Xixi National Wetland Park

Xixi was farmed for centuries as a landscape of fish ponds, mulberry banks and persimmon orchards divided by narrow waterways, and when Hangzhou's expansion threatened it the area was made China's first national wetland park in 2005, protecting around eleven square kilometres. Electric boats and punts thread the channels between islands planted with persimmon trees, which fruit orange in late autumn, and reed beds that flower white in October. Old villages, a former imperial temple site and small museums sit within it. The park is divided into zones, with the eastern section open to general visitors and parts kept as restricted ecological reserve.

History

The wetland took its first shape in the time of the Liangzhu culture, and under the Han and Tang dynasties the first villages grew up around it. In the Southern Song the emperor Gaozong loved Xixi so much that he thought of making it his capital, and in the Ming and Qing local people controlled its floods, raised silkworms on the banks and fish in the water, and artists came to write and paint here; when factories began to pollute it, a protection project started in August 2003 and Xixi became China's first national wetland park (Wikipedia, Xixi National Wetland Park).

What you'll find

• The waterway maze - narrow channels between islands, travelled by boat.
• The persimmon trees - orchards fruiting orange in late autumn.
• The reed beds - flowering white in October, a local viewing tradition.
• The old villages - settlements and temple sites within the park.

When to go

March to May for spring and October to November for reeds and persimmons; summer is hot and mosquito-heavy. Weekends bring Hangzhou crowds. Boat routes are fixed and tickets timed.

Good to know

Boats run set routes with additional charges and can involve queues. Parts of the park are closed as ecological reserve. The site is large and the walking substantial between zones.

Nearby

West Lake lies southeast; Hangzhou's centre is beyond it.

Key facts