Dongping National Forest Park　东平国家森林公园

Dongping National Forest Park, situated in the mid-north of Chongming Island, the third largest island of China, is the largest man-made forest on the plain in East China. With a dense forest, a beautiful lake, a strong atmosphere in wilderness, and a favorable ecological environment, the park is seclusive, serene, beautiful, and wild.

Dongping National Forest Park used to be Dongping Tree Farm, which was reclaimed from marshes in 1959. As a scenic spot of tourism, it was open to the public in 1989, and turned into Dongping National Forest Park under the formal approval of the State Ministry of Forestry in 1993, was elected as one of the ten best scenic spots in Shanghai in 1997, and was rated a 4A scenic spot by the State Bureau of Tourism in 2002 and named the national model spot of agricultural tourism in 2004. Nowadays, the park provides quite a number of services and boasts a complete set of recreational facilities, thus becoming a holiday resort with an integration of group relaxation, recreation, food and beverage, physical exercise, meeting, and gardening.

Above the main entrance are eight shiny gilded Chinese characters, Dong Ping Guo Jia Seng Lin Gong Yuan, meaning Dongping National Forest Park, the calligraphy by Peng Chong, former Vice President of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The pattern of three colors, red, white, and green, indicates two meanings: one representing the major trees in the park, dawn redwood; and the other symbolizing three members of a family walking into the forest and being part of nature. In addition, above the main entrance there is a cute green cartoon, it is the mascot of the park named Green, based on the local tomatoes.

After walking into the park, tourists will, first of all, see a grand and magnificent corridor of fountains with a total length of 500 m. The tremendous momentum of the torrential water and the colorful main passage side by side complement each other by the tree surroundings, revealing the beauty of yang and yin in nature. Many tourists like to take photos on the staircases here.

The tourist service center, referred to as No.1 scenic spot of the park, is special in architecture. Designed by Shanghai Institute of Garden Designing, it looks like a series of pyramids or like a number of claw-outstretched crabs; therefore, it has the fancy name A Crab House in the Forest. For many years, a variety of exhibitions, such as painting exhibition, bird specimen exhibition, root carving and erotic stone exhibition, etc., have been held here. The center also provides counseling and tour guide services.

In the middle of the park is a recreation center. Biking on the elevated route could give a panoramic view of the park. Besides, there are also skateboards, space cannons, slides and trampolines make this place an amusement paradise for children. The grass ski court, covering an area of over 10000 m², is the only grass ski court in Shanghai. Built on a vast 20 degree slope grass land, it is a new relaxing sport very popular among visitors. This sport was originated in Germany and became popular in the 1980s. Following the foot steps of those in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hangzhou, this one in Shanghai is another large grass skiing place in China. In 2003, Shanghai First Forest Grass Skiing Competition was held here.

In the park there is a large lake, where there are many different types of boat for renting. The boat dock is a building bearing a resemblance to Shanghai Grand Theater. In addition, there is an island in the lake. The park authority is planning to build a Dream Island, which will be open to the public upon completion.

The rock-climbing court has two walls, both of them 14 m high and 8 m wide. Built according to the international standard courses and equipped with all the facilities, it is the earliest outdoor rock-climbing court in Shanghai. In 1998, the national rock-climbing tournament was held here.

The Bird Watching Deck is built on a 14-m-high molehill by the side of the rock-climbing court and completed in August 2001. Chongming Island, an ecological environment under the government protection, is a paradise for birds. In spring and autumn every year, over one million migratory birds of about 100 species fly to the island. On the Bird Watching Deck, tourists could enjoy with the help of high-power telescopes the graceful flying of the birds. It's really an intoxicating and unforgettable experience.

There is also an outdoor man-made beach swimming pool, covering an area of more than 20,000 m². The deepest part of the pool reaches 2.8 m. It is open to the public from July to September every year. Surrounded by green grass and trees, tourists could rent BBQ and tents, and enjoy swimming, relaxing, playing beach volleyball, flying kites, etc. To the visitors from the busy city, such activities are very appealing.

There are also several special flower gardens in the park, such as the plum flower garden, the osmanthus flower garden, and the cherry flower garden.

In the park there is a 500-m-long race track, where visitors can experience horseback riding. And not far away from the race track, there is a Karting course. After horseback riding, young people can go karting to enjoy the fast-speed stimulation.

What's worth mentioning is the Memorial Wall in memory of the 220,000 Educated Youth that came to Chongming in the 1970s to help the island development. The whole architecture is a combination of sculpture, relief carving and memorial wall.

Dongping National Forest Park is the most attractive tourist spot on Chongming Island. In its vicinity there are other spots that are worth visiting, such as Qianwei Ecological Village, Yingdong Village, and Lugang Village. And Genbao Soccer Base is also located here. All of these attractions make Chongming Island a paradise for tourists.

Address: No.1 Chongming County, Shanghai

Tel.: 021-59338266

Open Hours: 8:30 - 17:00