At around 10 am on September 3, 2020, we finished our tour of Luli Ancient Town, returned by bus No. 18, and got off at the Garden Expo Park stop. The Garden Expo Park is located on the bank of Hengshui Lake. After getting off the bus, the East of the highway is the Garden Expo Park, and the west of the highway is Hengshui Lake. A colorful bridge hangs above the highway to connect the two, so you can enjoy the two scenic spots together.
We chose to go to Hengshui Lake first, and go to the entrance of Hengshui Lake from the colorful bridge. The scenic spot does not charge tickets. It is one of the popular public products in Hengshui City.
Hengshui Lake, commonly known as "Qianqingwa", also known as "Qianqingwa Reservoir", has a lake surface of 75 square kilometers (57 square kilometers in Jizhou and 18 square kilometers in Taocheng District). It is the second largest freshwater lake in the North China Plain after Baiyangdian Lake in terms of area and water storage scale. In July 2000, it was approved by the State Forestry Administration and the provincial government as the Hengshui Lake Wetland and Bird Provincial Nature Reserve in Hebei Province. In June 2003, it was approved as a national nature reserve.
Hengshui is close to Hengshui City in Hubei and connects to the ancient city of Jizhou in the south. The lake covers an area of 75 square kilometers. It is the largest single freshwater lake in North China, a national nature reserve, a national water conservancy scenic spot, and a very rare and typical national important wetland. . It has important ecological service functions such as water conservation, air purification, pollution degradation, and biodiversity maintenance. It has a direct impact on regulating the climate and ecological quality of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. It is known as "the first lake in the south of Beijing" and "the most beautiful wetland in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. ", "Green Pearl of North China", "Sapphire of East Asia".
Hengshui Lake is rich in species. It is a gathering place for animals and plants in North Temperature. There are 383 species of plants, 34 species of fish, 416 species of insects, 17 species of amphibians and reptiles, 20 species of mammals and 310 species of birds in the lake area. Among them, the red-crowned crane, white crane, oriental white stork, black stork, There are 7 species of bustards, golden eagles, and white-shouldered eagles, and 46 species of Class II protected birds such as whooper swans, cygnets, mandarin ducks, white-naped cranes, and gray cranes.
Hengshui Lake has a long history. According to legend, it is the "Yu trace" left by Dayu's flood control. Jizhou on the south bank was once "the head of Kyushu", and Hebei's abbreviation "Ji" originated from this. According to research, many rivers such as the ancient Yellow River, the ancient Zhang River, the ancient Hutuo River and the Fuyang River once flowed here, stretching for hundreds of miles and boundless. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao practiced their navy here successively. There are still many ancient river channels and ancient cultural relics in the lake area.
In January 2016, the National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection proposed to designate the Hengshui Lake Scenic Spot in Hengshui City, Hebei Province as a national eco-tourism demonstration area and a national 4A-level scenic spot.
Hengshui Lake Scenic Area includes Sansheng Island, Plum Blossom Island, Bird Watching Island, Reed Pond, Lotus Lake, Fishing Village and other major attractions. It can be reached by boat, and you only need to buy a boat ticket, but most tourists just visit the lake and Hehua Lake. It is said that the experience of taking a boat to the island is not cost-effective, so we just walk around the lake. From the entrance of the scenic spot to Hehua Lake, back to the road, a circular trail, the journey takes about an hour. Although the scenery is only the lake, reeds, lotus leaves [there are few lotus flowers in this season], and cruise ships, its combination is still beautiful under the clear sky. Huan Meilun, too beautiful to behold.
At around 11:00 in the morning, we crossed the road and went to the Garden Expo Park opposite. Although it was an outdated scenic spot, we planned to take a quick look and taste it.
