Chongming Mingzhu Lake Park

Duration: 1 day. Time: December. Per capita cost: 200 yuan. Companion: Spouse. The author visited th[...]

Duration: 1 day. Time: December. Per capita cost: 200 yuan. Companion: Spouse. The author visited these places: Chongming Island, Chongming Mingzhu Lake Park, Mingzhu Lake, Xisha National Wetland Park. Posted on January 14, 2021, at 10:29.

Mingzhu Lake was originally a tributary of the southern branch of the Yangtze River. It was artificially dammed and built in the 1970s. Mingzhu Lake is located in Lvhua Town in the western part of Chongming Island. It is currently the largest natural inland lake on the island and also the main area of the western water entertainment resort area and the western ecological agricultural tourism area planned to be developed by the Chongming government. Covering an area of about 6,500 mu, of which the water area is about 3,000 mu and the water capacity is about 5 million cubic meters. It is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national ecological tourism demonstration base. The lake water here is clear, the environment is elegant, and the natural scenery is beautiful. According to detection, the atmospheric quality of the scenic area is at the national first level all year round, and the water quality is at the national second level. It is a new ecological concept tourist distribution center in the metropolitan fringe area integrating tourism, rehabilitation and recuperation, leisure clubs, cultural exhibition halls, ecological agriculture, and participatory entertainment. It is an ideal tourist resort area that combines the characteristics of water, greenery, local customs and human feelings in Chongming.

On December 5, 2020, I participated in a one-day tour of Chongming Mingzhu Lake. The adult ticket is 99 yuan per person. There are 16 tourists in one car. The one-way ride takes 2.5 hours. We arrived at the park entrance at 10:40. The tour guide said that this batch of tourists can have free Chinese food at the water restaurant. The meal starts at 11:30. After calculation, if we have a meal, there will be no time to tour around the lake. So we gave up. Chongming’s largest natural freshwater lake. We spent three hours walking, playing and enjoying the scenery, and making a circle around the lake. There are cycling facilities in the park, including tandem bicycles, vintage cars, and amphibious vehicles. But when we went there on a rest day, there were almost no people at all. There were only a few people riding bicycles sporadically. Occasionally coming to such a place to breathe fresh air is very nice. The slight cool breeze makes people feel refreshed and in a good mood. It’s quite comfortable and enjoyable to breathe the fresh air in the forest. The park is very large. It is 8 kilometers around the lake. At present, the Xisha Wetland that is not open has few amusement projects. The scenery around the natural lake is picturesque, with groups of shade trees and blooming flowers. However, there are fewer entertainment facilities. All the play items need to be charged separately! Many places are still under infrastructure construction.

The ancient ship ruins are the first scenic line at the north entrance of Mingzhu Lake Park. We place such a ship here to not only show that the people of Chongming do not forget history and are grateful for the contributions that ships have made to the island’s economic development, but also to carry forward the spirit of ships bravely opening up through chopping waves.

The Mingzhu Lake Waterfront Restaurant is located 100 meters from the main entrance of Mingzhu Lake Park. The restaurant is elegantly decorated with unique style. There are 10 independent private rooms. The hall has 20 dining tables and can accommodate 300 people dining at the same time. Various medium and small banquets can be held. Indulge in the authentic taste of rural fish delicacies made from high-quality organic fish and other ingredients sourced from the Pearl Lake area, expertly prepared to offer a true gourmet experience.

Huaqiao Scenic Spot: Constructed in 2009, Huaqiao spans 72 meters in length and 31 meters in width, with a 6-meter wide carriageway on both sides and a tiered pedestrian walkway in the center. From the Huaqiao, the ‘Three Ones’ scenery is fully visible: one embankment (the green island dike), one lake (with changing lake light and water color), and one river (Chongming Island’s ring main canal).

Intelligent Running Track: The longest and finest leisure intelligent running track in Shanghai, integrating leisure, intelligence, culture, and health. The intelligent leisure sports track is 8 kilometers long, composed of an environmentally friendly plastic track, colored asphalt path, floating water bridges, and lakeside walkways. The plastic trackSpeedboat Rides: Experience the thrill of being a sea cavalryman. (200 yuan per circle, accommodating up to 5 people). Pearl Lake speedboats are characterized by their small tonnage, high speed, and high maneuverability. There are two enclosed and two open speedboats available for visitors to fully experience the speed and charm of Pearl Lake waters.

Sightseeing Cruises: The most comfortable viewing seats and the most relaxing water journey. The Pearl Lake sightseeing cruise is the most distinctive water tour project, consisting of four painted boats. One of which is used for meetings (22 seats), equipped with audio and sound systems. The other three are for tourists’ sightseeing (30 yuan per person, starting with 10 people, and accommodating up to 36 people).

Amphibious Vehicles: Feel the dual excitement and passion of land and water. (30 yuan per person, children’s tickets 20 yuan per person, below 1.4 meters). Amphibious vehicles, which have both car and boat characteristics, can travel on land and float on water. They can bring you the thrill of plunging into the water, splashing waves, experiencing the fun of Pearl Lake water sports, capturing the panoramic view of Pearl Lake water sports, and feeling the dreamy water and land passion experience that changes in an instant.

Pinghu Crossing: Experience the width and depth of Pearl Lake as the main navigation channel of the Yangtze River’s South Branch before the reclamation in the 1970s (charge 30 yuan per person per time). Pinghu Crossing (zip line) is an experience project across the lake, allowing visitors to overlook the panoramic view of Pearl Lake while truly feeling the thrill of flying over the width and depth of the lake before the 1970s as the main navigation channel of the Yangtze River and the depth of the century’s changes. It is also an excellent place to capture and photograph various birds.

Leisure Corridor: Within the park, a waterside corridor of 50 meters has been constructed for visitors to relax while enjoying the lake views. Of course, you can also leisurely row a boat across the lake, drifting east and west, fully displaying a sense of freedom and leisure. When tired from playing, one can visit the lakeside leisure café for a few sips of coffee or head to the restaurant to taste various delicacies. In early winter, the changing colors of the ginkgo trees, the colorful reeds by the lake, and the unique ecological resources and regional environment of the Pearl Lake Scenic Area make it a haven for birds and a stopover for migratory waterfowl from the south and north. Every year from November to April of the following year, the scenic area welcomes a group of ‘mysterious visitors.’ They wear plain black coats but possess extraordinary fishing skills. They are the wild cormorants. Commonly known as fish eagles or water ducks, wild cormorants are second-class protected birds in the country. They have black feathers with a green sheen, a small throat pouch under the chin, and a long beak with a hook at the tip, making them skilled fish catchers and excellent diving stars among birds. Now is the perfect time to observe cormorants. Visiting Pearl Lake Park allows you to see them as they stand like ‘sentries’ on wooden poles by the lake, forming a unique scenic line.

Bird Watching Area: To allow more visitors to watch cormorants without disturbing them, the park has built a reed isolation wall with small windows for visitors to take photos and observe. Nowadays, there are fewer domesticated fish eagles on Chongming Island, and only at Pearl Lake can one capture the moment of wild fish eagles catching fish.

Fish Specimen Hall: Yangtze River fish display, featuring the largest Wuchang bream specimen in the country. The Fish Specimen Hall, located in the middle of the west bank of Pearl Lake, is built by the lake and divided into aquatic and terrestrial parts. On land, it displays more than 20 main fish species living in Pearl Lake, including the four major fish species of the Yangtze River estuary (black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp), among which the most famous is a 1.62-meter-long Wuchang bream weighing more than 150 pounds. There are also rare Yangtze River fish species such as Chinese sturgeon, shad, and catfish. The aquatic part mainly consists of an ornamental fish pond with common and ornamental fish in Pearl Lake, where visitors can enjoy watching, feeding, and playing with fish.

Children’s Fun Area: Children’s playground, fun life, is a good place for parent-child games. The children’s playground is equipped with swings, slides, climbing nets, trampolines, and the path of the brave. Surrounded by green trees, with shimmer

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**Discover Mingzhu Lake: A Haven for Trend-Chasers and Nature Lovers**

Welcome to Mingzhu Lake, a destination that caters to those who enjoy chasing trends, savoring life, and exploring the latest fashion items, while also meeting their desire for a unique mode of transportation.

**Ascending Swiftly: A Scenic Delight**

Within the ecological service area of Mingzhu Lake, there is a scenic spot called ‘Ascending Swiftly’. As you stand by the lake, the boundless water surface and the moist, fresh sensation envelop you, as if you are in a green ocean, a world of water, which is very pleasant.

**Lovers’ Bridge: A Path for Two**

In Mingzhu Lake Park, there is a long, narrow bridge that can only accommodate two people walking side by side, known as the ‘Lovers’ Bridge’. Strolling on the bridge, you can see couples riding tandem bicycles on the forest paths, people lazily basking in the sun on the lawn, and leisurely observe the flowers and wild grasses on both banks, truly a scene of ‘people traveling in a painting, emotions entrusted to the green waters’.

**Water Sports Base: A Hub of Activity**

At the water sports base, a venue for water sports competition, leisure sports experience, and training, we happened to encounter children’s sailing training and children’s rest ending. Running back to the base, the scenic viewing trail around the island, the water trestle bridge at the south dock, the landscape bridge with the rainbow bridge, and the Mingzhu Lake scenic stone are all part of the Mingzhu Lake landscape.

**Xisha National Wetland Park: A Natural Treasure**

The Xisha National Wetland Park, located at the southwest end of Chongming Island and facing Mingzhu Lake across the dike, covers an area of 5400 acres. It is the core exhibition area of Chongming Island National Geopark, the location of the Chongming Island National Geopark Monument, a national AAAA-level scenic spot, and the only natural tidal phenomenon and a large area of forest and reed marsh wetland in the Yangtze River estuary in Shanghai, as well as the first national-level wetland park in Shanghai. The scenic viewing trail around the island, the cedar scenery platform, the lotus flower stream station, and the floating trestle bridge are still under construction.

**The Forest Slanting House: A Magical Experience**

The Forest Slanting House offers a magical visual experience and sensation, with the interior currently being renovated. Although it is a small house of less than 15 square meters, it will bring you an indescribable feeling. Here, you can personally experience the brain balance feeling brought to you by vision, which is quite educational.

**The Pink and Soft Purple Grass Landscape Belt: A Bird’s Paradise**

After crossing this bridge is the Great Goose Release. It is the only Great Goose Release performance base in the East China region. After professional trainers’ training, hundreds of geese soar and dance, flying through the blue sky and white clouds, playing in the clear water, interacting with tourists in a warm and grand scene, making it the best choice for many tourists and photography enthusiasts. At the Great Goose Release site, you can see a large number of geese, which are very interesting, and the geese are very cute.

**Mingzhu Lake Roe Deer Breeding and Display Area: A Conservation Effort**

The Mingzhu Lake Roe Deer Breeding and Display Area is part of the Shanghai city’s extremely rare species – the roe deer breeding and protection project. The purpose is to establish a semi-free-ranging population of roe deer in Mingzhu Lake, improve the wetland and forestry ecosystem of Chongming Island, increase biodiversity, and eventually form a self-breeding wild population of local species in the park.

**Getting There: Public Transportation and More**

– **Public Transportation Routes:**
– Wenshui Road subway station (Shenchong Line 3) & Wuzhou Avenue subway station (Shenchong Line 6) → Nanmen bus station → Nanniu Line bus → Xisha Mingzhu Lake scenic area.
– **Ferry Route:**
– Baoyang Road dock & Shidongkou dock → Nanmen bus station → Nanniu Line bus → Xisha Mingzhu Lake scenic area.
– **Xisha Mingzhu Lake Tourist Direct Bus:**
– Start date: Daily departure (seats need to be reserved in advance).
– Departure location: Shanghai Tourist Distribution Center.
– **Self-driving Tour Route:**
– Shanghai urban area → Wuzhou Avenue → Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge → Chenhai Highway → Sanhua Highway → Xisha Mingzhu Lake scenic area.
– Northern Jiangsu area → Chongqi Bridge → Xianghua Highway → Chenhai Highway → Sanhua Highway → Xisha Mingzhu Lake scenic area.

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