A boat sails in the Haohe River. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Haohe River scenic area in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, recently made the list of 10 most popular tourist attractions in the province, according to the Forestry Department of Jiangsu.

Haohe River, located in Chongchuan district, is one of the four best preserved ancient moats in China.

Haohe River scenic area is lit up at night with colorful lights. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong used to be a sandbank with numerous puddles. To build a city, people dug the river for soil, leaving vast stretches of water, which later became the Haohe River.

Currently, Haohe River spans 10 km, with the widest point being 215 meters and the narrowest 10 meters.

There are many attractions along the river, including the 1,000-year-old Tianning Temple, Wenfeng Tower, and the Nantong Museum, China's first public museum. Twenty-eight bridges have also been built along Haohe River.

A bird's-eye view of Haohe River scenic area. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The Haohe River scenic area was listed among the first batch of historic and cultural protection zones in Jiangsu in 1995, and in 2012 the scenic area was designated a national 5A tourist attraction that receives some 8 million visitors each year.

With lush trees on both sides, the scenic area boasts beautiful scenery and numerous gulls, wild ducks, and fish hawks. When the night falls, the spot is lit up with colorful lights, contrasting finely with rippling water.