Guidehuangheqing Wetland Park

Guide Huangheqing Wetland Park

Guide Huangheqing Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

The famous saying “The Yellow River is clearest at Guide” originated here — in Guide County. It was coined by Vice Premier Qian Qichen during his inspection visit to Guide County in 2000.

The Guide Huangheqing National Wetland Park is located in Guide County, Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province, 1.5 km from the county seat of Heyin Town. It lies between the Longyangxia and Liujiaxia Hydropower Stations on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and is 114 km from the provincial capital, Xining. The park’s boundaries extend from Ashigong Village in Gareng Township in the east to the Laxiwa Hydropower Station in the west, down to Shangwadian Power Station in Moqugou, Hexi Town in the south, and up to the boundary of the Hexi Forest Farm in Lajiegai Village, Hexi Town in the north. Its geographical coordinates are 101°16′10″–101°35′5″ E and 35°53′25″–36°05′55″ N. The park is approximately 28.5 km wide from east to west and about 17 km long from north to south, covering a total area of 5,672 hectares.

Topography and Location

Guide Huangheqing Wetland Park is situated in the transitional zone between the Loess Plateau and the Tibetan Plateau, with a geological structure belonging to the Qilian-Qin Cenozoic rift basin. The Yellow River traverses the central part of Guide County in an arc from west to east. Its elevation at the entry point is 2,386 m and at the exit point is 2,168 m, resulting in a total drop of 281 m. The overall terrain of the wetland park slopes from west to east. Due to the river’s cutting and scouring effects, three river valley basins (Hedong, Heyin, and Hexi) have formed within the park. Under the influence of its unique geography and natural environment, stunning karst and danxia landforms have developed. Mountains, water bodies, and forests complement one another, creating a series of breathtaking natural landscapes. The Yellow River water here is crystal clear. Centered around Qianzi Lake, the Huangheqing Wetland Park encompasses 2,775 hectares of wetlands, 382 hectares of river shoals, and 1,093 hectares of water area. Together with the forests distributed along the Yellow River basin, they form a comprehensive ecosystem in the Guide section of the Yellow River.

Rich Biodiversity

The Guide Huangheqing Wetland Park is home to numerous aquatic animals. Fish species mainly include carp, crucian carp, catfish, naked carp, whitefish, and catfish, as well as fish and crabs in farming areas. In addition, there are many water birds and migratory birds. Common bird species include ruddy shelduck, egrets, wild mandarin ducks, and cormorants. During spring and summer, flocks of swans, red-crowned cranes, and wild geese are often seen. The riverside woods and shrubs host magpies, eagles, cuckoos, pheasants, crows, owls, doves, wild ducks, stone partridges, larks, skylarks, mountain sparrows, and sparrows. Mammals mainly consist of plateau rabbits, otters, lynxes, sand foxes, red foxes, weasels, marmots, and voles. Reptiles include snakes, frogs, lizards, and toads. Aquatic plants are dominated by large areas of reeds and cattails. A wide variety of plant species grow within the Huangheqing Wetland Park, including populus cathayana, sea buckthorn, tamarisk, myricaria, nitre bush, wolfberry, berberis, and carex.