Xixi National Wetland Park

Tour Route Design Introduction of Xixi National Wetland Park

1. Core Positioning

"A watery labyrinth in the city — China’s first national wetland park, a secret garden navigable by boat above an underwater forest."

Xixi National Wetland Park lies in western Hangzhou, less than 5 kilometers from West Lake. Together with West Lake and Xiling Seal Art Society, it forms Hangzhou’s "Three Wests". Its core selling point: more than a conventional park, it is a living intact wetland ecosystem, with water covering roughly 70% of its total area. Instead of walking along roads, visitors drift through this natural maze by boat.

For overseas tourists, Xixi’s charm lies in its stark contrast with West Lake: West Lake is an exquisitely crafted man-made garden, while Xixi brims with wild, untamed natural labyrinths; West Lake is scenery to admire, Xixi is an immersive experience to live within. It is China’s first national wetland park integrating urban wetland, agricultural wetland and cultural wetland, hailed as "Hangzhou’s Kidney".

2. Core Attraction — The Watery Labyrinth of "One Stream, One Wisp of Mist"

Water is the soul of Xixi. Six rivers crisscross the park, forming a network of waterways, ponds, lakes and marshes stretching over 100 kilometers. Riding a punt through winding waterways flanked by lush vegetation and dappled sunlight, visitors enter a secluded green paradise, inspiring the poetic line "One stream, one wisp of mist".

Xixi boasts the famous Ten Sights of Xixi, each delivering a unique landscape experience: Snow Reeds in Autumn, Dragon Boat Festival Pageant, Remnant Charm of Hong Garden, Persimmons Reflecting Waves, Herons Amid Lotus Shoals, Reeds Bathed in Moonlight, Emperor’s Visit at Gao Manor, Opera by the River Sand, Misty Fishing Village, Plum Blossoms Along Winding Water.

3. Core Scenic Spots — Tourist Routes Linked by Three Long Dykes

Xixi’s tourist framework relies on three long dykes (Fu Dyke, Green Dyke, Longevity Dyke) connecting scattered core attractions across the water network.

1. Fu Dyke: 2,300 meters long, named after six bridges bearing the character "Fu" (blessing). It links the park’s northern and southern entrances, threading together major scenic spots, an ecological dyke embodying Xixi’s cultural essence of Buddhism, seclusion, folk custom, leisure and wilderness.

2. Green Dyke: 1,600 meters long, an east-west ecological corridor flanked by fish ponds with abundant vegetation. It crosses the core protected wetland zone, connecting wetland botanical gardens and scientific research bases, known as Xixi’s "Ecology Dyke".

3. Longevity Dyke: The longest of the three at 3,600 meters. Waterways and century-old docks line both banks, stringing together scenic highlights including Dragon Boat Festival Pageant and Hidden Beauty of Hong Garden.

Brief summary: Xixi Wetland is far more than a park — it is a complete urban ecological system with water occupying 70% of its area, home to over 200 bird species and thousands of years of cultural heritage. For overseas visitors, gliding through Xixi’s watery maze aboard a punt opens a living textbook of China’s philosophy of harmony between humanity and nature; no walls divide the landscape, only the horizon separates water and sky.