Huayang Lake Wetland Park

Huayang Lake Wetland Park

Huayang Lake Wetland Park is a national-level wetland park.

Huayang Lake Wetland Park is located in Huayang Village, Machong Town, in the northwest of Dongguan City, and is connected to the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone by a single bridge. Covering an area of 2 square kilometers, it was designed with the concept of "a dancing dragon adorned in brocade, clouds swirling above surging marshlands." The park includes attractions such as Reed Flower Fields, Banana Leaf Cottages, and Lakeside Pagoda Reflections. It combines leisure tourism, farming experiences, science education, cultural activities, and urban ecological functions, showcasing strong Lingnan water town characteristics. In November 2013, Huayang Lake Wetland Park hosted the finals of the Chinese Dragon Boat Championships, bringing Machong a degree of fame across the Pearl River Delta and even nationally.

The Huayang Wetland Area spans 16 square kilometers, with the wetland park itself covering approximately 2 square kilometers. Centered around Huayang Lake, it gathers waters from multiple rivers, offering beautiful natural ecological surroundings. The Huayang Wetland Area will also connect nine villages — including Huayang, Xinji, and Ma’er — through a 16-kilometer-long aquatic ecological greenway. Leveraging natural and cultural resources such as rivers, ancestral halls, pavilions, ancient villages, dragon boats, and the “Eight Scenic Spots of Machong,” it plans to develop attractions like Famous Village Ma’er, a Republican-Era Style Street, Huayang Riverside, Characteristic Village Xinji, and a Cultural Cuisine Street. This will establish the Huayang Wetland Area as an ecotourism circle and boost the development of eco-tourism.

Huayang Pagoda

Huayang Pagoda

Huayang Lake Wetland Park is located in Machong Town, known as the “Home of Swimming,” “Home of Traditional Chinese Opera,” and “Home of Dragon Boats,” making it a famous Lingnan water town. Machong’s dragon boat races have long been prestigious in Dongguan, with the annual Machong Dragon Boat Grand Event held on the 16th day of the fifth lunar month. By mid-April of the lunar calendar, villages begin preparations for dragon boat competitions and participate in events across the region. Machong’s dragon boat teams frequently compete in international and domestic championships, often achieving excellent results. In the 2013 Chinese Dragon Boat Championships, they secured first place overall, first in the 500-meter straight sprint, and second in the 200-meter straight sprint, gaining recognition both in China and abroad. Machong is also known as a hometown of Cantonese opera, with many villages having opera troupes, a deeply opera-loving populace, and several renowned Cantonese opera performers, reflecting a rich operatic cultural foundation.

Huayang Pagoda

Huayang Lake Wetland Park is situated in the delta river network formed by the Pearl River and its tributary, the Dongjiang River. Flowing through Machong in this river network are the North Main Channel of the Dongjiang, Daohai Canal, and Machong River channels. The park is shaded by lush trees and offers an elegant environment, with numerous crisscrossing waterways that connect to Huayang Lake. Machong bananas are famous both in China and overseas, and the park retains large banana plantations.

Huayang Pagoda

Planning and Construction

Huayang Pagoda

In the near future, Huayang Lake Ecological Wetland Park will further enhance its landscape amenities and sports facilities based on its current foundation. These include three scenic pagodas — the Sightseeing Pagoda, Lakeside Pagoda, and North Pagoda — as well as scenic zones such as the Ancient Tree Platform and the Ancient Plum Road Boat Peninsula. Additionally, tennis courts, soccer fields, and a comprehensive sports arena featuring a basketball gym and indoor heated swimming pool will be constructed along the extended Guomei Road.

The entire stretch of Majiao will adopt the design theme of “Charm of Majiao, Boundless Fields, Fish Swimming Near the Surface, Fragrant Lotus Blooms, Reeds in the Breeze, Harmony Between Heaven and Humanity.” It is divided into five sub-sections for development: “Rippling Colors with Floating Qi,” “Fish Swimming Near the Surface with Fragrant Lotus,” “Boundless Fields with Overflowing Floral Colors,” “Flowers Mirrored in Water as if in a Painting,” and “Bridges and Streams in a New Settlement.”

“Rippling Colors with Floating Qi” will serve as the prelude to the entire “Drifting and Flower-Viewing” journey. By introducing various aquatic plants to form distinct communities, it will enhance biodiversity and community stability. Backed by shrubs and trees outside the embankment, both riverbanks will present a richly layered natural scroll.

The “Fish Swimming Near the Surface with Fragrant Lotus” section will connect three fish ponds located in the middle section of Majiao River, planting various lotuses and water lilies such as Red Terrace Lotus, Single-Petal Pink Lotus, Prince Charming, and Fire Crown.

The “Boundless Fields with Overflowing Floral Colors” section, closer to the highway, will feature a colorful array of flowers such as wild taro, purple-leaved canna, Thalia dealbata, and hibiscus for landscaping, presenting visitors with a vibrant, picturesque landscape from afar.

The “Flowers Mirrored in Water as if in a Painting” section will combine various aquatic plants and trees with banana groves to create a mutually beneficial, thriving environment. This approach preserves the existing landscape while enriching its content.

The “Bridges and Streams in a New Settlement” section will plant grasses such as cogon grass and fine-leaved miscanthus to recreate the idyllic scenery of small bridges over flowing streams, evoking a leisurely and picturesque water town setting.

Address: West Ring Road, Machong Town, Dongguan City

Parking: Ample parking available on both sides of the road at the park entrance.

Nianhua Temple

Nianhua Temple

Huayang Village: Huayang Village is located in the northwest of Machong Town, Dongguan City, about 6 kilometers from the Machong exit of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Expressway. It faces the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone and Zengcheng City across the river. The village has an intricate network of waterways, with convenient land and water transportation. The area enjoys a subtropical climate with fertile soil, producing abundant bananas. The village covers a total area of 5.48 square kilometers, comprising three villager groups with a population of over 7,000, including 5,183 registered residents and more than 2,000 migrants.

Before the reform and opening-up, the three main crops — rice, bananas, and sugarcane — were the economic backbone of Huayang Village. With the development of banana tissue culture seedlings... More details on Huayang Village ++