient trees such as yellow catalpas grow abundantly, alongside naturally occurring species like wingnuts, sweet gums, camptothecas, and ormosias, as well as bamboo and hackberry groves. There are also artificially planted ornamental plants such as tall palms, Chinese fan palms, euonymus, podocarpus, magnolia, camphor trees, and michelia. The diverse plant communities in the forest are arranged harmoniously, changing with the seasons, captivating visitors with their beauty.

Wanzhou Xishan Park has a long history. Its name originates from the “Xishan Guan” (West Mountain Temple) built here during the Ming Dynasty. In the early 1920s, it was established as Wanzhou Commercial Port Park. From 1925 to 1928, Yang Sen initiated the development of Xishan Park, expanding its area to over 560 acres. The park management was overseen by Li Huan, secretary to Yang Sen’s military headquarters and concurrently secretary-general of the Wanzhou Commercial Port Bureau. On September 5, 1926, the British warship bombardment of Wanzhou occurred, and in commemoration of this incident, the park was renamed “9.5 Park,” with the name inscribed upon invitation by Zhu De. In November 1928, to honor the victory of the Northern Expedition, it was renamed again as “Zhongshan Park.” At that time, the planned area covered 600 acres, with key constructions including the “9.5 Library,” an antique exhibition hall, and the historic bell tower building. Gardens, ponds, pathways, and pavilions were also renovated. In the same year, due to the development of attractions within Xishan Park, Wang Lingji inscribed the name “Xishan,” and thus the park became officially known as Xishan Park. The park boasted lush vegetation, vast grounds, and sweeping views of the mighty Yangtze River, along with a rich array of scenic spots. Even during those turbulent times, Wanzhou Xishan Park had already gained national renown. On December 8, 1949, Wanzhou was liberated. In June 1950, the park was handed over by the People's Liberation Army Military Control Commission to the Wanzhou Municipal People's Government Construction Bureau, and has since been managed by the Wanzhou City Xishan Park Management Office. After the liberation, the park expanded its functions as a comprehensive regional park by adding cultural, sports, entertainment, and zoo facilities. The perimeter wall was reinforced, ticket sales were initiated, and six scenic areas were developed: the Bell Tower, Wuzhou Pond, Jingyuan, Moon Terrace, and ornamental flower and tree forests. These enhancements significantly elevated the park’s horticultural appeal, leading to a year-on-year increase in visitor numbers, peaking at 800,000 visitors annually.