Research Base

Hongze Lake Wetland Research Base is located in Hongze Lake Wetland Scenic Area, Sihong County, on the northwest bank of Hongze Lake, which is the fourth largest freshwater lake in China. It is the cradle of the navy of new China, National Base for Science Education, National Science Education Base for Environmental Protection, Species Gene Pool in Eastern China, and One of the First Environmental Protection Education Bases in Jiangsu Province. Covering an area of about 10,000 mu, Hongze Lake Wetland Research Base is a research base in eastern China, with sound ecosystem, abundant scarce species, long history, profound culture, unique landscape resources, distinctive characteristics of research bases, diversified themed activities, a full range of supporting facilities, high comprehensive experience and multiple research forms, which can satisfy the research needs of students in different grades from kindergartens, primary, junior and senior middle schools.

Ecosystem

Remote Historical Origin

With a long history, Hongze Lake is the birthplace of human beings in the world. Xiacao Bay Man can date back to 40,000-50,000 years ago. The allusions about the ancient Xu State, which lasted more than 1,600 years, and the honest Ji Zha, who kept his promise by hanging his sword at the grave of the King of Xu State, were recorded in Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian and passed down through the ages. Tongji Canal, an ancient Beijing- Hangzhou canal, has been flowing for thousands of years. It is the premise of the Temporary Headquarters of the 4th Division of the New Fourth Army, where Peng Xuefeng and Deng Zihui led an arduous 33-day struggle against the mopping-up of Japanese army. With profound cultural deposits, it is the place where Chinese culture originated. The idea of ruling the state by benevolence, righteousness and etiquette by Xu Yanwang in the ancient Xu State was the origin of Confucian culture. Ouyang Xiu, Su Dongpo and other eminent writers had written poems and odes for Hongze Lake. Also revolutionary martyrs, such as Chen Yi and Zhang Aiping, had shed their blood here. The paper-cutting performance here is a world cultural heritage, Sizhou Opera and Hongze Lake Fishing Drum are national cultural heritages, and Hongze Lake Cormorant Fishing is an ancient skill that is about to extinct.

Landscape Resources

Hongze Lake has unique landscape resources. There are more than 60 kinds of abundant and unique tourism resources here, such as Hongze Lake water area landscape, physiographic landscape, biological landscape, hydraulic buildings and anti-Japanese humanistic activities of the New Fourth Army. It has set up 36 excellent research bases, such as Hongze Lake Aquarium, Aquatic Plant Pavilion, Hongze Lake Wetland Museum, Thousand Lotus Garden, Aquatic Plant Garden, Grand Lotus Garden, Swan Lake, Fish Fun Park , Deer Park, Metasequoia Forest, Stone Mill Woods and Deep Breath Passage, etc.

Distinctive Features

The research bases have distinctive features, and Reed Maze is the cradle of the navy of new China and the place where the first large-scale water battle of the people’s army took place. The Aquatic Plant Garden has cultivated more than 300 species of precious aquatic plants at N33° meticulously. In Metasequoia Forest, there are dozens of rare relict plants in the world, such as metasequoia and gold leaf metasequoia. The Thousand Lotus Garden has fostered 1008 kinds of famous lotus products, such as Dasajin and Puzhehei. Swan Lake is home to more than 30 species of national first-class and second-class protected birds. Hongze Lake Aquarium displays more than 300 kinds of freshwater fish from all over the world, while Hongze Lake Wetland Museum displays more than 400 rare specimens of animals and plants.

Diverse Activities

Nearly 100 themed activities have been held here in succession, including the International Half Marathon, the International Game Fishing Tournament, the International Eco-tourism Festival, the Eco-camping Festival, the International Cycling Invitational Competition around Hongze Lake Wetland, the National Photography Competition, the “Triathlon” of Collecting Water Chestnut, Shooting and Running, the Reed and Cattail Leaf Handicrafts Making Competition, the Reed Flower Festival, Crab Festival, Persimmon Festival and Fish Catching Festival, etc.

Complete Facilities

There is a full range of supporting facilities. All kinds of resort and leisure facilities have been built, such as Hongze Lake Wetland Training Center, Wetland Resort, Wetland Food Court, Camping Base and Yiluyouni Commercial Complex. Student service facilities with completes and unique characteristics have been established according to the standards of 5A scenic spot, such as ecological parking lot, student center, Class A toilet, leisure chairs, ecological footpath and guide signs. Students can have a high experience here. There are 15 kilometers of land sightseeing roads and 0 kilometers of water sightseeing channel in the base. They can appreciate flowers in spring, watch thousands of lotuses in summer, taste crabs in autumn and watch thousands of birds in winter. Also, they can take boats, sightseeing train and bicycles or go on foot. The convenient traffic, abundant traveling routes and unique landscape greatly enrich the students’ travel experience and improve their comfort in tour.

Forms of Research

There are a variety of forms of research. Teachers of history, Chinese, geography and biology can tell students different contents, which have a high integration degree with the textbooks, according to the resources of bases. The themes of research tours include tracing back to the origin of human beings, culture tour into Tang poems and Song ci, experience tour of red memory, cognition tour of geography and geomorphology, science education tour about fish, birds, flowers and plants, etc.

Depending on the huge tourism consumption market in the Yangtze River Delta and Huang-Huai-Hai, Hongze Lake Wetland Research Base has become the most representative and potential new research base in eastern China.