Jiangwan Wetland - the biggest wetland in urban Shanghai
If you want to appreciate natural scenery in Shanghai, Jiangwan Wetland is the place. In northeastern Shanghai, the natural wetland covers eight square kilometers. You can see fields crisscrossed by irrigation canals and ditches, bright-colored flowers, reeds and the birds that make the wetlands home in the midst of the busy metropolis.
Jiangwan used to be a military airport in the 1930s. When the airport was shut down in 1994, Jiangwan became a restricted area. Over the following years the area was relatively untouched, and thus an ecosystem was formed. As the trees and bushes grew, the deserted runway gradually turned into a large wetland. The wetland is now home to insects, fish and birds.
When the area around the wetland was opened to development in 1997, it changed profoundly. In the northwest stands the new campus of Fudan University, to the north is Jiangwan Park and there are increasingly more residential buildings in the southeast. Citizens have complained that the construction has negatively influenced the ecosystem of the wetland, and decreased its size. So, take the opportunity to appreciate its beauty before it becomes even smaller.
Suggested routes
You can drive north along Songhu Road, or you can take No.66 or 910 buses to Jiangwan Gymnasium. Enter Jiangwan wetlands from Songhu Road. It takes around one day to explore the wetlands, so remember to bring food and drinks with you.
