Wudang Wetland Park to open this summer

By Xin Wen ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2013-04-25

Wudang Wetland Park, at the entrance of Tai Chi Lake in the Wudang Mountains, began construction on April 14 and will open to the public this summer.

Many gardeners planted lotuses on April 15, cultivated by the Wuhan Aquatic Plant Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The residents of Shiyan city can enjoy the beauty of the wetland and see reeds and lotuses without traveling far.

The wetland park, designed by the Wuhan University Scenery Design Academy, covers 8.86 hectares and has 16 kinds of different water plants, including lotuses, Arundo donax, Iris ensata, Acrous gramineus and Pumilum. It also features various colors such as red, pink, white, blue, yellow, orange and purple. All kinds of aquatic plants are in drainage line arrangements, like a natural waterscape.

To keep tourists closer to the water, the park plans to build a zigzag trestle that is 226 meters long and 3 meters wide. The middle of the trestle is a pavilion. The eastern and western bridgehead will create a waterside platform. There will be a boardwalk from north to south measuring 25,147 meters long and 2 meters wide in the north head of the bridge.

According to plans, the planting of lotuses and water lilies will be completed before May 1. The lake will fill with water gradually following the growth cycle of lotuses until the lotuses blossom in September.

Wudang Wetland Park provides a fantastic place for residents to relax and walk. It is also an educational place to learn more about wetland protection and botany. The park helps keep the ecological balance of Tai Chi Lake, especially its water and wetland.