Xixi National Wetland Park

Title: Xixi National Wetland Park
Author: Unionsys Geographic
Time: Friday, November 20, 2009
Description: Information about "Xixi National Wetland Park"
Keywords: Xixi National Wetland Park, Unionsys Geographic
URI: http://www.unionsys.org/2009/11/xixi-national-wetland-park.html
Source: Xixi National Wetland Park - Unionsys Geographic

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Xixi National Wetland Park: Table of Contents

Xixi National Wetland Park: Overview
Xixi National Wetland Park: Maps
Xixi National Wetland Park: History
Xixi National Wetland Park: Geography
Xixi National Wetland Park: Transportation
Xixi National Wetland Park: Attractions
Xixi National Wetland Park: Pictures, Photos and Wallpapers
Xixi National Wetland Park: References
Xixi National Wetland Park: Additional Reading
Xixi National Wetland Park: Internal Links
Xixi National Wetland Park: External Links

Xixi National Wetland Park: Overview

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.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Maps

Map of Xixi National Wetland Park

Map of Xixi National Wetland Park

Xixi National Wetland Park: History

At Xixi there is some evidence of an original wetland culture going back 4-5000 years. Specific records begin in the Dong Han dynasty (223 AD) where Buddhists gathered to drink of Xixi's water and engaged in stone carving and the first Buddhist temples were soon built on site. The famous Hua Fa Shi Temple established from 480-493 AD is the earliest temple still present at Xixi although earlier temples existed. From the Tang Dynasty (beyond 618 AD), Xixi??s natural beauty and ecology was being enthusiastically praised in the writings of the eminent poets. More recently, the famous Dragon Boat Festival was established (1465) together with the completion of many more pavilions and villas. Later still, In the mid 1600??s, a Buddhist revival spawned a further plethora of historical temples. The persimmon, plums, reeds, bamboo and magnificent Camphor trees of Xixi at this time were becoming highly prized, and the ecology of Xixi was a key feature referenced in poems, writings and paintings of the period, as was its bird life. Building names, at this time, reflected Xixi??s ecological nature, prime examples including the Plum and Bamboo Villa established in 1839, and the Autumn Snow Temple referring to the sea of white reed heads viewed from the temple??s upper gallery. The fishing culture of Xixi has also been an important factor to the city - the fish and terrapins of Xixi's 3000 ponds supplying much of the city of Hangzhou and surrounds.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Geography

Xixi National Wetland Park: Transportation

Hangzhou Center: 8 km, 25 minutes
Main train Station: 10 km, 30 minutes
East Bus Station: 10 km, 30 minutes
Xiao Shan Airport: 40 km, 50 minutes
Shanghai: 220 km, 160 minutes

Xixi National Wetland Park: Attractions

Xixi National Wetland Park: Angling Club

Angling must be one of the most relaxing leisure sports of all and Xixi Angling Club is an ideal place for angling lovers. Surrounded by green willows, you can come to try your hand at catching the common carp, grass carp, silver carp, and other freshwater fish as well as lobsters and other crustaceans in the unique scale-like fishing ponds of Xixi wetland.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Bo Temple

The Bo temple was originally the manor of Zou Xiaozhi (nicknamed Shiji), a native of Qiantang in the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty. He engaged himself in academic research, with little appetite to seek fame or official rank. He led a simple life with his two younger brothers enjoying reading and farming. At that time the area was full of reeds. Looking from high, the manor seemed like a fairy islet floating on the water, an idea reflected in the name "Bo An".

Xixi National Wetland Park: Plum-bamboo Villa

It was built by Zhang Fu (nicknamed Cibai) between 1777-1857. Cibai was a famous literati in the Qiantang in the Qing Dynasty. Surrounding the villa, old plum trees and slender bamboos are scattered. According to historical records, Zhang Cibai made great contributions to the excavation and dredging of the Xixi Brook. With a noble and pure personality, he loved reading, calligraphy and painting, and often invited his friends to recite poems and paint the scenes of plum blossoms or bamboo here, hence the name Plum-bamboo Villa.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xixi Plum Villa

Xixi Plum Villa is located in the southeast of the park, close to the Autumn Snow Temple, and is one of the best scenes of the park. The plum trees of Xixi were mainly planted along the Nian Road, the road for the imperial vehicles in Southern Song Dynasty. The plum trees became famous since ancient times and attracted many literati, calligraphers and painters to appreciate the plums and plum blossoms. The Cold Tea House represents the retired spirit of ancient literati described in poetry as "With the bamboo and plum for company and I loose all desire for fortune and fame".

Xixi National Wetland Park: Autumn Snow Temple

The Autumn Snow Temple was firstly built in the Song Dynasty with the original name of Dasheng Monastery. In the late Ming Dynasty, the Shen brothers rebuilt it and invited eminent monks to take charge of the affairs in the monastery. In the late Ming Dynasty Chen Jiru inscribed a new name to this place as Autumn Snow Temple, which originated from a poem of the Tang Dynasty in which a sentence reads the anglers boat is fishing in the flowers of reeds which speaks of the autumn air filled with the wispy white fluffy reed seeds filling the air as if snow. From 1919 to 1921, Zhou Qingyun, a celebrity in Nanxun, styled as Mengpo, renovated the temple. The present architecture is rebuilt on the basis of the original pattern at the former place.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xixi Family

"Xixi Family" (the display house of local inhabitants) represents the local family life of Xixi locals. The house displays the daily utensils and labor tools of the local people in the ancient times, among which one finds some tools unique to Xixi Wetlands such as the Maoqisi (a container to hold fish), tile plate, tile circle, brick clip and many others.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Wetland Plants View Area

The Wetland Plants Viewing Area is located between Yanshui Fishing Villa and Deep Pool Mouth. One can find 85 vascular Plant families together with many wild flowers and grasses finds various water plants like calamus, water shallot, duckweed, and wild celery in the vast lareas of ponds. The long path winding around the ponds leads one into the depth of the wetland and the fragrance of the lotus makes the tourist reluctant to leave.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Yanshui Fishing Villa

Yanshui Fishing Villa is located to the south of Yanshui Temple and close to Chao tianmu yang. It displays how the local people of Xixi continue to fish and labor using time honored traditional techniques. It is also an ideal place for tourists to enjoy local food. In the villa, tourists not only enjoy the local freshwater fish as well as other local specialties, but also have the chance to go angling in the public angling area.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xixi Water Pavilion

Xixi has been a major meeting point for scholars, philosophers and poets since ancient times. Such famous figures, have left us with a plethora of calligraphic and painting works and cultural relics. Xixi Water Pavilion mainly served as a place for local scholars to keep and read books as well as make friends. The Water Pavilion includes the Lanxi Book Tower and Yongshu Book Tower for tourists to image the retired life of the ancient literati in the rich cultural atmosphere of Xixi Wetland.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Deep Pool Mouth

According to historical records, Deep Pool Mouth cannot be crossed without a ferry, for the pool is deep enough to hold a dragon! Since then Deep Pool Mouth has become the seat of the famous annual dragon boat fair of Jiang Village, an event visited by ancient emperors. At that time deep pool mouth is crowded with boats and people during the Dragon Boat Festival every year and the pool has become another appeal of Xixi.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xixi Straw Pavilion

The pavillion was the villa of Feng Mengzhen (1546-1605), styled as Kaizhi, the presider of sacrificial rites in the late Ming Dynasty. Feng Mengzhen took a fancy to poetry writing and antique collecting. In his late years, attracted by the quiet and peaceful landscape in Xixi, he purchased the lot near the Yongxing Temple, Anle Mountain, and built the Xixi Straw Pavilion, where the Xihu Senior Middle School (Liuxia Town) is now located. Now the pavilion has been moved into the wetland.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xixi Silk and Silkworms Stories

The Xixi Silk and Silk Worms story of Yanshui Fishing Villa displays twenty working procedures in making silk including demonstrations of mulberry agriculture and the raising of silkworms, cocoon steaming and silk spinning, clothes making. The stories represent the quick hand and quick mind of the local women. The stories represent the traditional silk-making skills demonstrated south of Yangtze River as well as the traditional silk culture as a delight for the tourists.

Xixi National Wetland Park: Xialongtan Ecological Conservation Area

Xialongtan Ecological Conservation Area is the biggest ecological conservation area in the wetland park with various water and land plants and wild animals. It is also the home to many birds. A bird platform has been set up in the area for the tourists to view the flying birds, which brings pleasure to the tourists.