Nanshan Ecological Park

Nanshan Ecological Park

Nanshan Ecological Park is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a National Water Conservancy Scenic Area.

Located at the southern edge of Chifeng and about 500 meters from the urban area, Nanshan Ecological Park covers an area of 11,000 mu. It is a multifunctional comprehensive ecological park integrating ecology, tourism, leisure, entertainment, and economic development. In 2006, it passed the national A-level scenic spot acceptance and was awarded the title of the sixth batch of National Water Conservancy Scenic Areas. The park is home to over forty tree species including larch, Scots pine, maple, and poplar; thirty-eight varieties of wild grasses such as Artemisia halodendron, sand sagebrush, cocklebur, dandelion, purslane, and thyme; and twenty-six types of medicinal plants like licorice, Polygala tenuifolia, Bupleurum, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and goji berries. The vegetation coverage rate has now reached 90%. With the improvement of the vegetation environment, in addition to an increase in the population of pheasants and rabbits, the park has also seen the appearance of second-class nationally protected animals such as the golden eagle and hog badger. The numbers of migratory and resident birds have also greatly increased. Today, Nanshan Ecological Park has truly become an ecological park full of spring blossoms and autumn fruits, with birds singing and flowers fragrant.

The ecological park commenced construction in early 2003, with a cumulative investment of over 30 million yuan to date. The park’s development adheres to the principles of scientific planning and creating high-quality projects. Focusing on three aspects—ecotourism, ecological agriculture, and ecological protection—the park has been designed to complement the terrain, create scenery on-site, and highlight unique features. High-standard and high-quality ecological projects and Liao cultural areas have been constructed, striving to build an ecological Nanshan, a cultural Nanshan, a tourist Nanshan, and a public fitness Nanshan. After several years of construction, the park’s area has expanded from the original 7,700 mu to 11,000 mu. The park has invested over 6 million yuan in infrastructure construction, achieving access to electricity, water, roads, and communication. Now recognized by the public, the park attracts many visitors daily, with numbers reaching tens of thousands during major holidays.

As an ecological barrier for Chifeng’s urban center, the park is positioned as a “city forest,” strengthening ecological construction. Over the years, in terms of garden planning and afforestation, the park has adopted three-dimensional cultivation techniques combining trees and shrubs, enriching tree species and increasing green and beautified areas. A total of 6,000 mu have been afforested, with over one million trees planted, achieving a forestation density of 90%. A 300-mu garden nursery and a 500-mu sightseeing and fruit-picking garden have been established, and roadside trees along the main mountain-looping road have been completed. The northern slope has added 1,500 mu of green space, with over 8,000 Scots pines, cypresses, and maples over three meters tall planted, covering the yellow-earth hills at the park’s main gate, fitness square, and Khitan Square with greenery. In particular, in 2006, the government allocated 1.2 million yuan from its local fiscal budget to plant 110,000 young Scots pines on the 1,700-mu barren slope west of the Obo. In 2007, the government leased land in Wen Zhong Town...

3328

...mu, entrusting Nanshan Ecological Park with the greening work. In 2008, over 200,000 yuan was invested to carry out greening construction after relocating a breeding farm, establishing a new apricot orchard with an enclosed isolation belt, planting over 2,100 apricot trees and more than 1,800 poplars.

In 2009, Chifeng City set a goal to build a forest city within four years. This year marks the first year of Nanshan’s initiation, and according to the municipal government’s four-year plan to develop a city forest, this year is the first year of Nanshan’s launch. The plan is to invest over 4.8 million yuan in greening and beautification efforts, planting over 50,000 seedlings of 22 varieties, covering a greening area of 2,500 mu across 15 sites. Due to the tight schedule, heavy tasks, and strong seasonality of tree planting in early spring, the 2,500-mu greening project was divided into four sections and tendered through bidding. Hengda Company won bids for sections 1, 2, and 3, while Beijing Zhongtian Landscape Company won section 4. The project funds were entirely advanced by the construction units, with payments made in three installments over three years at a ratio of 5:3:2 upon project completion and acceptance—50% at the end of 2009, 30% in 2010, and the remaining balance based on survival rates in 2011, requiring a survival rate of over 90%. During this period, the construction party is responsible for three years of maintenance.

.

To support the greening project, 500,000 yuan was invested in greening water source construction, laying over 4,500 meters of pipelines, drilling one water source well, installing 850 meters of high-voltage lines, one 50KVA transformer, and one secondary water lifting facility. The project has been completed, resolving the water supply issues for greening on the western and northern slopes and laying a solid foundation for better achieving greening goals.

The ecological park covers a total area of 11,000 mu. With only one oil road, the park experiences crowded people and vehicles during holidays, and muddy roads in the rainy season. To accommodate the park’s development and strengthen infrastructure, in 2009, over 3 million yuan is planned for road construction. Maintenance will be carried out on the existing 6.8-km mountain-looping oil road, and 6 km of new oil roads will be built, including the southern loop road connecting to the Wen-San line, and the western loop road leading to the Balipu Cemetery. To facilitate visitors’ access to the mountain, additional park entrances will be created, along with new leisure and fitness squares—the East Mountain Gate, North Mountain Gate-Yao Road, and the Buddha Pagoda-Mountain Looping Main Road—connecting all scenic spots. Upon completion, the park’s infrastructure will see a significant upgrade, and this project is scheduled to be finished in 2009.

While continuously improving infrastructure, the ecological park, based on ecology and grounded in Liao culture, has developed humanistic landscapes themed around Liao culture. To date, over 6 million yuan has been invested to construct more than ten cultural landscapes reflecting Liao Dynasty characteristics, including the Khitan Square, Liao Dynasty Guanyin, Totem Pole Square, Liao Ancient Tomb Museum, and Liao Art Grottoes. Among them, the 5,000-square-meter Khitan Square, reflecting Khitan history, has received an investment of 1.02

million yuan. The large relief mural in the square

——the Khitan Dynasty——won an Excellent Award in the First National Mural Competition in 2004.

With the continuous improvement of the Nanshan environment, more citizens are visiting the area for leisure and fitness. To meet the fitness needs of residents, in 2008, the district government invested over 3.2 million yuan to build the Nanshan Leisure and Fitness Square. The planning and construction of the square followed people-oriented principles and reflected sustainable ecological concepts, with “ecology” as the core theme. Leveraging resources such as green belts and existing trees, the project aims to create an “ecological park and humanized space.” Once completed, it will be a large-scale, high-end leisure and fitness venue in Chifeng, offering diverse spaces for people of all ages and social backgrounds. It will be another highlight in the Nanshan Ecological Park’s 11th Five-Year Plan. In 2008, site clearing, backfilling, mixed sand cushion layers, internal drainage, toilet construction, eco-brick paving, and stair foundation works were completed. In 2009, exterior finishes for pavilions and corridors, toilet renovations, slope protection, fan-shaped square and pathway construction,菲鲁姆 cement embossing, steps and treads, and granite slab paving were completed. Plant landscape greening construction has begun, with 690,000 yuan invested to create a landscaping scene, planting 14,600 trees including Chinese scholar trees, Scots pines, spruces, and various flowering shrubs.

To create a “nighttime Nanshan,” the district government invested 1.24 million yuan, using LED floodlights and digital streamline technology to illuminate the Nanshan Doppler Weather Tower. The project was completed on September 30, 2008. Now, the radar tower is dazzlingly illuminated at night and has become a landmark building in Chifeng.

In the future, Nanshan Ecological Park will continue to increase investment in ecological construction to fulfill its role as a “city forest.” Friends are welcome to visit and tour Nanshan Ecological Park.