Xixi National Wetland Park (Chinese: 西溪国家湿地公园) is the first and only national wetland park in China, located at the west part of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a total of 10.64 square kilometers (26,300 acres). The park is densely crisscrossed with six main watercourses, among which scatter various ponds, lakes and swamps.
XiXi Wetland has a history of more than 1,800 years and an abundant cultural heritage. It’s the original site of Chinese South Opera; it has a traditional Dragon Boat Contest; it contains the vivid life of a water village, featuring silkworm feeding and silk production.
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Hazy Fisher Village | Is famous for the scenery of willow haze, mist and smoke from kitchen chimneys. |
| Anchorage Thatching | Seems like an island floating on water—it’s the origin of the name “ anchorage”. |
| Autumn Snow Temple | Gains its reputation from white bulrush flowers, which blossom in winter and dance in the sky, similar to snow in winter. |
| Deep Pool Mouth | Can only be reached by boat, and is the site of the annual Dragon Boat Contest. |
| XiXi Thatching | Was once famous collector Fen Mengzhen’s second house in the late Ming Dynasty, recording the artistic life of “ lying on water and tasting tea”. |
| XiXi Plum Villa | Has a taste of eremitic sentiment, because the plum is the symbol of the hermit in Chinese culture. |
| Plum and Bamboo Manor | Is concealed in the plum and bamboo bosks, where poets met in the Qing Dynasty. |
| XiXi Water Attic | Is the place for collecting books and reading, with the west part “ Blue Brook Study” and the east part “ Book Possession”. |
Typical birds are: Little egret, wild geese, Common kingfisher, Mallard duck and silver pheasant.
Aquatic animals are carp, chub, shrimp, eel and crab.
Some of the vegetation includes: persimmon, willow, camphor, bamboo, mulberry, plum, peach, elm, nelumbo, maple, poplar and hibiscus.