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Jiaxing Yunhewan Wetland Park is named a State-level wetland park by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

The Jiaxing Yunhewan Wetland Park was recently named a State-level wetland park by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, local media reported on March 23.

The park, located in Wangjiangjing town, Xiuzhou district, is an important flood discharge channel in Jiaxing. It is also located upstream from Shanghai's source of drinking water.

The Jiaxing Yunhewan National Wetland Park covers an area of 696.48 hectares and includes nine lakes – Tianbei, Puti, Dayang, Maoyang, Dingxue, Canxi, Huxiao, Beibai, and Liansi, among other conjoining rivers.

The park features a variety of types of wetland and a diverse natural environment. It is home to 183 species of vascular plant, including three wild plant species under State protection, and 190 species of vertebrate, including five species under State protection.

A variety of cultures have formed around the wetland park over the past several milleniums, including fishing, rice-farming, silk weaving, lotus, bridge-ship, and food. The annual Net-Boat Fair held in the Liansi Lake scenic area of the park was added to the list of national intangible culture heritage items in 2011.

Xiuzhou established a development and construction management committee for the wetland park in 2011, and in 2012, it was approved as a provincial-level wetland park. In 2017, the management committee began ramping up efforts to upgrade the park to State-level.