Songtao Reservoir

　　Songtao Reservoir is located 20 kilometers southeast of Danzhou City, spanning the cities/counties of Danzhou and Baisha. It is a highland alpine lake known as the “Pearl of the Treasure Island.” Situated on the upper reaches of the Nandu River, its construction began in 1958 and took 10 years to complete, making it one of China’s largest earth dam projects. With a height of 81.1 meters and a length of 760 meters, it dams the surging waters of the Nandu River within the valleys of Nanyang and Fanka. The reservoir area spans 144 square kilometers and contains over 300 islands. Its total storage capacity is 3.34 billion cubic meters. It collects rainwater from a catchment area of 1,400 square kilometers along the upper reaches of the Nandu River and connects numerous water conservancy projects through a network of channels, forming a unified irrigation system that irrigates vast areas in the western and northwestern parts of Hainan Island. The Songtao Reservoir area is expansive, surrounded by mountains and covered with dense primeval forests. It not only benefits agriculture, fishing, and industry, but also serves as an excellent destination for summer retreats, vacations, and sightseeing on Hainan Island. The most popular activity is taking a boat tour to enjoy the scenic beauty of the reservoir—gliding across the emerald waters, surrounded by undulating mountains, towering ancient trees, deep blue lake water, and fishing boats dotting the surface, creating the sensation of boating through a painting.

　　The Songtao Reservoir scenic area is the earliest developed large-scale water conservancy hub project in the Nandu River basin of Hainan Province. The reservoir’s hub project consists of one main dam, seven auxiliary dams, one spillway, one water conveyance tunnel, and one diversion tunnel. After the reservoir was filled, three hundred mountain peaks were transformed into islands.

　　Songtao Reservoir, this feng shui treasure land where peaks gather, mountains layer in color, immortal springs flow, and rivers surge with tides, has become even more graceful, vibrant, vividly colorful, and dazzling under the breeze of reform.

　　Construction of Songtao Reservoir began in July 1958, and the entire reservoir area was largely completed by 1970. Before and after its construction, it received great attention from the Party and state leaders. On February 9, 1960, the beloved Premier Zhou Enlai inscribed the name “Songtao Reservoir” with pleasure; in June 1962, dramatist and poet Tian Han and his wife An’e visited the site.

　　Songtao Reservoir is one of China’s top ten reservoirs. Its continuous mountain ranges, vast waters, extensive area, and abundant resources are rare nationwide and uncommon in Hainan. It irrigates 1.23 million mu of fertile farmland across three cities and two counties, supplies 470 million cubic meters of water annually to Haikou, Yangpu, Nada, and the Old City Development Zone, transmits over 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, and also provides replenishment water to twelve medium-sized and thirty-three small-sized reservoirs in the northwestern part of Qiong Island. As the second-largest earth dam project in China, while ensuring the development and utilization of its land, thermal, and tourism resources, Songtao Reservoir has truly become a multifunctional comprehensive water conservancy project integrating irrigation, flood control, water supply, power generation, navigation, aquaculture, afforestation, and tourism.

　　The unique Songtao Reservoir, known as the “Heavenly Lake,” is located 15 kilometers from Nada, situated on the upper reaches of the Nandu River—the largest river in Hainan—at the intersection of Hainan’s central and western trunk highways. Its source originates from the Wuzhi Mountains, flows through Baisha, and enters the territory of Danzhou. The reservoir covers a water surface area of 130 square kilometers, with a storage capacity of 3.045 billion cubic meters and a catchment area of 1,496 square kilometers. The shoreline stretches 544 kilometers, and the main water routes cover 66.5 kilometers, including approximately 39 kilometers from Nafeng to the Yazha Port in Baisha and about 27.5 kilometers from Nafeng to the Songtao Dam. Boarding a boat that cuts through mountains and valleys, you can journey all the way to the Wuzhi Mountains, which support half the sky of the tropical wilderness.

　　The waters of Songtao Heavenly Lake are vast, resembling the sea, dotted with white sails and filled with fishermen’s songs, offering ever-changing scenery. On ordinary days, the misty waves glisten under the sunlight, and when angered, massive waves crash against the shore reefs. At sunset, the dam area of Songtao glows with radiant hues, reflecting the crimson waters where sky and water merge, set against undulating mountains and swaying coconut groves—a picturesque scene of breathtaking beauty.