Jinhu National Wetland Park

Jinhu Lake, shaped like a goldfish, is located northeast of Yichang. The lake area covers more than 730 hectares, of which nearly 94 percent is wetland.

Jinhu Lake is home to hundreds of rare birds and plants. Dozens of gray cranes and wild ducks come here every winter. More than 180 species of birds, such as seagulls, pheasants and egrets, have settled in the forest around the lake and thrive there.

Jinhu Lake used to be the site of commercial fishing ponds of all sizes where the goal was to make money. The environment kept getting worse. In 2014, the Zhijiang government launched a campaign to restore the environment of Jinhu Lake. The fishing ponds were closed so that the wetlands could recover and the lake area was expanded. Aquatic vegetation was introduced to purify the lake water. The wetland once again became a space suitable for wild animals.