Qingxi Country Park: An Ideal Autumn Getaway

Duration: 1 day Time: November Cost per person: 150 yuan With whom: Spouses Activities: Photography,[...]

Duration: 1 day
Time: November

Cost per person: 150 yuan
With whom: Spouses
Activities: Photography, Free travel, Hiking

The author visited these places: Qingxi Country Park and Shanghai Gallery Bridge.

Qingxi Country Park is positioned as a remote wetland-type country park, the only one in Shanghai that features wetlands. Its diverse aquatic species can be regarded as a natural gene bank of indigenous aquatic species in Shanghai, earning the park the reputation of ‘Kanas on Water’! The park emphasizes the construction characteristics of ‘forest as the body, wilderness as the soul, and water as the charm’. It showcases the theme of ‘Dreamy Qingxi, Rippled Wetlands’, with the entire scenic area built around the Dalain Lake Wetland in Qingpu District. The scenery is enchanting and fresh, fulfilling the urban dwellers’ dreams of returning to pastoral water towns and pursuing memories of Jiangnan.

Hidden in the ‘land of fish and rice’ of Qingpu in Shanghai, lies the only wetland-featured country park in the city. With the water forest of Chinese fir trees planted 38 years ago as the ‘treasure of the park’, relying on the ecological restoration project of Dalain Lake, Qingxi Country Park is characterized by rippling waters, fir forests, and heron reflections, with ‘lakes, beaches, ditches, and islands’ crisscrossing. The park’s water surface area accounts for one-third, with diverse aquatic species, and themed on wetlands, ecology, nature, and leisure. It comprises three major functional areas: a water town farm demonstration area, an ecological conservation function area, and a fishing village leisure experience area. The main attractions include the water forest, fir forest and heron reflections, Qingyun wild path, reed flower area, rippling wetlands, and peach blossom ferry. Among them, the over 60-acre water forest is unique to Shanghai and is known as the marvel of Chinese fir trees. Qingxi, phonetically similar to ‘Qingxi’, the treasure of the park, the water forest, is full of water charm and spirit, making the following ancient poem particularly suitable for describing the ethereal and tranquil beauty of Qingxi. Chinese fir is a unique tree species in our country, a first-class protected plant, and is known as ‘the panda of the plant world’. In late autumn, the graceful tree posture reflected in the water amazes all tourists. Every late autumn and early winter, the originally green leaves of the Chinese fir tree turn to ochre red, standing in the water, very spectacular. Qingxi Country Park in Qingpu District, Shanghai, has a ‘water forest’, which is also the only ‘water forest’ in Shanghai. Centered on Dalain Lake, it covers an area of 83 acres. Under the illumination of the morning light, a large area of Chinese fir stands in the water, with the water surface as a mirror, reflecting the straight body of the trees. The 38-year-old trees have adapted to grow in water, with thick roots firmly rooted in the water. The dark red Chinese fir stands upright, beautiful under the sunlight, occasionally with water birds passing by and stopping, becoming a picture worth treasuring. Every winter season (November 20 – December 20) is the best viewing period. In the most beautiful season of the magic city, let’s go to Qingxi Country Park to appreciate the water fir forest! Qingxi Country Park in autumn is not only golden yellow but also colorful and vibrant… There are lakes, rivers, and various birds such as black water chickens, little grebes, magpies, night herons, and great egrets. The scenic area is quite large, and the parking lot and bus station are far from the entrance of the scenic area. You can choose to take the scenic area sightseeing electric car. During the best viewing period, you need to queue up. Moreover, entering the scenic area also requires a long walk. We came for the first time and wanted to see along the way, so we did not take the scenic area sightseeing electric car.With the water fir forest planted 38 years ago as the ‘treasure of the park’, relying on the Dalian Lake ecological restoration project, in Qingxi Country Park, there are blue waves rippling, fir forests with herons flying. ‘Lakes, beaches, ponds, and islands’ are crisscrossed. The water surface area in the park accounts for one-third. There are diverse aquatic species. With the themes of wetland, ecology, nature, and rest, it has three functional areas: water town farm demonstration area, ecological conservation function area, and fishing village leisure experience area. The main landscapes include water forest, fir forest with herons flying, Qingyun wild path, reed flower area, wetland with rippling water, Peach Blossom Ferry, etc. Among them, the more than 60 mu of water forest is unique in Shanghai and is known as a fir forest wonder. Qingxi is homophonic to ‘Qingxi Stream’. The water forest, the treasure of the park, is full of water charm and spiritual energy.

The fir tree is a unique tree species in China and a national first-class protected plant. It has the reputation of ‘the giant panda in the plant kingdom’. In late autumn, the beautiful tree posture is reflected in the water, stunning all tourists. Every late autumn and early winter, the originally emerald green leaves of the metasequoia turn ochre red and stand in the water, very spectacular. In Qingxi Country Park in Qingpu District, Shanghai, there is a ‘water forest’. It is also the only ‘water forest’ in Shanghai. Centered on Dalian Lake, it covers an area of 83 mu. Under the illumination of morning light, a large area of metasequoias stand in the water. The water surface is like a mirror, reflecting the straight trunks of the trees. The trees that have grown for 38 years have adapted to growing in water. The thick tree roots are firmly rooted in the water. The dark red metasequoias stand towering. Under the sunlight, they are magnificent. Occasionally, water birds pass by and stop, becoming a picture worth treasuring. Every year during the winter season (from November 20 to December 20) is the best viewing period. Let’s go to Qingxi Country Park to appreciate the metasequoia forest in the most beautiful season in Shanghai!

The autumn of Qingxi Country Park is not just golden yellow, but also colorful and multicolored… Here there are lakes, rivers, and various birds such as moorhen, little grebe, magpie, night heron, egret in Dalian Lake, shrike, Daurian Redstart (male), and Daurian Redstart (female). The scenic area is very large. The parking lot and bus stop are far from the scenic area entrance. You can choose to take the scenic area tour battery car. During the best viewing period, you need to wait in line. Moreover, entering the scenic area also requires a long walk. For our first visit, we wanted to see along the way, so we did not take the scenic electric sightseeing car. It turns out to be correct. There are many scenic spots along the way, which are very photogenic. Getting off the bus is Zilian Road. It is more than 900 meters north to reach the tourist center. This is a straight and flat asphalt road. The black road surface passes through the farmland on both sides, appearing particularly beautiful and dazzling. Beside the road are hundreds of meters of thick, square log wisteria trellises. Although it is autumn now and the wisteria flowers have long withered, the intertwined wisteria on the trellis is still lush and green. The verdant vines fill the corridor, and the corridors are layered one after another, stretching as far as the eye can see. Next spring, when the wisteria blooms, strings of wisteria flowers will hang all over the flower trellis, forming a purple ‘time and space tunnel’. The scenery must be magnificent. Beside the avenue is a river, full of withered lotus leaves. Imagine how beautiful the green lotus leaves are in summer when the water is rippling. We agreed to come to enjoy the lotus in summer. From time to time, egrets prey and herons soar on the river. Although Dalian Lake in autumn is a bit inferior to spring and summer, autumn has its own charm. In the river, little grebes swim leisurely.

After entering the country park, what comes into view is a scene of Jiangnan water towns in Shanghai’s new countryside. Our mood also becomes comfortable involuntarily, and the fatigue of the journey is swept away. With white walls and black tiles, the farmhouses are scattered in an orderly manner, creating an atmosphere of happiness, tranquility and harmony. The park is large in scope, so the park still retains the naturalIn 2014, Lianhu Village was included in the first batch of beautiful countryside district-level demonstration village construction in Qingpu District. In 2015, it was rated as a beautiful countryside demonstration village in Shanghai. In 2018, it was awarded as a national ecological culture village. In 2018, it was also selected as one of the first batch of pilot villages for rural revitalization demonstration villages in Shanghai.

“Lotus silk twines around the wrist, water chestnuts pull clothes from afar.” Here there are thousands of mu of lotus ponds, with lotus leaves so lush and fish playing among the lotus leaves. “A river of misty water reflects the clear haze, and houses on both banks are connected by painted eaves.” Here there are white walls and black tiles, clear water flowing leisurely, and a poetic paradise. This is the rural market.

At the rural market, walking about 700 meters west on Lianshe Road, you can have a panoramic view of the water and sky of Dalian Lake. The entire Qingxi Country Park is laid out around Dalian Lake. This is a lake similar to an isosceles triangle. Dalian Lake is famous for its shimmering lake surface and large areas of lotus flowers. Strolling by the wetland lotus pond by Dalian Lake, the 5.5-kilometer lakeside walking path is quiet and has an excellent view.

Dalian Lake is a natural lake with a water area of 1 square kilometer. The wetland around the lake is home to wild lotus flowers, which are the main attraction of the wetland lotus pond. Unfortunately, early autumn is not the season to appreciate lotus flowers; from a distance, the lotus flowers have withered, and the lotus leaves have turned yellow. However, in June and July of the following year, this place will surely be a beautiful sight with lotus ponds in the moonlight, breathtakingly beautiful. It is said that this is the best season to visit Qingxi Country Park. In summer, the pond is filled with vibrant red lotus flowers. In autumn, after a night of wind and rain, only the “remaining lotus leaves listen to the sound of rain.” Under the bright moon and the autumn wind, the lotus pond leaves float, and the flowers have gone, leaving withered branches. The dewdrops on the decaying lotus leaves evoke memories of their beautiful summer season, yet I clearly see the lonely and confident beauty hidden in the slow pond of withered lotus. Once a symbol of elegance and vibrant noise, they have faded into a distant view of broken branches and fallen leaves.

In the center of Dalian Lake, there are three small islands, each 500 square meters, collectively known as Lianxin Island, with lush vegetation. The three islands in the center of the lake appear to have no buildings or original inhabitants.

On the west side of Dalian Lake, separated by a road from the lake, lies an endless rice field, like a huge golden carpet spread between heaven and earth. White farmhouses dot the rice fields in the distance, like a rich oil painting, too beautiful to behold. Here, high-quality frog rice is planted as a single late-season crop. Frog rice selects high-quality thin rice varieties from Qingpu, and the planting area is located within the Huangpu River’s upstream drinking water source protection area. The “frog-rice coexistence” cultivation method is adopted to protect and cultivate rice with frogs, effectively controlling rice field pests, ensuring food safety, reducing environmental pollution, and promoting sustainable agricultural development.

Heading from south to northeast, past the Jinkoumen Port, follow the road signs and pass by the Dalian Lake Service Station. After passing the service station, walk about a hundred meters forward to reach the Reed Snow Maze, which can only be seen from a distance. Further ahead is the Lianxin Bridge. The Lianxin Bridge consists of two arch bridges, a wooden pavilion, and a winding plank road, offering a view of a large area of flourishing reeds in the wetland swaying in the wind. Standing on the plank road, on the first arch bridge, you can capture the winding plank road, the lake pavilion, the Reed Snow Maze, the distant Yongjing Temple, and the blue sky and white clouds all in one frame, creating a very atmospheric scene.

Across from the Lianxin Bridge and the Reed Snow Maze, marked on the tour map, is the Shuiyang Wetland, which is enclosed within the park’s main scenic area, the “Ecological Conservation Area.” Through the wire mesh, you can see a lotus pond where a worker is harvesting lotus roots. In the morning, you see the lotus roots being pulled from the pond, and in the afternoon, you see the lotus roots being sorted and bagged on the river surface, a long harvest full of joy to take home.

Following the lakeside trail further ahead leads to the Ecological Conservation Area,The confusion between the two is not entirely baseless: not only do they resemble each other and both have the function of purifying water quality, but the well-known phrase “the reed and the young reed are green, and the white dew turns to frost” actually refers to the unripe reeds and the newly sprouted reeds. The white reed flowers shimmer in the sunlight, like strands of hair dancing in the autumn breeze. The reflection of white reed flowers in the water, together with the blue sky and white clouds, compose an aesthetically pleasing autumn scene. It evokes the beauty of “the reed and the young reed are green, and the white dew turns to frost, there is a beautiful woman by the water.” When the wind blows the reed flowers, it is also very beautiful. As the breeze passes, from a distance, it looks like a field of wheat waves. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once described the bleak autumn scenery with “maple leaves and reed flowers in the autumn rustle.” The combination of Metasequoia and reeds is stunning; the Metasequoia is already blazing red, while the reeds grow wildly and majestically, seemingly competing with the Metasequoia for prominence. After leaving the conservation area, walking on the Lianxin Bridge, if only one could complete a loop around the lake, it would be perfect. Unfortunately, time is limited, and we can only look forward to the next visit.

Our autumn visit to Qingxi was on November 30th, and the Metasequoia forest will be even more vibrant in another half month. Although there’s a bit of regret, it also leaves us with something to look forward to. We had originally planned to come again around the 15th and then write the travelogue, but the weather forecast for the later dates is not ideal, which might prevent us from doing so. However, I’ll publish the travelogue now. If everything goes as planned, I’ll continue to share more. Let’s hope for some sunshine! Detailed address: No. 500, Zilian Road, Jinze Town, Qingpu District. Transportation information: 1. Self-driving: Navigate to “Qingxi Country Park Parking Lot”. There are four parking lots, P1-P4, with only P1 and P2 offering shuttle buses and bicycles. Parking fee is 15 yuan per entry. 2. Public transportation: 1. Subway Line 17 to “Zhujiajiao” Station, then transfer to Qingpu Bus No. 28 to “Lianxi Highway Xisong” Station, and walk for about 20 minutes to reach the park entrance. 2. Subway Line 17 to “Oriental Land” Station, then transfer to Jinze Bus No. 7 to “Qingxi Country Park” Station, and walk for about 20 minutes to reach the park entrance. 3. Transportation within the park: 1. Walking: The distance from the park entrance to the Water Forest is 3.8 kilometers, which takes about 30 minutes on foot. 2. Electric shuttle: Round trip for 20 yuan. 3. Bicycle rental: Yonganxing’s, with docks遍布 the park, can be rented by scanning with the APP or Alipay/WeChat. Three types of bicycles available, single for 15 yuan, family for 20 yuan, and tandem for 30 yuan per hour.