Nenjiangwan National Wetland Park

Nenjiangwan, commonly known as Laokanzi. The Nenjiang River originates from the Yilihule Mountain of the Greater Khingan Range. Flowing southward for thousands of kilometres, it reaches the Da’an Terrace. The river turns southeast due to the terrain, forming a natural harbour.

It has long served as a natural dock and the largest inland open port in Jilin Province. In years with abundant water resources, the area was covered with dense ponds and marshes, luxuriant forests, grasses and reeds. Waterbirds flew everywhere, and fish and shrimp abounded, presenting beautiful primitive ecological scenery.

In recent years, affected by drought, the water level of the Nenjiang River has kept falling year by year. Nearly all ponds, marshes and ditches within the bay dried up. The number of flora and fauna dropped sharply. Large stretches of tidal flats were reclaimed into farmland by local farmers, which led to worsening desertification and soil erosion, causing continuous ecological degradation.

To reverse this situation, the CPC Da’an Municipal Committee and the Municipal People’s Government made a decision to restore and protect wetlands, develop eco-tourism and build an ecological civilisation. Taking wetland restoration as a breakthrough, the city fully carried out the development strategies of "prospering the city by relying on the river" and "revitalising the city with water". Great efforts have been made to build a riverside garden city and eco-tourism city integrating natural wetlands, urban development and ecological landscapes.

Following this development plan, Da’an applied for the national wetland park project. On December 23 last year, the project was officially approved by the State Forestry Administration as a national-level wetland park.

Over the past few years, the municipal authorities have adhered to high-standard planning and construction. First-class domestic tourism design institutions were invited, including Harbin Engineering University, Beijing Davos Planning Company and the design team of Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park, to compile the Master Plan for Nenjiangwan Scenic Area.

The layout is defined as "one core, two belts, four rings and nine zones", with three interconnected water systems planned: First, the Nenjiang shipping waterway, which maintains the functions of Da’an Port and keeps water transportation routes open between Da’an and domestic and overseas regions. Second, the urban landscape water system. Water is channelled into the city and lakes to form an urban water pattern of "one river encircling the city and four lakes embracing the urban area", laying a solid foundation for urban construction as a riverside garden and eco-tourism destination. Third, the waterfront wetland ecological water system. Water diversion projects restore wetland landscapes to build a well-known tourism brand and support the growth of the eco-tourism industry.

In accordance with this blueprint, a total investment of 140 million yuan has been put into ten major projects including roads, bridges, culverts, sluices, dams and canals. Ten scenic spots have been renovated and newly built, such as the Tongxin Moon-viewing Platform, Dragon Stone Square and Winding Waters Corridor. Ten tourist activities have been launched, including beach water entertainment, angling under willow trees and tasting river fish along the riverbank.

Centred on the local "An Culture", the city has further explored Khitan Nabo culture of the Liao Dynasty, distinctive Northeast folk customs, local catering culture, as well as modern culture reflecting industrial and agricultural civilisation.

Meanwhile, ecological development has been closely integrated with urban construction. The city adopts a development model where tourism boosts urban development and urban improvements drive tourism growth. Construction of a livable riverside city is accelerated: tourism promotes urban upgrading, and urban facilities improve the service capacity of scenic spots.

This year, 870 million yuan has been invested in ten urban projects including shantytown renovation. Another 200 million yuan has been allocated to start the construction of the Riverside Avenue, which connects the scenic area with the downtown district. The scenic zone and urban area are closely linked yet keep appropriate separation, forming an integrated urban pattern where the city lies within the scenic area and the scenery extends into the city, with complementary functions.

Da’an is being built into an ideal leisure destination suitable for sightseeing, living, travelling and starting businesses. Nenjiangwan will be fully developed into a national AAAA-level tourist attraction