On July 24, at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention held in Zimbabwe, Hangzhou successfully received International Wetland City accreditation, becoming the first batch of cities in Zhejiang Province to obtain this certification.
This five-year journey to accreditation not only witnessed Hangzhou's ecological transformation from a "Jiangnan water town" to a "wetland city," but also contributed "Chinese wisdom" and "Chinese solutions" to global collaborative wetland governance.
Xixi Wetland is China's first national wetland park. By the end of 2024, Xixi Wetland had recorded 971 species of vascular plants, 918 species of insects, and 224 species of birds. Compared to the data when it opened in 2005, these numbers have increased by 750, 441, and 155 species respectively, while water quality has improved from inferior Class V to Class III.
"All creatures compete freely under the frosty sky; a stream flows with rising mist" has become a true portrayal of the area. The Flower Festival, Fire Persimmon Festival, Reed Listening Festival, and Pond Draining Festival continue to carry on Xixi's thousand-year cultural heritage.
Here also stands China's only national-level specialized museum themed on wetlands—the China Wetland Museum. Its 32.5-meter-long 180-degree giant screen viewing space is filled with technological elements. The film "Realm of Living Beings" tells the story of the connection between wetlands and civilization. Visitors sit on the floor as if watching an IMAX movie in a theater, with every frame being breathtaking.
As the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, Musonda Mumba, said: "Wetlands exist in every corner of our beautiful planet; they are the arteries and veins of Earth's landscape. Solemn and powerful wetlands form beautiful scenic lines."
This summer, come to Xixi and let the lotus breeze sweep away your worries, let the clear waters carry you toward elegance and refinement.