Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area

1. Introduction

The Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area, composed of Xisha Wetland and Pearl Lake, is a comprehensive tourist destination in the western part of Chongming Island, integrating "agricultural tourism, water recreation, and science education." Located at the southwestern tip of Chongming Island—the world's largest estuarine alluvial sand island and China's third-largest island—the scenic area covers a total area of 7.8 square kilometers (11,900 acres). The area was originally a main channel of the southern branch of the Yangtze River and part of the route taken by the Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Seas. As a stopover on the International Migratory Bird Route No. 5, the scenic area boasts unique and beautiful natural landscapes of wetlands, lakes, and forests, along with distinctive land and water sports and leisure tourism. It is a national 5A-level scenic area with an ecological focus, Shanghai's first national wetland park, and a Shanghai Five-Star Sports Tourism and Leisure Base.

The scenic area features stunning natural scenery and excellent environmental quality, with air quality meeting National Grade I standards and water quality classified as National Surface Water Grade II. Activities such as goose release, the 8-kilometer lakeside running track, water lure fishing, amphibious vehicles, boat tours, speedboats, fish specimen viewing, children's playgrounds, wetland water forests, wetland fiddler crabs, and the Xisha sunset allow visitors to immerse themselves and linger, truly experiencing the charm of Pearl Lake and the intoxicating beauty of Xisha.

2. Geographical Features

2.1 Shanghai Pearl Lake

Shanghai Pearl Lake is located in Lühua Town in the western part of Chongming Island. It is the largest natural inland lake on the island and a key area for the planned western water recreation resort and western ecological agricultural tourism zone in Chongming District. Completed in September 2005, it is situated at the southwestern tip of Chongming Island, outside the Taoyuan Water Village and Pearl Lake embankment in Lühua Town, covering a total area of 4,500 acres. It is a core component of the Chongming Island National Geopark, the site of the Chongming Island National Geopark monument, Shanghai's only natural wetland with tidal phenomena and extensive tidal flat woodlands, and an experimental base for wetland ecological restoration funded by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

2.2 Xisha Wetland

Xisha Wetland is Shanghai's only natural wetland with tidal phenomena and extensive tidal flat woodlands. The "Xisha Sunset" here is considered a signature sight. The unique, cyclical tidal phenomenon is a vital condition for the wetland's survival. The ebb and flow of the tides nurture diverse wildlife in the wetland, where visitors can see migratory birds and sand crabs that inhabit the tidal zones.

3. Main Attractions

3.1 Pearl Lake Scenic Area

3.1.1 Folk Culture Experience Hall

The Pearl Lake Folk Culture Experience Hall offers two main handicraft courses: wheat straw painting and Chongming native cloth. Wheat straw painting is highly favored by both Chinese and foreign visitors, renowned as a "unique folk art" and "artistic treasure." Chongming native cloth has a history of over 500 years and enjoys the reputation of "clothing the world."

3.1.2 Ancient Ship Relics

The ancient ship relics are the first scenic spot at the northern entrance of the Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area (Pearl Lake). The sand ship, characterized by its wide, shallow, flat-bottomed, and square-bowed design, played a significant role in the development of shipbuilding, shipping, and trade in Shanghai. Displaying such a ship here symbolizes the Chongming people's remembrance of history and gratitude for the contributions of ships to the island's economic development, while also promoting the spirit of braving the waves and forging ahead.

3.1.3 Flower Bridge Panorama

Built in 2009, the Flower Bridge is 72 meters long and 31 meters wide, with 6-meter-wide vehicle lanes on both sides and a tiered pedestrian walkway in the middle. Standing on the bridge, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the "Three Ones": one embankment (the green circular island embankment), one lake (the ever-changing lake scenery), and one river (the Chongming circular island diversion canal).

3.1.4 Smart Running Track

This is Shanghai's longest and best leisure smart running track, integrating recreation, intelligence, culture, and health. The 8-kilometer smart leisure sports track consists of an eco-friendly plastic跑道, colored asphalt paths, floating bridges over water, and lakeside walkways. It includes 6,500 meters of plastic跑道, 500 meters of lakeside walkway, 700 meters of colored asphalt, and 300 meters of floating bridges. The track is equipped with multifunctional facilities such as rest stations, spray devices, smart services, thematic displays, and sports art installations on both sides.

3.1.5 Lakeside Barbecue

Visitors can enjoy seasonal flowers, forest scenery, goose releases, and特色烧烤 at the lakeside barbecue area. Equipped with over 30 outdoor barbecue stations, it can accommodate nearly 150 people simultaneously. Its特色有机食品, delicious homemade烧烤, and优美的生态环境 provide an ideal leisure旅游 spot.

3.1.6 Slanted Forest House

A magical visual experience awaits in this小屋 of less than 15 square meters. With clever design and rare错觉体验, visitors can personally感受 the brain's平衡感受 brought by视觉, making it highly educational.

3.1.7 Goose Release

This is the only goose release表演基地 in East China. Professionally trained flocks of珍禽 soar over visitors' heads, float on Pearl Lake, and perform graceful maneuvers with majestic calls, creating a breathtaking spectacle. Remarkably, these wild珍禽 obey commands to fly and return. Visitors can also stay to interact closely with the geese, feed them, and take photos.

3.1.8 Children's Fun Search

The儿童乐园 is a great place for亲子游戏, featuring swings, slides, climbing nets, trampolines, and bravery courses. Surrounded by绿树, shimmering湖光, and绿草丛丛, it encourages interaction between adults and children, sharing童年情趣 and preserving纯真温馨 in和谐生活. The area also includes shops, camping, and picnic spots, making it a fun-filled亲子场所.

3.1.9 Lure Fishing Base

One of Shanghai's most famous lure fishing bases (fee: $500 or ¥3,400), lure fishing is known as "water golf." It is an eco-friendly, novel, and healthy water sport where anglers manipulate rods to give lures various牵引与拖曳力道 in the water, mimicking逃窜,挣扎,痉挛等形态 to attract target fish. Pearl Lake's天然湖泊 and优质水源 nurture rich rare fish resources from the Yangtze River estuary, attracting numerous fishing enthusiasts from home and abroad.

3.1.10 Specimen Hall

Located on the central western shore of Pearl Lake, the Specimen Hall displays fish and bird specimens. The fish specimen hall, built by the lake, has land and water sections. The land section exhibits over 20 major fish species from Pearl Lake, including the "Four Major Domestic Fish" of the Yangtze River (black carp, grass carp, silver carp, and bighead carp). Notably, it features a全国乌青王 measuring 1.62 meters long and weighing over 150 pounds, as well as rare Yangtze River fish like Chinese sturgeon, reeves shad, and longsnout catfish. The water section mainly consists of观赏鱼池, where visitors can enjoy观鱼,喂鱼, and戏鱼 with common and ornamental fish from Pearl Lake.

3.1.11 Amphibious Vehicle

Experience双重刺激和激情 on land and water (¥30/person,儿童票 ¥20/person, for those under 1.4 meters). Amphibious vehicles are特种车辆 with both car and boat features, capable of陆地行驶 and泛水浮渡. They offer the thrill of plunging into water with splashing浪花, allowing visitors to体验明珠湖水上运动乐趣 and拍摄明珠湖水上运动全景, while also感受 the梦幻水陆激情体验 of瞬间变换 between land and water.

3.1.12 Speedboat

Become a海上骑兵 and enjoy飞一样的刺激 (¥200/lap, up to 5 people). Pearl Lake speedboats are characterized by small tonnage, high航速, and机动灵活. With two enclosed and two open speedboats available, visitors can尽情体验明珠湖水上极速之旅 and领略明珠湖水上迷人风光.

3.1.13 Boat Sightseeing

The most舒畅的观景雅座 and舒适的水上之旅 (¥30/person, minimum 10 people, up to 36 people). Boat sightseeing is the most特色项目 of Pearl Lake water tours. The观光游览船 fleet consists of four画舫船, one for meetings (22 seats) equipped with audio-visual systems, and three for游客观光 (40 seats).

3.1.14 Waterfront Restaurant

Savor全国最有名气的特色有机鱼 at the Pearl Lake Waterfront Restaurant, located 100 meters from the main entrance of the Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area (Pearl Lake). The餐厅 is elegantly decorated with a独特风格, featuring 10 private rooms and a main hall with 20 tables, accommodating up to 300 people for various中、小型宴会. Using农家土菜 and明珠湖优质有机鱼 as ingredients, combined with高超的烹饪技术, it offers authentic农家鱼鲜美食大餐.

3.1.15 Woven Vine Sculptures

Two woven vine sculptures symbolizing Chongming's ecological conservation achievements stand by Pearl Lake.

3.1.16 Chinese Water Deer Breeding and Display AreaWildlife Conservation and Science Education Area

The Pearl Lake Water Deer Breeding and Display Area, as part of the Shanghai Rare Species—Water Deer Breeding and Conservation Project, aims to establish a semi-free-ranging population of water deer at Pearl Lake, improve the wetland and forestry ecosystems of Chongming Island, increase biodiversity, and ultimately form a self-sustaining wild population of native species within the scenic area.

3.2 Xisha Wetland Scenic Area

3.2.1 Wetland Boardwalk

The scenic area features the longest wooden and imitation-wood ecological boardwalks and railings in East China, with a total length of 6,800 meters, constructed in two phases.

3.2.2 Wetland Boat Tour

Xisha Water Forest is a tourism project developed by fully utilizing wetland resources. Due to silt deposition, the natural tidal creeks in this area gradually silted up, narrowing the water channels. To maintain the wetland water sources, 34 disappearing tidal creeks were dredged in February 2014, forming a water forest lake channel. The entire water forest lake channel stretches over 1,000 meters from east to west, flanked by clusters of willow trees and bald cypress communities. The irregularly shaped lake channel resembles a crescent moon, hence it is named Liuyue Lake.

3.2.3 Water Forest

The Water Forest area also serves as a wildlife conservation habitat, with a total area of 560 mu (including 60 mu of water area, 100 mu of water forest, and 400 mu of peripheral bird habitat reed retention and harvesting areas). By integrating ecological restoration projects with the water forest boat tour, the scenic area has better enhanced and enriched the biodiversity of the Yangtze River tidal flat wetlands.

3.2.4 Science Gallery

Xisha Wetland features numerous resting corridors, which also serve as science galleries, displaying images of Xisha’s unique flora and fauna, as well as geological and geomorphological features. Xisha has recorded 62 species of fish, 108 species of birds, 91 species of plants, and 22 species of benthic animals, including the nearly extinct Songjiang four-gill perch in the natural environment, the Yangtze River Estuary endemic species Reed Parrotbill, and Chongxi water lice.

3.2.5 Wetland Teahouse

The Weianfang Teahouse is located in the southeastern corner of the Xisha Pearl Lake Scenic Area (Xisha Wetland), nestled among the tidal flat reeds. Covering an area of 550 square meters, it includes a hall that can accommodate 100 people at once, one large private room, and three small private rooms. Its exterior, interior structure, and furnishings are exquisite, distinctive, and upscale.

3.2.6 Tide Shelter Mounds

Tide Shelter Mounds are also known as "Jimin Mounds." Chongming is located along the southeastern coast and frequently suffers from storms and tides during the summer and autumn seasons. In the past, the island lacked sturdy seawalls to block the tides. When "the three brothers" arrived together (Chongming locals refer to wind, rain, and tides as the three brothers), breaches and flooding disasters often occurred.

4. Cultural History

4.1 Location

Chongming Island, also known as Chongming Sandbar, is located at the Yangtze River Estuary in the northern part of Shanghai, at longitude 121°10′–121°54′ E and latitude 31°27′–31°51′ N (Shanghai Gazetteer of Place Names [2]) (121°09′30″–121°54′00″ E, 31°27′00″–31°51′15″ N) (Chongming County Gazetteer [4]). It is the midpoint of the Chinese mainland coastline, facing Pudong New Area, Baoshan District, Jiading District, and Jiangsu Province’s Taicang City and Changshu City across the southern branch of the Yangtze River Estuary. It neighbors Jiangsu Province’s Qidong City and Haimen District across the northern branch of the Yangtze River Estuary. To the east, it borders the East China Sea and serves as the gateway to the Yangtze River.

4.2 Historical Development

Chongming Island emerged above water in the first year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD), forming two small sandbars in the river, called East Sand and West Sand. Residents relocated from Danyang, Jurong, and other places in Jiangsu Province, giving it a history of over 1,300 years. In the first year of the Shenlong era of the Tang Dynasty (705 AD), Chongming Town was established on West Sand. During the Song Dynasty, additional sandbars such as Yaoliusha, Majiabang, and Pingyangsha accumulated. Over time, many sand islands either merged northward or were washed away. East Sand and West Sand gradually collapsed, and later Changsha emerged. Today’s Chongming Island is the result of sediment accumulation from the Yangtze River. Due to the large amount of sediment carried and deposited by the Yangtze River, Chongming Island extends into the East China Sea at a rate of 143 meters per year, increasing its land area by approximately 487 hectares.

4.3 Origin of the Name

"Chong" means high, and "ming" means vast and open. "Chongming" refers to a high, flat, and broad expanse of clear land above the water.